Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to lead quite a different live to that they would have expected within the British Royal Family. The couple are awaiting their second child this summer, and following the leaving of their senior roles in the monarchy, they now live in the US.
After their spectacular interview with Oprah Winfrey, several claims have been leveled at both Meghan and Harry, as well as many more at the British Royal Family.
As per new reports, Harry is now demanding an apology from his family in the UK over their treatment of Meghan Markle through the years.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the spotlight ever since they first met. Of course, Harry’s been in it for his entire life.
His mother, Princess Diana, passed away when he was only a child, and ever since, his path towards becoming an adult has been a big talking subject in both the UK’s tabloid papers and abroad.
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry
Being royalty means you will always have the paparazzi press on your back, and Meghan Markle quickly learned a thing or two about that.
She’s even sued one of the British tabloid newspapers in the past, a private lawsuit that she won.
The last couple of years have been very special for Meghan and Harry. They welcomed their beloved firstborn son Archie in May of 2019, and they have shown the world their great love of their family.
However, the couple have also found themselves in quite a deal of controversy. They chose to depart their senior positions in the British Royal Family, as well as speak out about many shocking elements regarding the life they left behind.
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on May 19, 2018, and the service was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. However, due to a very complex relationship, her father wasn’t present.
People from all over the world eagerly watched the wedding. But a little more than two years later, the couple went on to do something rather controversial, at least within the royal sphere.
Left the Royal British family
As of last year, Meghan and Harry are no longer ‘senior’ members of the British Royal Family. The couple, who welcomed son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019, decided to step down from their royal duties.
Harry and Meghan will no longer use the titles His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness. However, they were given the option of retaining them in the future, essentially leaving them the possibility of returning to the royal fold somewhere down the road.
After leaving their senior roles, they rented houses in Canada and, more recently, moved to California.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as them for a family,” a spokesperson told Vogue.
The couple sat down for two hours with Oprah Winfrey in their first big primetime interview since splitting from the Royal Family. The result was a truly eye-opening discussion, where Meghan and Harry spoke straight from their hearts on what had actually happened.
Meghan & Harry – Oprah interview
Meghan could be seen crying several times in the interview, including when she discussed how Buckingham Palace had brushed aside her thoughts on not wanting to live anymore. She also said that family members had “concerns over how dark his skin might be when he was born”, in reference to their then-unborn son, Archie. It was truly one of the most stunning revelations from the interview.
“That was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had with him,” Meghan said. She declined to reveal who was involved in those conversations, saying, “that would be very damaging to them.”
For her part, Queen Elizabeth confirmed in a statement that the Royal Family would address allegations of racism within Buckingham Palace.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the Queen said.
Thomas Markle – letter to Oprah
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
The aforesaid interview took place in Oprah Winfrey’s mansion in Montecito, California. Later, pictures taken outside Oprah Winfrey’s gates show Thomas Markle – the father of Meghan – handing a note to a security guard. That sparked rumors about his intentions.
Meghan wore a special bracelet during the interview with Oprah, which meant a lot for both her and Harry. It was actually a bracelet that belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, as reported by People. According to the Express, the bracelet has an estimated value of more than $174,000.
It was fitting that Meghan wore it, not only to pay her respects to the late Princess, but also because Prince Harry spoke about her during the Oprah interview.
Despite the shocking allegations of racism, Meghan spoke openly about many other things, too.
Spoke out about mental health
One subject to float to the forefront was her relationship with Kate Middleton, with whom she’s been rumored to have something of a feud with.
Further, Markle also talked a lot about the worsening of her own mental health.
In fact, Meghan admitted to Oprah that one of the main reasons for her doing the interview was to speak out on her mental health issues in order to try and help others.
“I share this because there’s so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help,” Meghan Markle said. “And I know personally how hard it is to—not just hard it is but when your voice is silenced, to be told no. This was emails, begging for help, saying very specifically I am concerned for my mental welfare. Nothing was ever done. So we had to find a solution.”
Meghan didn’t know much about the British Royal family when she grew up. Therefore, it was easy for her to have an image of them as something “far from reality”.
Subjected to horrible treatment
However, when she joined the family while dating Prince Harry, she quickly became accustomed to the truth. According to her, she was not only subjected to horrific treatment from the British tabloid press, but also from members of her new Royal Family.
Markle described a breaking point where she didn’t see a solution to the problem.
“I would sit up at night, and I was just like, ‘I don’t understand how all of this is being churned out’,” she told Oprah Winfrey.
“And again I wasn’t seeing it, but it’s almost worse when you feel it through the expression of my mom or my friends or them calling me crying like, ‘Meg, they’re not protecting you.’ And I realized it was all happening just because I was breathing.”
For years, speculation had been abound concerning about how Buckingham Palace itself might have played a role in actually helping the British tabloid press smear both Harry and Meghan. Speaking to Oprah, Meghan revealed she believes this to be true.
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there was an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Meghan Markle said.
“And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I’ve—there’s a lot that’s been lost already.”
Relationship with Kate Middleton
There can be no doubting that the Oprah interview sent the British Royal Family into shock. Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton, were said to have taken it particularly hard.
A US Weekly source said that the couple were in “total shock after hearing what Meghan and Harry said”. Another source said that Kate would “never forgive Meghan for throwing shade at her.”
“The interview was the final nail, it’s over. Meghan burned all of her bridges and Kate has no interest in speaking to her,” the source told US Weekly.
Another source told the outlet that Meghan and Kate hadn’t spoken directly to each other in more than a year. However, the source claimed that might have had more to do with Harry and William’s chilly relationship.
On March 11, Prince William spoke on the allegations made in the Oprah interview, telling reporters, “we’re very much not a racist family”. At that point, William hadn’t spoken to Harry.
For Harry’s part, he wants one thing in particular before he can think about moving on.
Harry wants apology from family
US Weekly further reports that the Royal Family are having a very tough time moving on from the claims. Harry supposedly wants them to apologize to Meghan Markle over their treatment of her.
“The problem with Harry is that he’s hooked on being right and regardless of saying he wants to move on from this, he won’t back down until he gets some form of apology from his family,” the source told US Weekly.
So what now for Harry and Meghan?
Well, the couple and baby Archie are waiting for their latest family member to be welcomed to the world.
In July of 2020, Meghan and Harry moved into their new home in Montecito, California. The area is home to many celebrities that want away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ellen DeGeneres are all residents.
According to Variety, Meghan and Harry bought their new home for $14.65 million. At the same time, they “secured a $9.5 million mortgage to acquire the 7.4-acre compound.”
Harry and Meghan – a fresh start
Just weeks ago, Prince Harry announced that he has gotten himself a brand new job. He will work as a chief impact officer at the Silicon Valley startup BetterUp, a company which offers coaching and mental health assistance.
Harry will, according to The Mirror, “work as a coach and advocate publicly on topics related to mental health and be involved in charitable contributions and product strategy decisions.”
“I intend to help create impact in people’s lives,” Harry told the Wall Street Journal.
We really hope that Meghan and Harry will get the privacy they so want. We wish them all the best in the future, and can’t wait to hear about the wonderful news concerning the birth of their second child later this summer.
Whose side are you on in all this? Do you think Meghan did the right thing speaking about the treatment she got inside of Buckingham Palace?
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