By now, we’ve all heard the reports that Meghan Markle’s private phone number was leaked after she joined a WhatsApp chat with other parents at Archie and Lilibet’s school. Now, someone who knows the former Suits star is revealing just how protective she was of her number when they used to hang out.
Nick Ede is a U.K.-based brand and culture expert and public relations specialist with over 20 years of experience in fashion and entertainment. He is a regular commentator on television and in the press. Alongside his media work, Ede runs a PR agency and is a dedicated charity campaigner. He was also once good friends with Meghan.
Speaking to Cafe Casino, Ede shared, “When I knew Meghan, she was incredibly personable and accessible. However, she was a Hollywood star so was always wary of people having her number. This was before her relationship with Harry and obviously before the extraordinary level of global attention that came with it, so circumstances were completely different.
“I had her personal number, and we communicated directly, and at that time it didn’t feel like some extraordinary privilege. She was friendly, open, and easy to communicate with. Of course, I would imagine her relationship with her personal phone and privacy is very different today.”
Ede talked about the change in communication with the duchess when she got involved with Prince Harry, recalling, “There was definitely a change, but I think you’d have to expect that. Her life changed almost overnight. Suddenly she wasn’t simply an actress living her own life; she was involved with one of the most famous families in the world and everything she said or did potentially became news.
“Inevitably, the circle became tighter, and communication became more protected. I never took that personally because the circumstances surrounding her had completely changed.”
Because Meghan hasn’t commented on the leak as of yet, Ede was asked whether he thinks she is more upset that her number was exposed, or that someone from a private parents’ WhatsApp group appears to have shared screenshots from the chat.
“I suspect the breach of trust would be the more upsetting part,” he opined. “A telephone number can be changed, but joining a parents’ WhatsApp group is such a normal, everyday thing to do. She was trying to be another mum joining a school community, and something from what should have been a private space has ended up in the public domain.
“We don’t currently know who originally shared the screenshot or how it traveled beyond the group, so I wouldn’t speculate about an individual. But once a screenshot containing personal information leaves a private group, you lose control of where it goes next.”
And when it comes to how Prince Harry’s wife may have initially reacted to the leak, Ede believes, “Knowing the Meghan I knew, I think she would be upset by the invasion of privacy, but probably even more disappointed by the breach of trust. What strikes me about the story is that she appears to have entered that WhatsApp group doing something incredibly ordinary, introducing herself to other mums and saying how happy she was to be part of the community.”
