By now, we are all familiar with the drama going on involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple started dating in 2016, got engaged in 2017, and had their royal wedding in 2018.
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You can say this was like a roller coaster ride – only for Harry and Meghan, everything seemed like a roller coaster ride inside a horror chamber booth where they were hounded and haunted by the press. It turns out that joining the royal family was not exactly a fairy tale.
How does the royal family feel?
There is no doubt that Harry dating Meghan had turned a lot of heads. The couple has been in the middle of a media frenzy ever since they started dating. There has been a lot of bad press with Meghan as the main target of hate.
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Rumors have been circulating around that even the royal family did not welcome her. And this actually fueled the public’s opinion with a lot of people saying she was not fit to be a royal. But is this all true? What does the royal family really feel about Meghan?
Prince Philip
Prince Philip had doubts at first about Harry marrying an actress like Meghan. You see, transparency is very important to the royal family. He once warned his grandson, “One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them.”
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Eventually, Philip grew to like Meghan and he is one of the few who treated Meghan well after the marriage. For one, he made a surprise appearance at their royal wedding even though he was supposed to be recovering from an operation.
Prince William
When Harry and Meghan were engaged, The Sunday Times reported that Prince William once asked his younger brother if he was “sure” about it. Then, he advised Harry not to rush into making such a big decision.
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However, in another interview in London about Harry’s engagement, William said he was thrilled. In fact, he had joked that “For me personally, I hope it means he stays out of my fridge. It will stop him scrounging off all my food [as] he’s done over the last few years.”
Duchess Kate
Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, had said in an interview that she was “thrilled” about Harry’s engagement. In fact, Kate and Meghan actually seemed to hit it off when Meghan was still dating Harry.
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But we all know that the two are not on the best of terms these days. Rumor has it that Meghan had made Kate cry. But in the Oprah interview, Meghan revealed that it was the other way around. The issue has not been cleared yet as Kate chooses to stay silent.
Prince Charles
Prince Charles hosted Meghan at his home. “[We had] a handful of teas and meetings and all sorts of gatherings over at his place,” Harry said. “The family together have been absolute, you know, a solid support.” Prince Charles gave them his blessing after that.
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Prince Charles stepped in and gave Meghan away in the absence of Meghan’s father during the royal wedding. Perhaps Charles was able to empathize with her as his marriages with Princess Diana and Camilla were also heavily criticized.
Duchess Camilla
The Duchess of Cornwall is also one of the royal members who does not have bad blood with Meghan. In fact, she described Meghan as a “star” and that the royal family was “absolutely delighted” to have her around.
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In an interview with the Daily Mail, Camilla was asked to comment on the news that Meghan will be a British citizen. “America’s loss is our gain.” Camilla had shared. Camilla probably could relate to Meghan more than we think being a controversial royal as well.
Royal corgis
Even the Queen’s famous corgis have seemed to take a liking to Meghan. The royal dogs were known to be very picky with the people they interact with. Harry, who has known them since he was a baby had failed to win them over.
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Seeing how the corgis behaved around Meghan was amazing for Harry. “For the last 33 years, I’ve been barked at. This one (Meghan) walks in, and absolutely nothing. Just wagging tails.” Harry shared, clearly amused.
Queen Elizabeth
But here is a big one – what about the Queen? Rumors have it that she has been playing favorites, being more lenient with Kate and stricter with Meghan. In fact, Kate had more access to the jewelry pieces from the Royal Collection.
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There was a particular necklace that Meghan wanted and Harry said the famous line “Meghan gets what Meghan wants.” This must have rubbed the Queen the wrong way as she replied “Oh, no, she doesn’t. I decide what necklace is going to be worn out of the Royal Collection.”
No-show
It can be recalled also that during Archie’s christening, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were not present. The press took it as a bad sign but it was later revealed that the Queen had prior commitments that she could not cancel.
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But the Queen actually threw Meghan a birthday party when she turned 38. It can also be noted that the Queen had bent a lot of rules and protocols to accommodate Meghan into the royal family. For one, she allowed Meghan to join them for Christmas even though she and Harry were not married yet.
Why the bad press?
So what is it with all the bad press? Why is Meghan being painted as an evil villain who seduced the prince and took him away? It all stems from the fact that Meghan was not an aristocrat. She was deemed unfit to be Harry’s wife.
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The press did everything to paint her in a bad light. They dug up a lot of dirt on her ever since her engagement with Harry was announced. It must have been horrible for Meghan to wake up each day and read about all the hate towards her.
She’s not British
The public did not really like the fact that Harry was marrying an American. They found that Meghan is too old to take on new traditions and practices knowing that British culture and American culture are very different.
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Her race also played a factor. Meghan is half-black and half-white. In fact, Meghan revealed in her interview with Oprah that one member of the royal family actually questioned what the baby’s skin would be while Meghan was pregnant with Harry’s child.
She’s a divorcee
The fact that Meghan had been married before also did not sit well with some members of the royal family and the public. They believed there were more suitable choices and that he should marry a woman who has not been through a divorce.
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Before she started dating Harry, Meghan was once married to producer Trevor Engelson in 2011. Meghan and Trevor went their separate ways 18 months after their wedding and their divorce was finalized in 2013. Harry and Meghan started dating in 2016.
She had a messy family background
There was also the fact that Meghan had a messy family background, which the press had been feeding on before the wedding. Meghan’s parents are divorced and she was raised by her mother. Her father started a new family and Meghan had half-siblings.
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Meghan’s father and her half-siblings took advantage of all the attention towards Meghan and started to shed some negative sides of Meghan to light. It immediately became a media circus for the press.
She was high-maintenance
One major rumor circulating on the news was that Meghan was very difficult to deal with and that she mistreats her staff. She was given the nickname “Me-Gain” because of her high-maintenance ways and her outrageous demands.
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Another nickname that the staff has given her is “Duchess Difficult” claiming that she would send her staff emails at dawn for different sorts of things. They also did not like that Harry was starting to become as high-maintenance as Meghan.
She changed Harry
Harry used to be a delight. His staff absolutely adored him. But now that Meghan was in the picture, an insider shared that Harry’s personality had changed. Aside from being high-maintenance, he was now moody and aloof.
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It is no secret that Harry was a bit of a rebel and the playful one. After all, the pressure of being on the throne rested more on his older brother. With Meghan by his side, his rebellious ways have turned worse.
She could not follow protocols
The fact that Meghan had difficulty adjusting to royal life showed in her breaking a lot of royal protocols. She had been caught being told off by Harry to pay attention during the Trooping the Color event.
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Meghan also does not dress like a royal. Royalties should wear formal tights in public but she has shown up with bare legs on more than one occasion. She has also often been called out for dressing herself in sleeveless dresses at public events.
Fab Four fall out
The press had once called William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan the “Fab Four” as they are often spotted attending events together. This was during the first year of Harry and Meghan’s union. The public loved to see the four together.
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That eventually changed as Harry and Meghan started to prefer doing their own thing. The two couples used to be a delightful sight at first but they later are often pictured with trained smiles and a lot of tension.
The Royal exit
With all the negativity going on, it was no surprise that Harry and Meghan desired a normal life away from all the noise. This pushed them to do their royal exit and step down from their royal duties. They decided to split their time between the US and the UK.
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They planned to raise their kids in a way that they can still feel the royal tradition they were born into but also in a distance far enough for the family to live a life of their own. Despite this, they will always be addressed as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
A necessary exit
For Harry, the royal exit was a necessary move. “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother, and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
Source: Housediver
Harry and Meghan continue their support for charities and non-profit organizations even without royal backing. While starting a new life away from the royal family was hard, they definitely have more peace of mind and are smiling more these days.