From accusations of racism to sibling rivalry to unflattering comparisons,
the royal family has created a lot of dramatic feuds throughout history.
But could Prince Philip's comments about Meghan Markle be the worst yet?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive decision to give up their senior roles
within the royal family sent shockwaves around the globe. And with amazing candor,
Meghan decided to open up to Oprah Winfrey about the mental and emotional abuse she'd
suffered at the hands of the monarchy. One of the biggest bombshells to come out of the interview
involved what an unnamed, senior member of the family had once said about baby Archie.
"And also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
Oprah subsequently clarified it was neither the queen
nor the late Prince Philip who had made the racist comment, according to The Guardian.
However, Philip didn't mince his words when discussing Meghan elsewhere,
even comparing her to another royal disruptor from history in the process.
According to royal expert Ingrid Seward, Prince Philip once unfavorably compared
Meghan Markle to Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII famously gave up the throne to marry Simpson,
who was an American divorcee. Writing in the book "Prince Philip Revealed," Seward explained,
Perhaps calling Markle's struggles to mind, in "American Duchess: The Real Wallis Simpson," royal biographer Anna Pasternak noted,
The Real Wallis Simpson," royal biographer Anna Pasternak noted,
"Being blamed in perpetuity for stealing a beloved, popular king from his throne
and almost destroying the British monarchy would prove to be a lifelong
annihilating burden that Wallis was forced to bear."
Meghan, of course, was blamed for stealing Prince Harry away from his family,
though he has since confirmed this wasn't the case. Funnily enough, the New York Post notes
there was another American actor deemed inappropriate for a royal relationship,
too. Koo Stark was essentially the '80s equivalent of the Duchess of Sussex,
but her dalliance with Prince Andrew was short-lived due to intense press intrusion.
Prince Harry wasn't prepared to give up his relationship with Meghan quite so easily.
It's also worth noting that Prince Philip seemingly had an issue with his grandson getting
close to Meghan before Prince Harry defected from the royal family. According to The Sun,
earlier in their relationship, the late patriarch reportedly advised Harry,
"One steps out with actresses, one doesn't marry them."
The Sussexes notably got serious pretty quickly, and Philip was apparently concerned that Meghan
wasn't the right fit for the family. However, his words didn't faze Harry. Thankfully,
Philip put his hesitations aside to attend the couple's wedding ceremony,
despite the fact he was recovering from hip surgery at the time.
The patriarch remained close to the couple throughout their time within
the monarchy and was even one of the first people to meet baby Archie. Plus,
Philip wasn't the only member of the family who reportedly expressed concern over the Sussexes'
burgeoning relationship. According to The Sun, Prince William allegedly asked Prince Harry,
"This seems to be moving quickly, are you sure?"
However, as an insider reportedly told The Sun,
"Harry stood up for Meghan very forcibly."
Unsurprisingly, Prince Philip wasn't very impressed when Harry and Meghan stepped down
as senior members of the royal family. However, he did grudgingly support their decision regardless.
According to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, Philip felt the Sussexes' plan to relocate to
the U.S. while still hoping to support the queen was naive. The late royal apparently
accepted Meghan and Harry's wishes, but didn't necessarily agree with them.
Moreover, sources confirmed that Philip remained blissfully unaware of the claims the Sussexes had
made in their shocking interview with Oprah. Brandreth informed the Daily Mail that Philip
thought the interview was, quote, "madness" and a generally terrible idea, explaining,
"The Duke of Edinburgh was not pleased, nor did he believe that Harry and Meghan
were doing the right thing either for the country or for themselves."
However, Philip was still sorry to see them go, as Brandreth explained,
"[Philip] said to me, 'People have got to lead their lives as they think best.'"
When Philip passed away in April 2021, Meghan apparently sent a stunning wreath for the funeral.
However, several royals were reportedly pleased that the duchess couldn't attend in person
due to her pregnancy at the time. Perhaps the feud ran deeper than anyone realized.
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