A Meghan Markle lookalike who makes up to £300 per appearance has admitted she fears for her future following the Duchess’ explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Sarah Mhlanga, 38, who lives in North West England with her husband, Jabu, 40, and their children, Josiah, 10, and Mimi-Raie, eight, said she has been subjected to ‘hurtful’ trolling from people ‘using her as a punchbag’ to vent their rage at Meghan, 39.
Their bombshell interview saw the Sussexes accuse an unnamed member of the Royal Family of racism, while Meghan claimed she was given such little support by the Palace that she suffered suicidal thoughts.
While her work has been on hold due to the pandemic, Sarah now fears she may have to quit her lucrative career when lockdown eases, fearing that people won’t want to hire her.
‘There are some people who feel like [Meghan is] waging a war on the royals, and people can’t access Meghan so they’re using me as their punchbag,’ Sarah told Closer magazine.
Sarah Mhlanga, 38, said she has been subjected to ‘hurtful’ trolling from people ‘using her as a punchbag’ to vent their rage at Meghan. Pictured in 2018 with Harry lookalike Rhys Whittock
Sarah now fears she may have to quit her lucrative career as she worries people won’t want to hire her – after the Sussexes accused an unnamed member of the Royal Family of racism and Meghan claimed she was given such little support by the Palace that she suffered suicidal thoughts
The mother-of-two’s striking similarity to the duchess, 38, was first remarked on when Meghan was engaged to Prince Harry in 2017
‘I get messages saying I’m attention-seeking and that I should be ashamed to represent Meghan. It’s so hurtful.’
She added: ‘I love Meghan, but now, after this interview, I’m worried people won’t want to hire me.’
Sarah told how she began receiving cruel messages on social media after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior royals in January last year.
Since their sit-down with Oprah, she said the abuse has stepped up, with one troll telling her she shouldn’t be a lookalike for Meghan because she’s ‘the most hated woman in the world’ and that she ‘deserves the same abuse’ if she pretends to be her.
Sarah told how she began receiving cruel messages on social media after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior royals in January last year. Pictured with a Harry lookalike as ‘pregnant Meghan’
Despite the abuse she receives on social media, Sarah said she will continue to stand by and support Meghan and hopes the royal rift can be mended
Sarah admitted it ‘baffles’ her that people can feel such venom towards a person they’ve never even met, and worries she’ll now be ‘forced out’ of her job.
She started out as Meghan’s doppelgänger in August 2017, after a cashier at IKEA remarked on their resemblance.
‘I didn’t think much of it until a month later when Meghan and Harry got engaged,’ she previously told Mail on Sunday.
‘I was featured in a newspaper article – and the floodgates opened. Offers of work came rolling in, from royal-themed parties to walkabouts, promotional work and TV appearances.
‘It’s all been a bit bonkers – I had no idea that looking like someone could be a thing. But over time being Meghan became second nature to me.
Sarah lives in North West England with her husband, Jabu, 40, and their children, Josiah, 10, and Mimi-Raie, eight
Sarah started out as Meghan’s doppelgänger in August 2017, after a cashier at IKEA remarked on their resemblance
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant Sarah, pictured, who is also an actress, is unable to do her usual public appearances as the Duchess
‘I’ve got a wardrobe full of “Meghan” clothes and I’ve studied footage so I can incorporate her facial expressions and the little tics she has – like playing with her hair – into whatever I’m doing. I’ve been told I’m the No 1 Meghan lookalike in the UK.’
Up until the UK went into lockdown in March last year, Sarah said her schedule had been rammed.
‘In the run-up to the Royal Wedding I was doing one or two Meghan bookings a week and the phone was ringing off the hook to the extent that I was thinking about giving up my day job,’ she admitted.
But the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant Sarah, who is also an actress, is unable to do her usual public appearances as the Duchess.
While watching Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah, which aired on the US network CBS on March 7, Sarah said she felt very emotional and now has more sympathy for the couple
While watching Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah, which aired on the US network CBS on March 7, Sarah said she felt very emotional and now has more sympathy for the couple.
‘She’s been through such a huge ordeal and it was time she had her voice heard,’ she told Closer.
Sarah added that hearing Meghan talk about racism in the UK struck a chord with her, as a mother of mixed-race children who have been bullied because of their heritage.
Despite the abuse she receives on social media, Sarah said she will continue to stand by and support Meghan and hopes the royal rift can be mended.