Meghan Markle once silenced Prince Harry with a sharp three-word retort when he interrupted her during an event, according to claims by a Royal author. The incident occurred in 2018, at the Royal Foundation Forum, where Meghan was making her first official appearance alongside future in-laws Prince William and Kate Middleton.

At the time, the two couples were still on speaking terms and were collectively known as the ‘Fab Four’. However, Meghan’s speech at the event reportedly caused controversy, upsetting executives at the foundation and creating tension among the four royals.

In his book ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors’, Royal author Tom Bower alleges that Harry’s interruption during Meghan’s speech about women’s empowerment had a more significant impact than initially thought. Meghan told her audience: “With so many campaigns like MeToo and TimesUp, there’s no better time to continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people supporting them.

“You’ll often hear people say, ‘Well you’re helping people find their voice’ and I fundamentally disagree with that, because women don’t need to find a voice. They have a voice, they need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen.”

Moving on, Harry jokingly interjected while Meghan was talking, causing a quick and witty retort from her. As Tom Bower observed: “While Meghan spoke, Harry spotted William’s rictus grin… ‘Wedding first’, Harry whispered loudly.”

Although Bower states that Harry’s joke elicited laughter from all four of them, it seems his comment was a way to gently remind Meghan not to rush.

Tom Bower added, “‘We can multi-task’, Meghan replied to the unexpected interruption.” However, Bower sheds light on how despite being patrons of charities, Royals have limited control over their daily operations and activities.

The author noted, “That power was exercised by the Foundation’s executives, an unimpressive group criticised for ineptly moving the royals around like chess pieces. While William, Kate and Harry had become accustomed to their motley behaviour, Meghan’s entry as a valuable addition to the Foundation’s philanthropic work unsettled the rhythm of the executive team. Her feminist stance also challenged their inherent conservatism.”

These revelations follow American actress Melissa McCarthy expressing her admiration for Meghan and confessing she fails to comprehend the criticism directed at her. The star of ‘Bridesmaids’ expressed her dismay at the treatment faced by Meghan, stating it saddens her for “every woman.”

Melissa Etheridge has spoken out in defence of Meghan Markle, stating that she finds it “inspiring” when women are successful and that she has never been threatened by someone who is “amazing”. The singer, 53, told Page Six: “It bums me out for every woman and every person, that for no reason people just like to attack. A smart interesting woman that has her own life, for some reason, is incredibly threatening to some people.”

She added: “I always think, how inspiring! I’ve never once been threatened by someone who is amazing. I just think how inspiring. It’s really on the people throwing the hate.” Etheridge continued to describe Meghan as “wonderful” and “awesome.” Birmingham Live’s sister title, The Mirror, has contacted Meghan’s representative for comment.