As she turns 45, a new royal book praises Meghan’s crowd-winning charisma and ‘doer’ mindset — and the transformative potential she brought to the monarchy.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
August 4, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Royal biographer Simon Vigar says Meghan Markle shares Princess Diana’s rare, instinctive ability to connect with crowds, calling her “brilliant with the crowd” and a potential major player in the royal family.
- He highlights Meghan’s fast, self-driven work on the Grenfell Tower charity project Together: Our Community Cookbook as proof she is a “doer” who turns ideas into action without waiting for permission.
- Since stepping back from royal duties, Meghan has kept that momentum with her Daytime Emmy–nominated Netflix series With Love, Meghan, her expanding lifestyle brand As ever, and ongoing film projects under the Sussexes’ Archewell deal with Netflix.
As Meghan Markle turns 45 today, a royal biographer is making the case that the Duchess of Sussex had something the monarchy hasn’t seen since Princess Diana: a rare ability to win over a crowd.
In his new book The Four Wives of Windsor, royal author Simon Vigar argues that Meghan’s biggest strength wasn’t her Hollywood résumé or celebrity profile—it was her instinctive connection with people. Looking back at her first official engagement with Prince Harry in Nottingham in 2017, Vigar said the signs were obvious from the start.
“She was brilliant with the crowd, with the people,” he said, per InStyle. “She would have been a major player in the royal family.”
Vigar draws direct comparisons between Meghan and Diana, whom he calls the monarchy’s “biggest changemaker.” While their lives followed very different paths, he argues both women possessed an ease with the public that couldn’t be taught.
According to the author, Meghan also proved she was someone who turned ideas into action rather than waiting for permission.
He points to Together: Our Community Cookbook—Meghan’s first major solo initiative after marrying into the royal family—as an example. Created with women whose community was affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, the project raised funds for the Hubb Community Kitchen while spotlighting the women behind it.
“She ran with it privately and got it done,” Vigar said. “You could see what a doer she is.”
That drive has remained a defining part of Meghan’s career since she and Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020. In recent months, her Netflix series With Love, Meghan landed a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, while her lifestyle brand, As ever, has continued expanding after becoming independent from Netflix.
The Sussexes also remain under a first-look production deal with Netflix through Archewell, with new film projects already in development.
