'I want to break the internet': What Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 'told PR firm'

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends The Lion King& European Premiere earlier this year. Photo / Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex is said to have told her new public relations firm that she wants to "break the internet".

Meghan Markle reportedly made the statement during a meeting with the company, Sunshine Sachs, the Daily Mail reported.

Meghan appointed the firm to assist with her guest-editing the September edition of UK Vogue magazine, which featured New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.

Reports from the UK from royal sources insist that the former Suits actress is "more concerned about the US media than the British".

A source told The Sun said: "Even though it was the UK version of the mag, she wanted maximum coverage in America, which is the country she really cares about in terms of the media.

"She was incredibly hands-on with the strategy and in one meeting told the staff: 'I want to break the internet'."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have embarked on a number of projects, seemingly away from the traditional Royal route.

Sources have reportedly said she is looking to create a team which isn't "bogged down" by tradition.

She is said to "want her own team to help her and Harry work on projects they are passionate about".

Speaking to The Sun a source said: "She had been seeking advice from the PR company Sunshine Sachs privately for weeks but decided to officially hire them for the launch of her Vogue Magazine guest edit.

"Even thought it was the UK version of the mag, she wanted maximum coverage in America, which is the country she really cares about in terms of the media.

"She was incredibly hands-on with the strategy and in one meeting told the staff: 'I want to break the internet'.

The PR company is now thought to be working exclusively in the US for the Sussex Royal charity foundation.

The September 2019 issue of UK Vogue front cover edited by Meghan Markle and featuring 15 women who represent the theme of forces for change, including NZ PM Jacinda Ardern. Photo / AP

Yesterday, Meghan took a last-minute flight to New York to watch her friend Serena Williams play in the US Open.

Both Buckingham Palace — whose press chiefs weren't consulted over the decision to bring in the New York company — and Sunshine Sachs are down-playing the company's role in managing the royal couple's public image.

British PR expert Mark Borkowski says it is clear that the Duchess is trying to "build a global brand".

However, he contrasted Harry and Meghan's rather more aggressive approach towards the media to that of Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who achieved far more through "charming" journalists over lunch at Kensington Palace.

"American PRs don't get charm. They get size and power," he said. "And they don't understand the world outside America."

Another prominent industry player in the UK said: "You can't hire a PR company to represent the Royal Family. The relationship between the Royal Family and the public is something that is beyond spin."

This is while another source claimed that this would be Meghan's way of getting answers to a question if she doesn't get the response she wants from the palace.

"But that's a dangerous precedent to set because there is a reason courtiers and advisers treat members of the Royal Family differently — they are not celebrities, they are publicly funded official figures with a formal role.

"And they need to hear the truth, even if it's not the answer they want. That's something Harry does not like and Meghan isn't familiar with from her former career.

"They appear tone-deaf to criticism at times, which was proven this week by Harry in Amsterdam and by Meghan going to New York and not Balmoral."