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Meghan Markle silently acquiesced as her companion furiously demanded a private table at Michelin-starred Le Coucou in New York City in 2017, according to a new book.
Former matre d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, who worked at the restaurant for two and a half years, claims the star-turned-royal needed a table because “it’s for someone who’s dating a prince.”
“I said, ‘I still don’t have a private table for you,'” he wrote in his forthcoming memoir, “Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D.”
Markle and her handler arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes early for their reservation and then were aggressive with the staff.
“Do you know that my guest is dating Prince Harry and about to become a Duchess?” Cecchi-Azzolina remembers the handler’s question. ‘Don’t you have your own space where we can wait?
“My first impulse was to laugh. I could say two things about Prince Harry’s date, and the attention the escort drew from the crowd at the bar, and no one else.’
During the meeting, Markle reportedly said “not a word” and was described by Cecchi-Azzolina as “aloof.”
“We’re getting the most powerful people in the world to come here — nobody really cares about you,” he said.
A new memoir claims Meghan Markle’s handler was aggressive with restaurant staff in 2017 while demanding a private table because ‘it’s for someone dating a prince’
Cecchi-Azzolina worked for two and a half years at the Michelin-starred Le Coucou in New York City. He wrote his allegations in his memoir, “Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D.”
Former maître d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina also claims Anna Wintour (left) and Naomi Campbell were also repeat offenders in Raoul’s Soho
He adds in other celebrity encounters, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour and supermodel Naomi Campbell, both of whom reportedly appeared regularly unannounced and repeatedly sent food back to Raoul’s Soho.
“Naomi Campbell would come, be rude and complain about her food almost every time,” Cecchi-Azzolina writes.
The supermodel routinely appeared at the restaurant in the early 2000s when she dated U2 bassist Adam Clayton.
“She was someone we were afraid to come in,” he told the… New York Post.
“She needed a lot of attention. She sent her food back a few times. I want to say it was the rack of lamb.’
Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir will be released on December 6 and will feature stories from countless discerning celebrities
Cecchi-Azzolina is a former maitre d’ at several Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, including Le Coucou (pictured)
Wintour was similar, Cecchi-Azzolina adds, and was “absolutely appalling” because she “came in without a reservation and demanded a table.”
The Vogue editor ordered a steak “very rare” and asked for it to be served “immediately.”
“God forbid it was even slightly overcooked. She would look at the server as if he had just served her rat and send it back and have it done again. You’d think the raw meat would make her less optimistic,” he said.
“She’d just walk in or call and say, ‘I’m coming.’ One time she came in and we were closing the back room and she insisted to sit in the back room and we had to keep a waiter there and give her own waiter. Boy, was that waitress mad?’
“She doesn’t really talk to the staff. She says, “I’ve got this, and that’s it.”
The announcement for the memoir, which will be released on December 6, follows a recent saga featuring James Corden and Balthazar owner Keith McNally.
In an Instagram post, the restaurateur recalled how the actor-turned-TV presenter had verbally abused his staff earlier this summer, yelling at a server, “You can’t do your job!”
Hours after posting that he had banned Corden from returning to the restaurant, McNally updated the story, saying that Corden had called to apologize for his behavior.
“James Corden just called me and apologized profusely,” McNally wrote. “I messed up more than most people and I’m a strong believer in second chances.
“So if James Corden lets me host his Late Late Show for nine months, I’ll immediately revoke his ban on Balthazar. No of course not.
“But…anyone who is magnanimous enough to apologize to a good-for-nothing like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be exiled somewhere. Especially Balthazar.
“So come back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Corden, Jimmy Corden. All is forgiven. xx’
Balthazar owner Keith McNally said James Corden insulted restaurant staff
McNally (pictured) initially banned Corden from the restaurant before withdrawing the ban after Corden apologized for his actions
McNally: ‘James Corden just called me and apologized profusely. Because I screwed up more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances.”
The shocking allegations came months after the ‘Into the Woods’ star announced he would no longer host the late night talk show in 2023.
Tony Award winner Corden, who earns $36 million a year, rose to fame in the US on the hit CBS show and became known for his cheeky British humor
The shocking allegations came months after the ‘Into the Woods’ star announced that he would no longer host the late night talk show in 2023.
Tony Award winner Corden, who earns $36 million a year, rose to fame in the US on the hit CBS show and became known for his cheeky British humor.
McNally, who has a colorful history of celebrity booting from his exclusive restaurants, claims that Corden also behaved the same way several times at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, leaving a server “shaken.”
He posted two separate examples of Corden’s “extremely filthy” behavior at the French brasserie in New York’s Soho borough earlier on Monday on his Instagram account.
The 71-year-old started his post by calling the funny man a “hugely gifted comedian”, before getting in touch with his fellow Brit – who regularly has meals with celebrities as part of a game on the show.