Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tenure as senior members of the royal family did not go as planned. A few years after their wedding, the couple decided to step back from royal duties and left the royal family.
While their departure alone was shocking and hurtful to many members of the Firm, it was what followed that created lasting turmoil. Harry and Meghan’s subsequent revelations about the inner workings of the royal family have led to a strained and fractured relationship.
Today, the relationship between the Sussexes and the royal family is severely damaged, with reconciliation uncertain. Meghan, who found herself overshadowed by Kate Middleton, reportedly had different expectations. According to one royal expert, she not only anticipated being in the spotlight but also envisioned herself as the UK’s new Princess Diana.
The relationship between Harry and Meghan began with a brief, one-hour date in London in 2016. The then Suits star recounted that she was in town for the Wimbledon tennis tournament when she and Harry arranged to meet.
Meghan Markle – journey towards royal life
They scheduled a dinner, though things didn’t get off to the smoothest start. Meghan was left waiting for 30 minutes at Soho House in London because Harry was running late.
“I couldn’t understand why he would be late,” Meghan recounted in the series. “But he kept texting, saying, ‘I’m in traffic. I’m so sorry.’”
“I was panicking, freaking out,” Harry admitted. “I was sweating.”
Because she didn’t know Harry well, Meghan wondered if his tardiness was a common occurrence.
“I was like, ‘Oh, is this what he does? Got it. I’m not doing this. I’m not going to sit…’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harry interjected.
“Like you’re one of those guys with such a big ego that any girl would wait for you for half an hour,” Meghan continued. “I was just not interested in that.”
However, once Harry arrived, Meghan quickly realized that his lateness wasn’t intentional.
“I was a hot, sweaty, red ball of mess,” Harry recalled.
“You were just so sweet,” Meghan added. “You were genuinely embarrassed and late.”
“We just met but I think she’s the one”
Their first date, which Meghan described as “refreshingly fun,” lasted about an hour. The next day, they met again, and this time Meghan was five minutes late.
“I was like, ‘You can be as late as you want because I’m not moving,’” Harry reminisced.
He added: “That was when it hit me: this woman is amazing. She is everything I’ve been looking for.”
Harry was ecstatic when he started dating Meghan. Their relationship quickly became serious.
A friend featured in the couple’s documentary recalled Harry’s excitement: “Guys, I met a girl,” Harry had said. “We just met, but I think she’s the one.”
Meghan explained that she and Harry shared a special connection from the beginning. Despite their relationship initially being long-distance and kept secret, they were undeterred.
“Everything was text and FaceTime; we’d talk for hours. It felt exciting but not in the way people would assume. It was just relaxed and easy,” Meghan said.
In 2018, they tied the knot in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. Many believed at the time that they would be a crucial part of the Royal Family’s future. However, we now know how different things turned out.
Meghan Markle’s short stint as a royal family member
Barely two years later, Harry and Meghan officially stepped back from the royal family. On January 8, 2020, they released a statement announcing their decision to no longer be working members of the royal family.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” they stated.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
Harry and Meghan concluded, “We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
According to the BBC, neither Queen Elizabeth nor Prince William had been consulted before the statement was made public. Buckingham Palace was reported to be “disappointed,” and senior royals were described as “hurt.”
Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton didn’t get along
The initial feelings of hurt quickly turned to rage as Harry and Meghan began to disclose details about their life in the royal family and their personal experiences. They revealed many intimate aspects of royal life and leveled various accusations against family members.
When Meghan Markle first joined the royal family, she seemed to fit in seamlessly. She and Kate Middleton appeared friendly, often seen together on royal duties. However, the reality behind the scenes was quite different.
During their first meeting, Meghan sensed a disconnect.
“When Will and Kate came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and barefoot,” Meghan recalled in the couple’s Netflix series. “I was a hugger. I’ve always been a hugger, but I didn’t realize that it’s really jarring for a lot of Brits.”
She added, “I quickly understood that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There’s a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and think you can relax, but that formality remains on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”
Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, in their book Finding Freedom, assert that the two women were not immediately at odds; rather, they simply did not know each other well enough initially.
Meghan was “disappointed” with Kate for not guiding her into royal life
Scobie is known to have close ties to Harry and Meghan, considering himself somewhat of a friend to them.
“Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends,” he wrote. “Their relationship hadn’t progressed much since Meghan was Harry’s girlfriend.”
Durand and Scobie further noted that Kate did not make a significant effort to welcome Meghan into the family, at least not in the way people might have expected.
Meghan had hoped that Kate would take her under her wing and guide her through the nuances of royal life, as someone coming from outside the Firm might need. However, according to the authors, this guidance never materialized.
“Meghan was disappointed that she and Kate hadn’t bonded over their shared position, but she wasn’t losing sleep over it,” Durand and Scobie wrote in Finding Freedom, adding that “Meghan would have preferred Kate to check in on her during the most difficult times with the press.”
Given that Kate is to become the future queen, it was inevitable that she would be regarded as “more important,” much like Harry felt he was the “spare” compared to his brother William, who is destined to become king.
Meghan saw herself as “the royal family’s new Diana,” royal expert claims
Even so, Harry and Meghan embarked on royal tours, the first of which took them to Australia. In his new book House of Beckham, which delves into David and Victoria Beckham’s relationship, royal expert Tom Bower reveals that Meghan Markle saw herself as “the royal family’s new Diana” after returning from the successful tour, The Sun reported.
At the same time, she was discontent with her position in the royal hierarchy, feeling “subservient to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the future Queen.”
Despite her and Charles’ divorce and her departure from royal life, Princess Diana remained one of the biggest celebrities until her tragic death in 1997. It appears Meghan Markle aspired to follow a similar celebrity path as her husband’s late mother.
While the Duchess gained global fame during her time in the royal family, she aimed to achieve even greater popularity and reach a new level of celebrity status after she and Harry left the royal fold.
According to royal commentator Jane Barr, Meghan wanted to become a “superstar.”
“[Meghan] would not have been happy with the ultimately quiet or truly independent/non-royal lives that William and Harry’s cousins actually live,” Barr wrote in her From Berkshire to Buckingham newsletter, as per the NY Post.
Barr continued, “Meghan wanted to take her HRH and her title and be a superstar in her own sphere on the international stage,” adding that it would be “wholly separate from the control of the crown.”
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