Meghan Markle made quite the impression when she joined the Royal Family and quickly gained a lot of loyal supporters, but things started to go downhill in 2019

Meghan Markle completed a number of engagements during her time in the Royal Family, with one expert suggesting an early mistake led to her downfall.

The Duchess of Sussex joined The Firm when she married Prince Harry in 2018. While Meghan originally seemed to win over royal fans, her decision to visit sex workers and write messages on bananas for them in 2019 didn’t go down well.

The messages, which included notes such as “be strong” and “you are loved”, were branded “offensive” by some and royal commentator Liz Jones has now slammed the move as “tone deaf”. She said: “It was Bananagate, when Meghan, still a working Royal, visited sex workers in Bristol, scrawling positive mantras on fruit.”

Meghan Markle wrote messages of positivity (Image: PA)

Recalling the visit in the Daily Mail, she added: “‘Was she signing her autograph?’ I wrote. ‘Would she get ink on the £1,500 Oscar de la Renta?’ No, Meghan. These women are not ‘loved’, they are not ‘special’.

“I’d have more admiration if, when she’s finished doing up that ‘cottage’ in Windsor… she were to open its doors as a refuge instead. That would show these women they are loved. That would prove they’re special.”

Meghan made the impromptu decision to write the kind messages when she met with a former prostitute at a charity helping sex workers get off the streets. She was told how One25 takes sex workers food, condoms, blankets, hot water bottles and offers them advice.

As the food bags were being prepared, Meghan said: “Oh actually do you have a Sharpie marker? I have an idea. I saw this project this woman had started somewhere in the States on a school lunch programme.

“On each of the bananas she wrote an affirmation, to make the kids feel really, like, empowered. It was the most incredible idea – this small gesture.”

However, one sex worker slammed the idea as “really stupid”. Speaking to The Sun at the time, she said: “People out here struggle to eat and sleep and she gifts us some words on a piece of fruit. She has the means to help us more than that. It’s offensive, you know.”