Meghan shocked at 'not getting paid' for walkabouts during royal tour of Australia, new book claims

The Duchess of Sussex expressed surprise that she was not getting paid for walkabouts during the Australian royal tour in 2018, a new book claims.

Meghan reportedly told staff: "I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this" referring to the many meet and greets she did with Prince Harry in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

It's one of a number of allegations about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made in the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, by Valentine Low.

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That tour, which was the couple's first overseas visit after their wedding, has since been revealed to have been very unhappy behind the scenes.

Ahead of boarding a flight from Tonga to Sydney, Meghan "screamed at" her staff and accused them of failing her, it is alleged.

That confrontation was directed at the couple's private secretary, Australian-born Samantha Cohen before the flight from Tonga to Sydney.

Cohen is then said to have told other staff to stay away from the Duke and Duchess for the rest of the day.

Another staffer who clashed with the duchess was Melissa Touabti, who quit as Meghan's PA after six months.

In the book, Low claims "the clashes between Meghan and Ms Touabti centred on the free gifts that some companies would send to Meghan. Deliveries were constantly arriving at Kensington Palace."

They included "clothes, jewellery, candles, it was absolutely non-stop", according to a source quoted in the book.

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Touabti, the book claims, was "punctilious" about following the rule that members of the royal family cannot accept free gifts from commercial organisations but "her approach did not go down well with Meghan".

The book details Meghan's deteriorating relationship with palace staff starting from her pre-duchess days.

Low claims things got off to a shaky start in 2017, more than six months before the couple were engaged, when Meghan told one of Prince Harry's advisers: "I think we both know I'm going to be one of your bosses soon".

Before then, in October 2016, she also is reported to have threatened to "dump" Harry if his staff did not put out a statement confirming she was his girlfriend, and condemning the racist and sexist undertones of some of the media coverage.

Low's book claims Meghan and Harry had plans to give a tell-all to Oprah Winfrey long before their royal exit, with moves underway in 2019.

Meghan's interview with ITV's Tom Bradby in Africa, when she thanked him for asking if she was OK "because not many people have asked", had to be filmed in a certain way.

It's claimed Meghan was adamant she and Harry could not be interviewed together or be in the same shot, as it could jeopardise any future agreement with Winfrey.