Royal journalist Charlotte Griffiths, who briefly counted Prince Harry as a friend, has suggested that Meghan Markle may have played a significant role in changing the Duke of Sussex's behaviour.
Speaking on the Daily Expresso podcast with host JJ Anisiobi, Griffiths recalled partying alongside Harry and his friends in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when the royal was known for his boisterous behaviour. She explained that she had become part of a group of wealthy young socialites who regularly attended parties across West London, including members of the Royal Family.
Partying with Harry in West London
Griffiths said: "Some of my mates genuinely knew him. So yeah, we just partied together and I ended up briefly becoming friends with him."
Describing the Harry she knew, she recalled one particularly chaotic weekend at a lavish country house, where the prince and his friends were enjoying themselves. She described Harry as "quite boisterous" during his younger years, recalling how his friends occasionally had to tell him to quieten down at parties.
Griffiths also recalled how Harry rearranged expensive silver animal figurines on a dining table to make them appear to be mating. She explained that the behaviour was largely harmless, describing it as typical of the silly jokes enjoyed by the young aristocratic crowd.
Meghan's possible influence
However, when JJ suggested that Harry's behaviour did not seem like something Meghan Markle would have been attracted to, Griffiths questioned whether the Duchess of Sussex had influenced his transformation.
JJ remarked: "But that doesn't seem like the kind of man that Meghan Markle would be attracted to."
She said: "Yeah, well, I do wonder. And he's written about this in Spare. I wonder whether he slightly changed his ways after she met him... calmed himself down a bit, grew up."
However, Griffiths acknowledged that the Duke's change in behaviour could also be attributed to growing older. She continued: "But to be fair to him, you know, and he said this on GQ, you wouldn't expect a 42-year-old man to be the same as a 22-year-old man."
Accelerated by Meghan
Reflecting on her own experiences, Griffiths said she had also settled down considerably since her twenties, when she regularly stayed out partying throughout the night. But she suggested Meghan's arrival in Harry's life may have quickened that process.
Griffiths added: "I do think that the change in how he was was accelerated by Meghan, and maybe even instigated by Meghan coming on the scene."
She also suggested that Harry abandoning some of his earlier behaviour was not necessarily a bad thing.
Elsewhere in the Daily Expresso interview, Griffiths revealed that she eventually stopped responding to Harry's Facebook messages after deciding it was difficult to maintain friendships within royal circles while pursuing a career in journalism. She explained: "It's just difficult to [be] a journalist and a friend of the royal circles. So I took a view that I would just let it drift."
The royal commentator also discussed Harry's strained relationship with Prince William, his ongoing disputes with the British press and the possibility of a reconciliation between the brothers.
