“I thought she looked so happy,” Ingrid Seward, author of the biographyMy Husband & Iabout the Queen andPrince Philip, tells PEOPLE of the mom-to-be. “She has worked so hard, and there she was having a bit of fun. She looked so at home and so happy.”
There’s no royal “protocol” regarding having a gathering with friends and family to celebrate a pregnancy.
Meghan’s was held on February 20 at The Mark hotel in New York, where the public could get a glimpse of what was going on from the flowers, cotton candy machine andcelebrity guestsarriving outside.
“The Brits don’t have them in restaurants or hotels. Someone hosts them in a private house,” Seward explains. “New Yorkers do everything in restaurants and hotels. It’s a different culture.”
Splash News Online
“If anyone in the royal family criticizes, they are envious that they didn’t have that too,” Seward says. “If she even knows about it, the Queen will think, ‘I’m delighted the girl’s enjoying herself.’ There may be a bit of in-house sniping from courtiers but not from her.”
Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth.Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock
Seward also notes the Duchess of Sussex’s acting background separates her from some of the traditions of the British royal family.
“We’ve been brainwashed to see them having a humble life, on vacation in the rain in Scotland. We aren’t used to seeing our royal family doing things we’d like to do,” she says. “Some British people might feel it is a bit flash, but it’s just that we are not used to seeing them acting like celebrities. And Meghan is a celebrity.”
In the end, Seward says Meghan looked glad to be back with her closest friends after a busy start to her royal life.
“Everybody needs a break,” she says.
Gotham/GC Images
Meghan’s friends – includingSerena Williamsand Jessica Mulroney – didn’t hold back when it came to planning the perfect shower for the future royal mom. The party was held in a suite at The Mark Hotel, whose head chef is world-renowned culinary expert Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
The New York City visit comes shortly before Meghan andPrince Harryare heading to Morocco on Saturday for a three-day visit highlighting two of their key causes: girls’ education and youth empowerment.
source: people.com
