Meghan Markle’s Childhood Friend ‘Worried’ Before Royal Wedding

Free for Editorial Use Only. See terms of release, which must be included and passed-on to anyone to whom this image is suppliedMandatory Credit: Photo by REX/Shutterstock (9687843c)This official wedding photograph released by the Duke and Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, shows - the Duke and Duchess pictured together on the East Terrace of Windsor Castle.The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Official Portraits, Windsor, Berkshire, UK - 19 May 2018News Editorial Use Only. No Commercial Use. No Merchandising, Advertising, Souvenirs, Memorabilia Or Colourably Similar. Not for Use After 31 December 2018 Without Prior Permission From Kensington Palace. No Cropping. Copyright in the photograph is vested in The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Publications are asked to credit the photograph to Alexi Lubomirski. No charge should be made for the supply, release or publication of the photograph. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published.

“We were excited for her, but…at the same time, I was worried,” Simone Burns Dilley, a high school friend of Meghan Markle‘s, revealed on the March 22 episode of E! True Hollywood Story. Monday night’s episode was all about Meghan and Prince Harry in the wake of their drama with the royal family and press. However, Meghan’s childhood friend could see all this coming before Meghan and Harry even said “I do” to one another in May of 2018 [you can watch Simone’s portion of the episode here].

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle — Shutterstock

“She was divorced, she’s half-Black. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. They’re gonna be so mean to her,'” Simone explained during the E! documentary episode. HollywoodLife has reached out to Simone for comment. Before Harry, Meghan was previously married to movie producer Trevor Engelson between Sept. 2011-Aug. 2013.

Like Meghan’s childhood friend feared would happen, Meghan said that “everything started to really worsen” after her wedding with Prince Harry during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on March 7. It was Meghan and Harry’s first time opening up, in-depth, about why they really decided to leave the royal life behind in Jan. 2020.

After the wedding, Meghan felt like she and her husband weren’t being protected as much as other members of the royal family. “It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected but…they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband,” Meghan told Oprah.

For instance, there was the tabloid story that accused Meghan of making her sister-in-law Kate Middleton cry; Meghan wanted Kensington Palace to “set the record straight” on this story, a request among many that was allegedly “ignored,” according to Harper’s Bazaar’s royal editor Omid Scobie.

This week's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shone a light on the ways London's tabloid newspapers have come to box the royal family into "a trapping environment." https://t.co/b6XKDQcaRo pic.twitter.com/Edo68imeZM

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) March 14, 2021

Meghan touched on this issue of protection some more in the interview, telling Oprah, “And if a member of his family will comfortably say, ‘We’ve all had to deal with things that are rude,’ rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you’ve also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something’s not true. And that didn’t happen for us.”

During the interview, Meghan opened up about suffering suicidal thoughts while pregnant with her and Harry’s two-year-old son Archie, yet not receiving help she requested. She also claimed that there were “conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might [be] when he’s born,” according to what Harry told her.