The way the British press is treating Meghan Markle and Camilla is “night and day”, according to a royal expert.

• Meghan Markle and Camilla the Queen Consort are back in the headlines.
• Royal expert Kristen Meinzer told Insider they are treated very differently by the British press.
• She said Camilla was treated with “great respect” while Meghan was made the “villain of the moment”.

The royal family has been dominating the news for weeks as the world bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.

There were surprise reunions, somber photos, title changes and controversial uniforms. New attention is also being drawn to Queen consort Camilla and Meghan Markle, who returned to the royal spotlight as she and Prince Harry attended events to mark the Queen’s funeral.

But the two women make very different headlines. And royal pundit Kristen Meinzer told Insider that it was because the British press treated Camilla with “great respect” while branding Meghan the “villain of the moment.”

“Part of what keeps the royal family relevant is the drama surrounding the family. I always say they’re the longest running reality show we’ve ever had on earth,” Meinzer said. “And the press always likes to choose their favourites, they like to choose their villains. And they definitely made Meghan the villain of the moment.”

“I think the tabloids are very nice to Camilla,” she added. “The difference between her treatment and Meghan is day and night.”

Camilla is no stranger to the ire of the British tabloids. She made front pages frequently in the ’90s after her affair with King Charles was exposed. And after Princess Diana’s death in 1997, things got even worse.

“It’s actually almost unbelievable how much abuse Camilla has endured,” Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers, told The Washington Post in April. “She was called witch, old sack, witch. Those were the sort of words used about Camilla for years.”

But as the decades passed and the royal family cautiously returned the spotlight to Camilla (she and Charles married in 2005), the headlines changed dramatically.

“Camilla gets respect for only working on behalf of the crown,” Meinzer told Insider. “No, she’s not celebrated like Kate, but she’s treated as someone who does her job and does it well.”

The differences between the headlines Camilla and Meghan have been getting in the UK tabloids in just the past two weeks are stark. The Daily Mail hailed Camilla as “down to earth” and the “royals’ greatest secret weapon”, while The Sun wrote that she helped save the monarchy.

Meanwhile, headlines about Meghan claimed she left the Queen “hurt and weary” after stepping down as senior queen, not being invited to a state reception at Buckingham Palace and singled out an Australian senator who gave her a “horrible.” called people.

But this is not a new development. The differences are also apparent when one compares the headlines about Camilla’s appearance on the July 2022 cover of British Vogue with those Meghan received when she guest-edited the September 2019 issue of the magazine. Camilla’s cover was hailed as a “sign of the public’s growing respect,” while Meghan was questioned for “giving Vogue millions in publicity – so why NOTHING goes to charity.”

Royal commentator Marlene Koenig told Insider that Camilla managed to reform her image because she “always supported Charles, she didn’t make it over her.”

“She puts her nose to the ground, she takes on patronage and charities, and little by little she’s being respected,” Koenig added. “Her job is to support the king, and I think she’ll do a hell of a job at that.”

While Camilla rarely gives interviews, Meghan has been open about the racism and mental health issues she faced while working as a senior royal, which Meinzer said went against the monarchy’s motto of “never complain, never explain.”

“I don’t think they understood that when it comes to issues like racism, you complain and explain,” she added. “Racism is something about being on the right or wrong side of history. You don’t shut up about these things.”

It remains to be seen if Meghan’s relationship with British tabloids will ever change. But Camilla’s triumph as Queen Consort is proof it can happen.