Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the Royal Family was certainly a dramatic one. It wasn’t long before the Sussexes made a series of bombshell claims about the monarchy, severely tarnishing their relationship with the Firm in a heartbeat.
King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton all received their fair share of criticism from Harry and Meghan in their interviews, the Netflix series, and Harry’s memoir, Spare. Unsurprisingly, Queen Camilla was also mentioned frequently.
Harry even labeled his stepmother the “wicked woman” in Spare, and by all accounts their relationship remains every bit as strained today. This in spite of the fact that Camilla reportedly supported Meghan Markle when Meghan first joined then Royal Family, as the two women had faced similar hurdles and challenges.
Even so, Harry alleged that the Royal Family, including the now-queen, weren’t supportive of the Sussexes when they were enduring troubles. The Duke even claimed Camilla decided to “solve all our problems” and send them far away where they would be “out of the picture.”
In the beginning, Meghan Markle’s entrance into the Royal Family was one bearing huge promise. Not only was the monarchy attaining a new family member, but the institution would surely benefit from the former Suits star’s US background.
Queen Camilla & Meghan Markle – relationship
Indeed, the Duchess proved popular among the public, but things quickly soured when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leaved the Royal Family in so far as their commitments and responsibilities were concerned.
Upon first entering the royal sphere, it looked like Meghan and the rest of Harry’s family got along great. That included not just her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton, but also Camilla, who was another family member she grew very close to.
Meghan and Camilla, of course, had one major thing in common: both had married into the Royal Family. Reports suggested that because of this, they agreed to show respect to each other, including in the workplace.
Camilla did her best to help Meghan adjust to royal life. Shortly before her wedding to Harry, the Camilla invited Meghan to a private lunch and shared how she was treated by the press in the wake of Princess Diana’s death, as well as how she coped with the pressure.
According to the Daily Mail, Camilla advised Meghan to focus on the positive sides of her role within the Royal Family and “ride out the storm if negative press would occur.”
Charles was said to have offered similar advice to Harry.
Queen Camilla offered Meghan Markle support when becoming a royal
However, Meghan appeared to feel differently. In an ITV documentary, she claimed people didn’t care about her well-being, saying: “Not many people have asked if I’m OK.”
“Meg was really grateful to Camilla, who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage,” a friend of Meghan told the Daily Mail. “She listened to her and understood that it’s really difficult joining the Royal Family from an otherwise ‘normal’ life.”
The friend added: “Much like Meghan, Camilla had experienced a lot of negative press and hostility from courtiers due to her relationship with Charles when he was still married to Diana.”
“She was very sensitive to Meghan and provided her with support, advising her to ride out the storm and that it would all pass – but ultimately Meghan didn’t listen.”
Meanwhile, a palace aid told the Mail that Camilla understood what it was like for one to come from a “normal life” before suddenly finding themselves in the world’s loftiest, most famous royal family.
“As a consequence, she tries very hard to make people welcome and help them find their feet, and has done so for many years,” the palace source said.
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“Her consciously offering to mentor and guide is something that she really does try and do. That applies to many people, not just the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex.”
While Camilla supposedly helped Meghan settle into royal life, Harry painted a different picture in his book, Spare.
Meghan Markle was ‘abused’ by British tabloids when she and Harry began dating
When the couple began dating in 2016, the media rapidly tried to uncover any and all details about Meghan life. It became something of a witch hunt, one in which Meghan had to endure racial abuse and a smear campaign that played out on the front pages of the British tabloids.
In November 2016, Prince Harry decided to put out a statement that not only confirmed that he and Meghan were dating, but also sought to defend her from the racist abuse she had been the victim of.
Kensington communications secretary Jason Knauf – who represented Harry, William, and Kate Middleton – shared a rare statement on Harry’s behalf that defended Meghan.
“Meghan Markle has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment,” the message read, “some of this has been very public—the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
Harry also touched on the subject in his book Spare, expressing the importance of defending Meghan.
“I showed the essay to Jason (Knauf, former Kensington Palace Communications Secretary), said we needed a course correction immediately. No more debate, no more discussion. Within a day, we had a draft. Strong, precise, angry, honest. I didn’t think it would be the end, but maybe the beginning of the end.”
Harry further explained that the statement left King Charles and Prince William furious.
Harry claims Camilla made suggestion to get him and Meghan “out of the picture”
Meanwhile, in 2017, when the media storm was in full throttle, Harry spoke with his father, pressuring him to fight the British tabloid papers.
“Meg, meanwhile, reached out to Camilla, who tried to counsel her by saying this was just what the press always did to newcomers, that it would all pass in due time, that Camilla had been the bad guy once,” Harry wrote in Spare.
“The implication being what? Now it was Meg’s turn? As if it were apples to apples.”
While Meghan appeared to have a good relationship with Camilla at the time, whether or not the feeling was mutual is another matter. According to Harry, his stepmother suggested that he should be announced as the governor of a faraway place, which didn’t evoke a positive reaction.
“Camilla also suggested to Meg that I become Governor General of Bermuda, which would solve all our problems by removing us from the red-hot center of the maelstrom,” Harry wrote in his memoir.
“Right, right, I thought, and one added bonus of that plan would be to get us out of the picture.”
Just why Camilla would suggest such a thing, or what really prompted it, is still unknown. As of today, we know that the Sussexes and the royals had quite different opinions about what royal life should be like and what was acceptable.
One thing that is clear, though, is that Harry seeking governorship in another part of the Commonwealth wouldn’t have been the first time a prince came close to being “moved” to another part of the world.
According to Newsweek, in the 1970s, Queen Elizabeth II was rumored to have discussed her son, then Prince Charles, becoming the governor-general of Australia. However, as he wasn’t married then, she scrapped the idea.
Camilla got her “perfect revenge” on Meghan Markle, royal expert claims
Queen Camilla has become a symbol for the Royal Family, not least as she has taken on a massive amount of responsibility amid King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and recovery. This spring, the queen assumed many royal duties usually handled by the reigning monarch.
While royal life continues, Harry and Meghan Markle, meanwhile, are starting their own business ventures. Not long ago, they went on what many called a type of “royal trip,” leaving members of their UK family furious.
While Camilla’s relationship with Harry and Meghan is at a low point, one royal expert recently claimed that the queen had gotten “perfect revenge” on the Duchess.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a massive deal with Spotify years ago. However, the deal ended in a fiasco, as Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast was shut down, and their entire Spotify deal was canceled.
In 2021, Camilla launched a new initiative called The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room, a book club about reading recommendations and more.
It was founded during the pandemic and became a huge success.
“She has finally got her own back on them”
Now, the correct name should be The Queen’s Reading Room, and on June 8, the Queen’s Reading Room Festival will have a one-day event at Hampton Court Palace.
According to The Sun, the event will be “bigger and better” than the inaugural event last year and will “gather authors, experts, actors and literature lovers for a day celebrating the written word.”
“Camilla’s podcast has been a great success. She has proven many times over she can bring in any of the big names from the world of the arts she wants,” Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward told The Sun.
“Given Meghan’s apparent disinterest in Queen Camilla, I doubt if she has a nice word to say about her or her podcast.”
According to Denise Palmer Davies, brand expert and director of Borne Media, Camilla’s success is the “perfect revenge” on Meghan.
“After all the hurtful things Harry has said about Camilla, she has finally got her own back on them, she told The Sun. “I bet Meghan, in particular, will be livid over the whole thing and probably a bit embarrassed that hers fell at the first hurdle.”
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