Queen Camilla recently sent a personal letter to Emily Giffin, the bestselling American author who previously made headlines for describing Meghan Markle as “unmaternal”, told GB News. Giffin, known for her 2005 New York Times bestseller Something Borrowed, publicly apologized for her 2020 comments, which also labeled the Duchess of Sussex as “phoney.”
The letter from Camilla, which Giffin shared on her Instagram account on August 28, expressed the Queen’s gratitude for receiving a copy of Giffin’s new novel. Camilla noted that she looked forward to reading it “in the peace and quiet of Scotland.” She also mentioned the pleasure of meeting Giffin during the second annual Queen’s Reading Room literary festival at Hampton Court Palace earlier in the summer and expressed hope that “our paths will cross again in the near future.”
It is unclear whether Camilla was aware of Giffin’s past comments about Meghan when she wrote the letter.
In 2020, Giffin faced significant backlash after she posted critical remarks on Instagram about Meghan Markle. Meghan had shared a video of herself reading to her son, Prince Archie, on his first birthday. Giffin’s posts at the time called Meghan “unmaternal” and “such a phoney,” and she criticized the video as being “the [Meghan] show,” questioning why Prince Harry was not the one reading on camera, according to Newsweek.
The comments sparked swift outrage among royal fans, leading Giffin to issue a public apology on Instagram. She posted a photo of herself with cardboard cutouts of Harry and Meghan, explaining that she often posts in an “unfiltered way” and that she is “very interested in the British monarchy.”
In her apology, Giffin clarified her admiration for Meghan’s entry into the Royal Family, particularly as a biracial, American woman, and expressed her disgust at any racism directed toward Meghan. However, she admitted that her feelings about both Harry and Meghan had changed over time, and that her criticism was not racially motivated. She acknowledged that her posts may have come across as mean-spirited and could be interpreted as having racial undertones, which was not her intent. “I am truly sorry for that negative impact,” she wrote.
At the time, Meghan Markle did not publicly respond to Giffin’s criticism or apology.
Giffin’s recent post about receiving the letter from Queen Camilla has garnered attention, though the content of the letter appears to focus solely on literary matters and their shared experience at the literary festival.