Meghan Markle didn’t want to be a princess – she wanted to be Gwyneth Paltrow! At least if we are to believe the latest claims in former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown’s bombshell new book The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil.
According to Brown’s explosive book, a young Ms Markle’s aspirations had more to do with Hollywood royalty rather than British royalty, as she reportedly wanted to make her now-deleted lifestyle site The Tig follow in the footsteps of Paltrow’s Goop. Brown learnt that Meghan worked really hard on it, spending a lot of her “downtime” while filming Suits updating the site, which she shut down in April 2017, just 13 months before officially tying the knot with Prince Harry.
"She often was still on set at four a.m. She spent the downtime furiously updating The Tig, which she was convinced, not without reason, could emulate the success of Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s canny second-act creation of a pampering and wellness e-commerce site, with its $550 healing quartz necklaces and $66 yoni eggs for enhanced orgasms," Brown wrote, before adding that someone from the "Suits team" told her that "Meghan was always talking about Goop." Interesting!
However, Brown noted that in her opinion, The Tig would have never been able to compete with Goop as their sites had very little in common, mostly due to Meghan's earnestness. "What it lacked was Paltrow’s sly positioning that she was in on the joke of monetizing eyeballs," Brown added. "The wink-wink sensationalism of Goop’s 'This Smells Like My Vagina' candle would never have found itself onto Meghan’s earnestly tasteful Tig."
When Meghan shut down her site in April 2017, she shared the following message with her fans: "After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it's time to say goodbye to The Tig. What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity. You've made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy."
"Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being 'the change you wish to see in the world.' Above all, don't ever forget your worth - as I've told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough. Thank you for everything."
