The Royal Family has had its ups and downs in the last few months. While the world mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth, the family geared up to support Prince Charles in his transition from Prince to King.
Another issue that the family was tackling was the question of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Ever since the couple left the royal fold, there have been reports of tension between them and the Royal Family. Now Meghan Markle is opening up about what it was like to be back in the midst of the royals after the Queen’s passing.
Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family in 2018, after tying the knot with Prince Harry. Markle was a successful actor in Hollywood but decided to put her career on hold to work as a member of the Royal Family.
Meghan Markle has been a bit of a controversial figure ever since she assumed the title of a working royal. The couple famously talked about their troubles while being working members of the Royal Family and how ‘The Firm’ treated them unfairly.
In a tell-all interview with Oprah, the couple revealed some lesser-known facts about their time as working royals within the family. In the interview, Prince Harry said his family had financially cut him off completely. He said in the first quarter of 2020, he received no money from his family and had to use the money his mother, the late Princess Diana had left behind to provide security for his family.
Meghan Markle told a very concerned Oprah that at some points she had even been suicidal. She considered in-patient care for herself but was met with resistance from Buckingham Palace as she was told that it “wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
The couple grew more and more disillusioned with the Royal Family and ‘the Firm’ that controlled all decisions for them as they saw what they thought of as ‘unfair treatment’ doled out to them. Harry said in interviews that while the Firm would make false statements to defend certain family members, they never even clarified what was clearly lies circulating in the media about Meghan.
This the couple concluded might have something to do with racism, something they experienced countless times from not only the British media but also within their own family. One notable conversation they revealed that was had with them was an unnamed member of the Royal Family wondering whether their unborn first child would be ‘dark-skinned,’ something the Royal Family allegedly worried about.
The couple was financially cut off with the excuse given that there were not enough funds to go around. Upon arguing, they were told that Meghan can perhaps take up acting again to ear an income.
All of these circumstances are what led to Prince Harry and Meghan to make the painful decision of stepping down as working members of the Royal Family and go their own way.
However, despite leaving the Royal Family as working members, they did not have any intentions of cutting off ties with the members themselves. In fact, in the same interview with Oprah, Prince Harry revealed that it was his father who did not attend his calls. But the effort and love from Harry’s end were still there.
And despite the fact that the young couple moved permanently to the United States, residing in California. Harry said in an interview with James Corden, that he had been closer to his grandmother, the Queen than he had been in years. Revealing that they would routinely have video calls with her.
And even with moving his wife to another country, the couple talked about how the British media has still created a narrative about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry which was largely untrue and harmful to them. The Duke has openly talked about the mental health struggles his wife went through while working as a Royal, and how he took the decision to step down from life as a working royal for the sake of his family and their health.
“[The British press] was destroying my mental health,” he said.
“This is toxic. So, I did what any good husband and what any father would do. It’s like I need to get my family out of here. But, we never walked away, and as far as I’m concerned whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away. I will always be contributing, but my life is public service so wherever I am in the world it’s always going to be the same thing.”
Rumors of the Royal Family being upset with Prince Harry for leaving the fold were rife and when the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death hit the stands, people were curious about what this would mean for the Sussexes and to what extent they would be involved in the funeral and subsequent provisions related to the Queen’s death.
Now that the duties of the Royal Family following the Queen’s death have concluded, members of the family are opening up about what they have been going through.
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Meghan Markle just gave an interview with Variety Magazine, talking about her experience. In the interview, she said, “there’s been such an outpouring of love and support. I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time.”
She continued, “what’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like.”
Further adding to the comment, “I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.’
And ending the comment by saying, “I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”
The Sussexes were already in the UK for a professional engagement when the news of the Queen’s ill health and subsequent death had been announced. After hearing of his grandmother’s health, Harry immediately got on a plane to make his way to Balmoral Castle to be with her and his family.
Now that the Queen’s funeral has taken place, the Royal Family is moving on and focusing on other duties. As for the former working royals, the Sussexes, Meghan says they are keeping busy too. In the interview, she said, “in big moments in life, you get a lot of perspectives. It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energized and excited about all of the things we’ve been building toward. We’re also focused on our foundation. So much of the work we do includes the philanthropic space.”
Meghan went back and talked about events that had happened a while ago and caused a big stir on social media. Namely her interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the interview, she made some major revelations including her struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts as well as how Kate had made her cry once. She talked about the aftermath of the interview, and how nervous she felt. She described the first event she attended after the interview.
She said, “Even before the interview, I hadn’t been out because I was so pregnant. The one thing I really remember was Gloria Steinem’s birthday, a few days after it aired.
“I really wanted to celebrate her at what I thought was just going to be a small and intimate birthday lunch.
“I envisioned it being us eating sandwiches in this cottage she was staying at. Instead, it was an extravaganza — by the way, as she deserves. But I hadn’t really seen people in a long time, and the interview had come out maybe a week before.
“Walking into a room alone is never easy for me, and I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable. But before I could let my uncertainty linger, Pamela Adlon came up to me and greeted me with such warmth and kindness.
She gushed about how supported and safe she felt in the company of those women. Saying, “She toured me around the room, and at every turn, more generosity and love was felt. Maybe it’s just a testament to the kind of company Glo keeps, but I also think these women were extraordinary to ensure I felt so welcomed.
“It’s like they knew exactly what I needed to feel in that moment. It meant, and still means, so very much to me. The power of sisterhood and female support can never be underestimated.”
She went on the describe the life she and Prince Harry have built together for their children. She described the couple as “commuters” who have to drive two hours in order to get to their meetings in Los Angeles.
“We share an office. We work from home, as most people started to do during lockdown. It allows us to have significant time with our kids at this really special moment in their lives. We’ll never get this time back. I make breakfast, and we get the kids set for the day.
“We do a lot of joint calls and Zooms, but also try to divide what we can focus our energies on so we can accomplish even more. My husband is on a 24-hour time zone, where half of your life is waking up as the other half is going to sleep. It’s kind of the reverse of what I went through living in the U.K.
“He’s very good at responding on text. Me, I try to be as fast as possible on email. I’ve always said, if it takes less than five minutes, do it now.”
She also revealed that the couple has some cheeky snacks that they turn to in order to get through their days at times. She has a penchant for cookies, “the size of toddler’s heads’, she reveals. While Harry’s favorite happens to be the ‘In-N-Out’ chain.
“There’s one at the halfway point between L.A. and our neck of the woods. It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order,” she revealed.
As for her acting career, Markle said that she did not see herself returning to it and that those days are behind her. But before making this statement, she also stated ‘never say never.’
The young royal couple has been through a lot of issues but luckily they made it through perfectly.
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