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By James Crawford-Smith
Royal Reporter
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were "number six" on their respective call sheets at the time of their marriage, according to the author and former editor of Vanity Fair, Tina Brown.
In her new book The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil, Brown draws parallels between Meghan being listed at number six on the call sheet of her hit TV show Suits, and Harry, who at the time of his marriage, was sixth in the line of succession to the British throne.
Brown's comments follow the Sussexes' building of their star power since stepping down as full-time working royals in 2020 by signing million dollar media deals and taking part in interviews such as the 2021 expose with Oprah Winfrey.
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Brown has attributed part of Meghan's unhappiness as a member of the royal family to her not understanding the limitations of marrying a prince so far from the throne. Speaking to the former editor of Marie Claire, Joanna Coles, for the Washington Post about The Palace Papers, Brown said that Meghan found this realization "galling."
"She was always, as an actress, number six on the call sheet," she said. "That means you're the number six person in terms of being important on the show."
"Essentially, in Prince Harry, she also married number six on the call sheet."
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In The Palace Papers, Brown writes that when Meghan married Harry he was just the "second son of the Prince of Wales, brother to the future king who would soon have three children," and that therefore he "was—just as Meghan had been in Suits—number six."
This is contrasted with an earlier chapter in the book titled: "Number Six on the Call Sheet: Meghan Markle's World," in which the author examines the future royal's professional life and ambitions.
According to the author, Meghan "was desperate" to advance her character on the TV show Suits to grow her star power.
"The dream of every rising player," she writes, "is to be listed on the call sheet at number one, with all the perks that go with it—car and driver, your own trailer on location, the first consult on disruptive schedule changes and generous expenses that include a sheaf of airline tickets for weekends. For the seven years she performed on Suits, Meghan Markle was number six on the call sheet."
Elaborating on the New York Times' Sway podcast with Kara Swisher, Brown said that though Harry and Meghan may have been the most famous couple in the world at the time of their marriage, it didn't matter within the monarchy and that they were treated as number six.
"Although they were such huge celebrities on the world stage at that point, I mean, at that point, Meghan was one of the most, probably the most famous woman in the world," she told Swisher.
"But in terms of the palace and the monarchy and the hierarchy, she was number six on the call sheet. And she got therefore the budget that went with it, the opportunities that went with it, you know, the consideration that went with it."
This became a difficult pill to swallow for Meghan according to the author: "In her world, star power is leverage, right? And if you don't get what you want, it's call my agent. Well, you can't call your agent at Buckingham Palace. Ultimately, you're just going to have to take it."
Despite her forensic analysis of the Sussexes relationship and exit from the royal family, Brown maintains that they possess something hugely valuable to the royals which they still have to offer should they wish to come back in the future.
In an interview with Sky News, Brown asserted that Harry and Meghan have a special "connection" with younger generations, a base which has seen support for the monarchy drop in recent years, and that there will be a "desire" to have the Sussexes return to Britain once the queen has died to fill the void her reign will leave.
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