RICHARD EDEN: 'Insincere' Meghan was sending out warning signs from the start, only now do royal sources admit they missed them

BBC news presenter Mishal Husain is known for her cool, calm manner, moreover erstwhile grilling nan astir bumptious politicians connected Radio 4's Today programme.

So, her determination to respond publically to nan Duchess of Sussex's disapproval of a 2017 tv question and reply conducted by Ms Husain - to people Meghan and Harry's engagement - has made waves.

'Mishal is not easy riled, to put it mildly, truthful this is simply a notable intervention,' 1 BBC root tells me. 'She intelligibly felt powerfully astir it.'

The disapproval came successful nan 2022 Netflix 'docuseries', Harry & Meghan, erstwhile nan duchess dismissively suggested that Husain's question and reply pinch nan mates had been an 'orchestrated reality show'.

'It was, you know, rehearsed,' she said. 'So we did nan point retired pinch nan property and past we went correct inside, took nan overgarment off, sat down and did nan interview. So it was each successful that aforesaid moment.'

According to a elder royal source, Meghan had complained that nan presenter 'wasn't empathetic enough, wasn't lukewarm enough' to behaviour nan interview.

It was said that nan erstwhile character would person preferred her chap American Oprah Winfrey to person been selected for nan job.

Now, penning successful nan August version of Saga magazine, Husain suggests that nan onslaught connected her question and reply near her astonished.

And that, acold from Meghan being nan naive unfortunate of immoderate co-ordinated Establishment plot, she believed nan royal mates had fixed important thought to what they would show nan listeners.

'When nan Duchess of Sussex said that my engagement question and reply pinch her and Harry was an 'orchestrated reality show' I didn't cognize what to make of it,' Husain writes.

'They seemed to person thought done what their caller lives would beryllium for illustration and what matrimony would mean for her life successful particular.'

Husain adds that location was nary hint of nan problem to travel later - erstwhile nan mates chose to discontinue royal duties.

'There was thing that pointed to what would happen,' she writes. 'It was 2 group who were afloat of joyousness successful each different and life.'

After nan Netflix bid was broadcast, Husain was asked astir Meghan's comments by a workfellow connected nan Today programme.

Borrowing a building from Queen Elizabeth's consequence to nan duchess's allegations of racism wrong nan Royal Family, she said wryly: 'Recollections whitethorn vary.'

This week, I said to sources who worked for nan Royal Household astatine nan clip of Husain's question and reply successful 2017 and they said nan duchess's 'performance' should person raised much concerns than it did.

'At nan time, location was truthful overmuch excitement astir nan engagement that nary 1 really questioned immoderate of Meghan's comments,' 1 root says. 'But, if you watch it again now, immoderate of her responses look insincere and her assemblage connection is telling.'

Meghan undoubtedly trim a acold much assured fig than had different women marrying into nan Royal Family.

Lady Diana Spencer, who was 19 astatine nan time, for example, was painfully awkward erstwhile interviewed opinionated alongside Prince Charles successful 1981.

Kate Middleton, past 28, looked tense erstwhile ITV's Tom Bradby put questions to them astatine Kensington Palace successful 2010. She fto Prince William return nan lead.

In contrast, Meghan, past 36, seemed much assured than Harry successful their interview. She was, aft all, an knowledgeable actress.

Her assemblage language, which saw her thin crossed her fiancé astatine times, made her look nan ascendant half of nan partnership.

With nan use of hindsight, it is difficult not to perceive immoderate of her answers otherwise now.

For example, Meghan told Husain that she had met Harry connected a 'blind date' pinch Harry adding: 'It was a unsighted date, for sure.'

However, successful nan Netflix series, nan duke says he sewage to cognize his early woman via a photo-sharing app.

'Meghan and I met complete Instagram,' he explained.

In 2017, Meghan told Husain that, erstwhile a communal friend helped organise nan 'blind date', she had known small astir Harry.

'Because I'm from nan States, you don't turn up pinch nan aforesaid knowing of nan Royal Family,' she mused.

'I didn't cognize overmuch astir him and truthful nan only point that I had asked her erstwhile she said she wanted to group america up was — I had 1 question. I said, 'Well, is he nice?'

However, it subsequently emerged that Meghan had taken a adjacent liking successful nan Royal Family since childhood.

Indeed, she had been pictured posing extracurricular Buckingham Palace arsenic a 15-year-old tourer pinch her past friend Ninaki Priddy, who remarked of her matrimony to Harry: 'I'm not shocked astatine all. It's for illustration she has been readying this each her life.

'[Meghan] gets precisely what she wants and Harry has fallen for her play. She was ever fascinated by nan Royal Family.

'She wants to beryllium Princess Diana 2.0. She will play her domiciled ably, but my proposal to him is to tread cautiously.'

As an adult, Meghan was truthful fascinated by royal news that she would comment connected it done her now-defunct blog, The Tig.

The much I look backmost astatine that 2017 question and reply pinch Mishal Husein, nan much it seems that nan genuinely 'orchestrated' point astir it was, successful fact, nan capacity by nan duchess.

In nan US play Suits, she played nan portion of paralegal Rachel Zane - pinch immoderate success.

But she recovered a caller domiciled astatine Kensington Palace: nan naive outsider marrying into nan Windsors. I would reason that she was alternatively little convincing.

Sign up for Richard Eden's royal newsletter. Click connected this link