OPINION ‘Americans have grown tired of Meghan Markle. It’s time for the British to reclaim her’ if you are true my true fans will you let me go or not

Say what you want about Meghan Markle (narcissistic, self-aggrandising, out-of-touch) but her greatest misstep is one of missed opportunity. Despite the Duchess’s best efforts – her carefully-curated home goods line, that wanna-be state visit to Nigeria, a perfectly-plotted anniversary date night – barely one-third of Americans have a favourable opinion of Markle, far below Princes William, Harry and the Princess of Wales.

Armed with a new podcast deal and refreshed communications team, Markle is clearly continuing her relentless quest for relevance. But as the real royals in Windsor contend with double cancer crises, Markle has revealed herself as little more than the most infamous symbol of America’s high tolerance for low expectations.

It didn’t have to be this way. Long before marrying her prince, Markle clearly understood the power of public image and personal achievement. Despite a minor role in a minor television franchise, she managed to parlay her innocuous persona into a fairly impressive celebrity existence. With her crowd-pleasing blog The Tig, Markle was an early embracer of the “lifestyle content” craze that has made rich folk like Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Whiterspoon far richer. And she intelligently deployed her mixed-race heritage into a compelling, competitive-edge narrative just as America was embracing the power of identity politics nearly a decade ago.

For a nation consumed by representation, Markle – unrepentantly divorced and solidly middle class – represented the best of America: tolerant, multicultural, meritocratic. Sure, it’s unlikely she would have ever won an Oscar. But armed with style and that unassailable back-story, Markle was well on her way to securing official “somebody”-status – even if she was most famous in the sleepy confines of Toronto, where her show Suits was filmed.

Well-educated and supremely well-spoken, Markle likes to talk up those mid-level accomplishments and achievements. But ultimately, her greatest accomplishment will forever be becoming a Windsor. Indeed, despite aggressive efforts to rewrite the legacy of Queen Charlotte – whose supposed mixed ancestry has been lavishly conjured in the Bridgerton series – there has never been a multiracial royal. And the last divorcee to marry a senior family member wound up in exile on the continent.

Markle, however, had achieved what many had assumed was impossible, diversifying a thousand year-old institution for whom change typically arrives via assassination or warfare. But six years on, both she and her prince have squandered what could have been a meaningful opportunity. It appears as if the Sussexes’ squandering shows no sign of stopping.