Meghan Markle tried to seamlessly join the royal family — and for a time, it looked
like it was working. But then Harry and Meghan went public with their decision to step down
as senior members. Ahead of their exit, there were a number of events that suggested all
wasn't well behind palace doors.
News that Meghan Markle was not adjusting to royal life started to surface in the moments
leading up to her wedding. As it was originally reported by the tabloids, the former Suits
actor was apparently forging a frosty — but cordial — relationship with sister-in-law
Kate Middleton. Things appeared to take a turn for the worse during a heated bridesmaids
dress fitting.
According to reports from the Sun and the Telegraph, the argument was, in some sense,
about pantyhose. Kate wanted the bridesmaids to wear tights, as is customary, but Meghan
wanted to nix royal protocol and allow bare legs. To make matters worse, Princess Charlotte's
bridesmaid dress required extra fittings, and the pair reportedly couldn't agree on
the schedule. A source told the Telegraph.
"Demands were made about when subsequent fittings would be, and Kate left sobbing."
The same source also claimed, quote,"there was a sense that Meghan never really wanted
to be friends" after the Duchess of Sussex snubbed her future sister-in-law's attempts
to hang out.
Two years later, Meghan refuted this tabloid story in her illuminating interview with Oprah
Winfrey. It was allegedly Kate who made Meghan cry over the dresses.
"A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining, yes, the issue
was correct, about flower girl dresses. And it made me cry."
Meghan said Kate apologized, even bringing her flowers, and both parties moved on.
Though tabloids have gotten a hold of — or straight-up invented — a ton of inside information
about the royal family's fraying relationship, there's one bombshell that Meghan and Harry
kept quiet for more than a year. We now know that events surrounding Meghan's first pregnancy,
which she announced in October 2018, had a significant impact on the couple's decision
to quit their senior roles.
In the pair's eye-opening Oprah Winfrey interview, the biracial actor alleged that there were
"concerns and conversations" about how dark her son Archie's skin might be when he's born.
"WHAT!? Who is having that conversation?"
A royal family member, who was not Queen Elizabeth or Prince Phillip, apparently had several
of these talks with Harry, who says he was shocked.
"He wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it
was not his grandmother nor his grandfather."
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that "some recollections may vary" but that the
family was "saddened" to discover Meghan and Harry had been struggling. The palace planned
to take the allegations "very seriously," addressing them behind closed doors. Meanwhile,
the Washington Post reported Prince William told a reporter that the royals are, quote,
"very much not a racist family" and he still hasn't spoken to his brother.
A month after Meghan Markle announced her pregnancy, it looked like the "Royal Fab Four"
— were on the outs. Harry and Meghan announced that they were checking out of Kensington
Palace, where they lived next door to Prince William and Kate Middleton. As Reuters reported,
it was "the first indication of tensions behind the scenes."
Despite what it looked like, a report from the Daily Mail claimed that drama wasn't to
blame — at least not drama with the royal family. Instead, the system was the problem.
According to the tabloid, the plan to move to Frogmore Cottage was reportedly fueled
by Harry's desire to, quote, "escape the goldfish bowl of royal life for the sake of his marriage
and his unborn child." This would eventually be confirmed in the pair's Oprah interview.
With the move came the dissolution of the Fab Four's joint office, as noted in People
magazine. Meghan and Harry would be working on their own. Royals author Sally Bedell Smith
told People,
"The arrival of Meghan has changed the dynamic of the relationship in a fairly significant
way. It is inevitable and practical because it gives Harry and Meghan some freedom to
build up their own collection of interests and charities."
In April 2018, a month before the big wedding, it was clear that Harry and Meghan were taking
every opportunity to stay out of the public eye. The pair even skipped out on Meghan's
first Easter with the royal family, a moment that could've smoothed over the incessant
royal rift rumors but scandalized the tabloids instead. Even though Harry hadn't attended
church service in years, Express went as far as claiming the couple "snubbed" the queen.
The following year, Meghan skipped out all on her own. Though her pregnancy — with
Archie's fast-approaching due date — was the perfect excuse to stay at home, it still
raised eyebrows. Maybe there was no so-called rift in the family, but her absence sent a
clear message that she was not going to do her pregnancy publicly like Kate Middleton,
who was heavily pregnant when she attended the service a year prior.
The service also fell on the queen's birthday, which would've been a great argument for Express
to save a quid and run the same headline twice, but alas, they missed the opportunity. The
couple celebrated from afar, sharing a sweet message on their official Instagram account.
If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Easter absence made it seem like they were no longer
entertaining the public demands of royal life, Archie's birth proved it. The couple circumvented
royal traditions to give their newborn a greater sense of privacy, which is inherently at odds
with being a member of one of the most photographed families in British history. Still, what's
most telling are the lengths the pair went through to take control from the hands of
the Crown.
According to Vogue, Archie's birth was handled more privately than past royal births. Meghan
didn't don four-inch heels and pose for a photo-op on the hospital steps like Kate Middleton
did directly after giving birth. Meghan told Oprah, in fact, that she wasn't even asked
to do so. Vogue noted that Meghan and Harry kept their newborn's identity hidden for two
days, posing for a smaller, controlled photo shoot in Windsor Castle involving two photographers,
rather than an onslaught of media.
Furthermore, the couple separated themselves from the royal family throughout. According
to Vogue, Meghan did not use the Queen's team of royal doctors and had her own natural birth
plan. She kept her birth plans private, though she's said to have attempted a home birth,
as the queen did, later moving to a private hospital. When it came time to announce Archie's
arrival, the pair did not go through Buckingham Palace, as is customary. Instead, they announced
it on their own through their official Instagram account.
The Sussexes' first child was set apart from the royals by both his name and his title.
According to Vogue, Meghan and Harry opted for "Archie Harrison" simply because they
liked it, even though it held no royal significance. They also circumvented tradition when they
chose not to give Archie a double middle name.
In the couple's eye-opening Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan also revealed that the royals
didn't want Archie to have a royal title, which she claimed was, quote, "different from
protocol." Meghan also alluded to the fact that the decision may have had something to
do with her son's mixed race.
"The idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way
that other grandchildren would be ..."
According to the Guardian, the royal protocol established by George V in 1917 dictates that
only the children and grandchildren of a sovereign are automatically given royal titles. Archie
is a great-grandchild, and thus, not entitled. The outlet noted that when grandpa Prince
Charles becomes king, Archie will be, well, entitled to the titles.
Of course, it seems unfair because Prince William's children have titles, but it has
to do with lineage. The queen made an exception because William is the future monarch, and
Prince George was already entitled because of his place in the line of succession.
With title comes security. After Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview, the public learned
that the brunt of their decision to exit the royal family hinged on the security the family
provided to their newborn son — or lack thereof. Again, Meghan suggested that Archie's
mixed race was a factor in the royals' decision to withhold a title, and consequently, withhold
security, since the two are typically knotted together.
According to the Guardian, extended members of the royal family also do not have automatic
right to security paid for by the Crown, and Archie is seventh in the line of succession.
Since it involves taxpayer money, the decision involves both the Home Office and Metropolitan
Police.
Nonetheless, considering Meghan's horrifying treatment in the press and the way tabloids
were a factor in the death of Harry's mother, it makes sense that security would be a breaking
point. It was also apparently the motivation behind the pair's Netflix and Spotify deals,
which they claimed allowed them to afford security when they were allegedly financially
cut off in the wake of their decision to leave.
Every year on Christmas, the queen publicly addresses the nation. It's a key moment that
stokes a sense of unity across Britain and the commonwealth, while giving a nod to the
family's achievements, initiatives, and struggles over the past year. Remember: these people
are paid by taxpayers to do good, and anyone who's watched The Crown knows that the queen's
job is not only to lead but also to preserve the nation's morale — which was especially
difficult during 2020's address.
The official message is a televised affair, and for Britons both at home and abroad, a
nostalgic pang of warmth on a holiday centered around family. As such, the queen always displays
a selection of family photos on her desk. In 2019, mere days before Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle would officially announce their exit, the queen's photos spoke volumes.
The Sussexes were notably absent on the Queen's desk. She did, however, showcase photos of
her husband, Prince Philip; her son Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camila; Kate
Middleton, Prince William, and their children; and her father King George VI . In fact, the
address didn't contain a single mention of Meghan or Harry. This was a huge contrast
from the year prior, where the Sussexes were on full display.
Less than a month after the queen's Christmas address, Meghan and Harry announced they were
stepping back from their royal duties. The Crown was forever changed.
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