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Meghan Markle’s sorority days may show why she was doomed to clash with the British royal family.
Long before she was the Duchess of Sussex or a star on “Suits,” the 44-year-old was a student at the prestigious Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. There, she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, which was known for its “Midwestern blondes” who were “intelligent hot messes,” Vanity Fair reported.
According to the outlet, not everyone found the future duchess charming. Former classmate Ann Meade told Princess Diana biographer Andrew Morton in his book, “Meghan and the Unmasking of the Monarchy,” that some students considered her “overly assertive” and “a tad too persuasive.”
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaks at SWSW 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Mat Hayward/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Morton’s original book, “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess,” was published a month before she married Prince Harry. At the time, Kensington Palace didn’t respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about Morton’s claims.
“The sorority anecdotes show someone who wanted to organize, steer, and contribute, which are qualities that show up again in Meghan’s approach to royal projects,” royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital. “But I can see how the determination that helped her stand out in college would later clash with the royal institution, which doesn’t reward individuality.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrives for an engagement at University of Chichester Tech Park during an official visit to Sussex on Oct. 3, 2018, in Chichester, England. (Heathcliff O’Malley – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Matta noted that being “too persuasive” and “too assertive” are “qualities that we praise in American settings but are often criticized in the royal context.”
In 1999, Meghan Markle enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
“In Meghan’s case, they appear time and time again as negative qualities, whether about her as a boss or a duchess managing a staff,” she added.
According to Tom Bower’s book, “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors,” Meghan moved into the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house.
From left: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“She pledged to be philanthropic, care about her sisters, and abide by the motto ‘aspire to be,’” Bower wrote, as quoted by the outlet. “She shone in her charity work, including the Glass Slipper Project that provided dresses for local teenage girls for their prom; and a 30-hour dance marathon to raise money for cancer sufferers.”
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Meghan Markle starred as Rachel Zane in “Suits” from 2011 to 2018. (Ian Watson/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Meghan was described as “an extrovert” who didn’t hesitate to step up and offer a helping hand. She quickly stood out among her sorority sisters.
“Meg was sort of always this ethereal, sophisticated, beautiful creature who lived with us and was always willing to lend you a top,” rushee Liz Kores Graham told the Chicago Tribune.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the former Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend Royal Ascot Day 1 at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2018. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
As a member of the royal family, standing out isn’t always a blessing. It can be a problem, British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married on May 19, 2018, in the U.K. (Ben Stansall – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“Meghan Markle’s sorority experience certainly contributed to her social agility, further fired her ambition but likely foreshadowed the eventual culture clash she experienced within the far more refined monarchy,” Fordwich explained.
“Particularly the sorority values emphasizing individual self-promotion and her craving for visibility clashed with royal expectations of self-effacement and adherence to protocol within the hierarchy.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2025, in New York City. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)
“She initially was popular as a royal, but her lack of dedication to duty and … her participation in denigrating the royals rendered her popularity irretrievable,” Fordwich claimed.
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Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry. She still holds her title. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
A sorority sister told the Chicago Tribune that Meghan was “diplomatic” when disputes arose at the house. She was also described as “a fountain of fashion and makeup advice.”
Morton wrote that when Meghan began dating basketball player Steve Lepore, it boosted her reputation, as her sorority sisters were reportedly “impressed that she had snared such a hottie.”
Meghan Markle arrives at the Paley Honors Fall Gala on Dec. 4, 2024, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
“She was so engaging, and she had such a huge smile on her face and she was such a really nice person and I remember thinking this is a house that I really want to be part of, and I did end up joining that sorority,” Hailee Tellier told 7News.
Author Andrew Morton secretly worked with Princess Diana, which led to the 1992 publication of his book, “Diana: Her True Story.” He later wrote a book about Meghan Markle. (Chris J Ratcliffe/AFP via Getty Images)
Matta told Fox News Digital that Meghan’s personality traits, on the surface, would have made her an ideal fit as a senior royal. However, the monarchy prioritizes tradition, hierarchy and protocol over individuality or outshining other senior royals.
“Meghan’s time in Kappa Kappa Gamma definitely showed off skills that translate well to royal life: networking, diplomacy and making people feel seen,” Matta explained. “As recruitment chair, she was literally tasked with representing the sorority, managing first impressions and recruiting new members — not unlike a royal engagement where you meet strangers and have to make them feel at ease.”
Queen Elizabeth II sits and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018, in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
“Her reputation for being poised, polished and appropriately dressed in every setting also aligns perfectly with the expectations of royal presentation,” Matta said.
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“Meghan’s sorority experience underscores that she gravitated toward community, connection and a platform to build things bigger than herself. But while Northwestern and KKG gave her space to thrive, the monarchy wasn’t going to welcome the same type of leadership from an outsider.”
Meghan became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry, 41. The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace.
Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, the couple detailed their struggles with royal life. (Paul Edwards – Pool/Getty Images)
In 2021, days before Meghan and Harry’s televised interview with Oprah Winfrey aired, Valentine Low broke the story of bullying allegations made against the duchess during her time as a working royal.
Meghan Markle is seen here being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2021. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Meghan’s team strongly denied the claims.
In 2023, Morton told Fox News Digital that he doesn’t envision the mother of two ever returning to the U.K.
“Meghan is making her own life on the West Coast,” said Morton. “The royal family is very much in the rearview mirror of her life. She’s moved on.”
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Variety Power of Women Los Angeles presented by Lifetime at Mother Wolf on Nov. 16, 2023. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“I think the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have their own lives, and they’ve worked it out. And every day that passes, they’re more established in California.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito in 2020. (Toby Melville/Getty Images)
“The state where they live is crowded with billionaires and millionaires,” Morton said. “So if they want to raise money for their charities, they’ve picked fertile ground. Other royals will envy that they can go to a dinner and raise millions for their charities. So that’s what they’ll do.”
Morton said that in carving out her own life in California, Meghan likely doesn’t want to return to the U.K.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are seen on April 23, 2025, in New York City. (Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images)
“I just feel that Meghan never really embraced the rules and rituals of the royal family,” Morton said. “She didn’t understand that she had to curtsy to the queen in private. It’s no secret there’s not much love lost between Kate [Middleton] and Meghan, and Meghan is making her own life on the West Coast.”
“She’s a celebrity,” Morton added.
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” premiered on March 4, 2025, on Netflix. (Jake Rosenberg/Netflix © 2025)
At the time, Morton described the next chapter in the Sussex saga as the couple’s “difficult second album.”
“They’re not popular in Britain by any means,” he claimed. “There’s no great movement in Britain for them to come back. They seem settled in the United States, and Harry’s doing what he always wanted to do. He never really wanted to be a royal, never really wanted to spend all his time on royal duties. … They could have made something more if they’d given more attention and focus on what they’ve been asked to do.”
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020, in London, England. Soon after, they moved to America. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
“The queen deliberately gave Harry and Meghan jobs in the Commonwealth,” said Morton. “She recognized that they could go live somewhere outside of Britain. They could go live in New Zealand, South Africa, or Canada and do their work from there.”
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, launched in Feb. 2025. (Mat Hayward/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“The opportunity was there for Meghan and Harry, but they chose to go a different path.”
Following the couple’s royal exit, they aired their grievances in interviews, documentaries, as well as Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare.” Currently, Meghan has transformed herself into an entrepreneur by launching a lifestyle brand, As Ever, and a Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan.”
