Meghan Markle's friend has removed 'damaging' Instagram pictures of the Duchess

An old friend of Meghan Markle's has been asked by Buckingham Palace to remove photographs of the Duchess it fears could be “damaging” from her Instagram account.

Words by Kate McCusker

Jewellery designer Jennifer Meyer was reportedly issued with a warning from the Palace requesting her to remove a number of photographs of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, that she was using to promote her brand on the social media platform.

The Duchess has worn her designer friend’s jewellery to a number of major events in the past year, including revealing baby Archie to the world in May and meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the Sussex's tour of South Africa in September.

The Duchess is a devoted follower of the brand and has been photographed at least ten times over the past year wearing Ms Meyer's designs.

However, a royal insider told The Daily Mirror: 'Jennifer Meyer has been told to remove the images and in no uncertain terms how damaging this could be for Meghan and the Royal Family.'

Industry pundits have weighed in on the news, including Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, who told the paper: 'Meghan [Markle] has again blurred the line between celebrity and royalty.'

It is reported that a dozen images of the Duchess on Meyer's Instagram page and jewellery website have been removed following the palace's rebuke. The Instagram posts included links to the Jennifer Meyer website where fans of the Duchess could shop the jewellery.

The news comes after the Duke and Duchess broke their silence during a six week break from royal duties on Instagram yesterday, to speak out about the importance of being kind as part of #GivingTuesday.

The unconventional royal couple continued to break royal tradition when it was confirmed they were bypassing the annual royal family Christmas in favour of spending the day as a family of three.

It is rumoured that the Sussex family, including baby Archie, might be staying in America with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland, after reportedly flying over for Thanksgiving last month.