The former maitre d’ claims Meghan Markle ‘standing in silence’ while the ‘angry handler’ demanded a private table
Meghan Markle stood by in silence when her boss angrily demanded a private table at Michelin-starred Le Coucou in New York City in 2017, according to a new book.
Former Maître d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, who worked at the restaurant for two and a half years, claims the star-turned-king needed a table because “he’s for someone who’s with 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 attendant arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes early for her reservation and then aggressively dealt with the staff.
“Are you aware that my guest is dating Prince Harry and is about to become a duchess?” Cecchi-Azzolina recalls the handler asking. “Don’t you have a dedicated area where we can wait?
“My first impulse was to laugh. I could give two shits about Prince Harry’s date, and with the attention the escort drew from the crowd at the bar, neither did anyone else.”
During the encounter, Markle reportedly “didn’t say a word” and was described by Cecchi-Azzolina as “aloof.”
“We get the most powerful people in the world coming here — nobody really cares about you,” he said.
A new memoir claims Meghan Markle’s handler was aggressive towards restaurant staff in 2017 when he demanded a private table because “he’s for someone dating a prince.”
Cecchi-Azzolina worked at the Michelin-starred Le Coucou in New York City for two and a half years. He wrote his allegations in his memoir, Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a Maitre D from New York City.
Former Maître d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina also claims Anna Wintour (left) and Naomi Campbell were also repeat offenders at Raoul’s Soho
He adds other celebrity encounters, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour and supermodel Naomi Campbell, both of whom are said to have regularly turned up unannounced and repeatedly sent food back to Raoul’s Soho.
“Naomi Campbell came in, was rude, and almost always complained about her food,” writes Cecchi-Azzolina.
The supermodel was a regular at the restaurant in the early 2000s when she was dating U2 bassist Adam Clayton.
“She was someone we feared,” he told the New York Post.
“She needed a lot of attention. She sent her food back a number of times. I want to say it was the rack of lamb.”
Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir is due out December 6 and features stories from countless sophisticated celebrities
Cecchi-Azzolina is a former maitre d’ at several Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, including Le Coucou (pictured).
Wintour was similar, adds Cecchi-Azzolina, and was “absolutely awful” as she “marched in without a reservation and demanded a table.”
The Vogue editor ordered a steak “very rarely” and asked for it to be served “immediately.”
‘God forbid it was even a little overcooked. She would look at the server like he had just served her rat and have it sent back and redone. You’d think the raw meat would make her less confident,’ he said.
“She just walked in or called and said, ‘I’m coming.’ One time she came in and we closed the back room and she insisted on sitting in the back room and we had to keep a waiter there and put her own waiter in. Boy was the waitress pissed off.”
“She doesn’t really speak to the staff. She says, ‘I got this and that’s it.’
The announcement for the memoir, which will be released December 6, follows a recent saga starring James Corden and Balthazar owner Keith McNally.
In an Instagram post, the restaurateur recalled how earlier this summer the actor-turned-TV host berated his staff and yelled at a server, “You can’t do your job!”
Hours after posting that he banned Corden from returning to the restaurant, McNally updated the story and said Corden called to apologize for his behavior.
“James Corden just called and apologized profusely,” McNally wrote. “Having beat myself up more than most people, I’m a big believer in second chances.
“So if James Corden lets me host his Late Late Show for 9 months, I will lift his ban from Balthazar immediately. No of course not.
“But… someone big enough to apologize to a dead layman like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be banished from anywhere. Especially Balthazar.
“So come back to 5 & Dime, Jimmy Corden, Jimmy Corden. Everything is forgiven. xx’
Balthazar owner Keith McNally said James Corden abused 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. After messing up more than most people, I firmly believe in a second chance.”
The shocking allegations came months after the ‘Into the Woods’ star revealed he would no longer be hosting 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 is known for his cheeky British humor
The shocking allegations came months after the ‘Into the Woods’ star revealed he would no longer be hosting 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 is known for his cheeky British humor.
McNally, who has a rich history of kicking celebrities out of his exclusive restaurants, claims that Corden behaved similarly on several occasions at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, leaving a server “shaken up.”
He posted two separate examples of Corden’s “extremely nasty” behavior at the French brasserie in New York’s Soho district on his Instagram account on Monday.
The 71-year-old began his post by calling the comedian an “extremely gifted comedian” before taking on his compatriot – who regularly dines with celebrities as part of a game on the show.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11343473/Former-maitre-d-claims-Meghan-Markle-stood-silent-irate-handler-demanded-private-table.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 The former maitre d’ claims Meghan Markle ‘standing in silence’ while the ‘angry handler’ demanded a private table
