A recently surfaced photograph of Meghan Markle has reignited old rumors and sparked new conspiracy theories across the internet. Allegations suggest that Meghan may have initially caught Prince Harry’s eye through his best friend, Tom Inskip, known affectionately as “Skippy,” during her time as a yacht girl.

Reports circulating on social media claim that Tom Inskip met Meghan before Harry did, fueling speculation that his early skepticism about the relationship led to his eventual expulsion from Harry’s inner circle.

Those close to Harry never anticipated the relationship progressing beyond a fling. The photograph in question shows Meghan in a cozy moment with Tom Inskip at Glastonbury in 2013.

Notably, Harry was also present at the festival with his then-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas. From the outset, Meghan Markle allegedly didn’t align with the expectations of Prince Harry’s old Etonian friends, as detailed in the book “Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors” by British biographer Tom Bower.

According to a report from The Sun, Meghan’s introduction to Harry’s social circle during a shooting weekend at Sandringham didn’t go as expected.

The gathering, typically filled with banter and camaraderie, reportedly turned tense as Meghan challenged guests on topics like sexism, feminism, and transgender rights, asserting her values without reservation. This clash left Harry’s friends uneasy, labeling Meghan as a dampener on the festivities due to her serious demeanor and lack of humor.

Like other shooting weekends, Harry was looking forward to endless banter, jokes, and a lot of drinking. He hadn’t anticipated Meghan’s reaction. The jokes involving sexism, feminism, and transgender people ricocheted around the living rooms and dining rooms. Without hesitation, Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values. According to Harry’s friends, again and again, she reprimanded them about the slightest inappropriate nuance. Nobody was exempt. Harry’s world would not be her world.

Bower alleges that when the weekend was over, his friends expressed their concern over Harry’s new girlfriend’s behavior. Meghan was a dampener on the party, they concluded. She lacked any sense of humor. Driving home after Sunday lunch, the texts pinged between the cars: “My God, what about her?” said one. “Harry must be nuts.”

Bower’s book suggests that Meghan’s perceived standoffishness continued during a trip to Jamaica in 2017 for Tom Inskip’s wedding, where her behavior allegedly reinforced her “princessy” reputation.

While Harry flew economy from London, Meghan arrived in a friend’s private jet from Toronto, setting the stage for tensions among Harry’s close-knit group. Bower recounts how Meghan’s reluctance to engage with Harry’s friends and her critiques of the event details further distanced her from the group.

The biography “Finding Freedom” by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand adds more context to Tom Inskip’s strained relationship with Harry post-wedding. Inskip reportedly felt sidelined and hurt by Harry’s swift marriage to Meghan, voicing concerns about the speed of their relationship and suggesting that they live together before tying the knot.

These sentiments allegedly caused friction, leading to Inskip’s exclusion from the evening reception following the wedding. Inskip’s concerns, though well-intentioned according to the biography, reflected a broader sentiment among some of Harry’s friends that Meghan had changed him. The authors describe a brunch where Inskip expressed disappointment over losing Harry to Meghan’s influence, lamenting that his friend had been fundamentally altered.