As Meghan Markle celebrates her 45th birthday, one royal author argues the Duchess of Sussex’s exit from royal life caused “very serious damage” to the monarchy.
“I believe that the rupture in the family that saw Meghan and Harry go to the United States has done very serious damage to the monarchy,” Catherine Mayer, who penned “Divide & Rule,” told Fox News Digital.
“But to say that is not to say that I blame them for what happened,” she said. “It’s often taken as a criticism: ‘Look what they’ve done to the monarchy.’ I think this has been very painful for everybody and for the institution, but you need only look at the latest polling on the popularity of the monarchy to see that it is losing ground.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing intrusive British media coverage and a lack of support from the palace. After moving to California, they aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” further strained his relationship with the family.
In July, the former American actress had planned to accompany her husband during several engagements on his return to the U.K. However, security concerns prevented Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, from making the full trip.
While the Sussexes had a private meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla on July 10, marking the first time since 2022 that Meghan had returned to England, she didn’t make any public appearances.
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The couple lost their taxpayer-funded security when they stepped down as working royals. The Duke of Sussex has long sought to have it reinstated, citing concerns for his family’s safety.
Mayer argued that, according to U.K. polls, the royal family has lost popularity primarily due to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his princely title following his controversial relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, she believes that “undoubtedly,” the Sussexes had an ability to connect with younger populations in a way that’s “not really there with the rest of the family.”
“The only ones who can potentially do it are Kate and William, and they’re more of a small ‘c’ conservative in their approach,” said Mayer, referring to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“They’re young, but they’re in their 40s,” she said. “Their children are really young. And there’s nobody in between George and his parents, William and Kate, to capture the imagination of younger audiences. Harry and Meghan are basically the same age, but they had this appeal, a much broader appeal, and that’s been lost now.”
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner echoed that view, noting that family divisions remain unresolved despite recent signs of reconciliation.
“I feel there are major cracks in the royal family over Meghan and Harry, especially between King Charles and Prince William, who I believe are at loggerheads over the couple, culminating in the recent private meeting at Highgrove, leaving William blindsided about the meeting. Now, with Harry able to use Buckingham Palace again when he returns, it could be a breakthrough for Meghan and a heart-piercing wound for William.”
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While Meghan’s relationship with King Charles reportedly softened following their private family reunion this summer, multiple reports continue to describe her ties with William and Kate as distant, with little evidence the broader royal rift has fully healed.
“In my book, I also examine the bullying allegations made against Meghan,” said Mayer. “One of the problems was that they surfaced at exactly the time of the 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview. I think that made a lot of people suspect this was done to undercut anything Meghan might say in the interview. I’d actually been hearing about friction in the palace for a very long time before the story surfaced. As I explain in the book, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re talking about bullying, but we’re definitely talking about real friction there.”
“We’re talking about people who were very bruised by the experience, which includes her as well,” Mayer continued. “But the fact is, there were real frictions between the brothers, William and Harry, as well as between the women and within the palace system. I don’t think Meghan really understood that the monarchy will always give preference to the monarch and the immediate heir. And its members get very nervous when somebody feels bigger and more glamorous than the institution.”
“The last thing they wanted to do was make her into some big star,” Mayer added.
Turner noted that Meghan hasn’t been the only one to experience struggles with “The Firm.”
“Outsiders are accepted, provided they do not become more powerful or overshadow family members,” he said. “In my time, Charles used to hate being overshadowed by Princess Diana at walkabouts. I believe this was part of the reason for the breakup. I feel palace employees and members of the royal family could see Meghan’s charm was making her into another Diana in waiting.”
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Still, British royal expert Hilary Fordwich said mistakes made by the Sussexes cannot be overlooked and have contributed to their estrangement from the royal family.
“Harry and Meghan didn’t just make a silly mistake,” Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “They have undertaken a fundamentally damaging, deliberate strategy to undermine the royals, which is unforgivable. The Firm was most welcoming to her, bent the rules for her, made exceptions for her, but she thwarted it all. She didn’t want to either learn or accept advice. King Charles and Prince William now have a narrower, more disciplined monarchy as a result.”
“Yes, things could have been very different if Meghan had been dedicated to duty and not to herself and her own aggrandizement,” said Fordwich.
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard also told Fox News Digital that the secret to being a successful member of the British royal family is to adapt quickly.
“The House of Windsor may appear rigid, but it has run like clockwork and survived through history,” said Chard. “The one thing people marrying into The Firm have to learn is to adapt. Both Princess Catherine and Meghan came in as outsiders. But one chose to learn the institution. The system is tough, but the system also gave Meghan support. The system can’t save someone who won’t play ball. The institution expects sacrifice before platform.”
“Harry himself also talked about leaving royal life for years. Meghan gave him that push. Better handling could have delayed it, but I don’t think it would have prevented it.”
Mayer pointed out that Meghan was facing an uphill battle from the very beginning.
“When I was writing this book, I really did go back and challenge my own assumptions about whether Meghan could have ever made a go of it,” said Mayer. “And I concluded that it was highly unlikely, and not her fault — or certainly not entirely her fault. One of the things people always say to me is, ‘Of course she Googled Harry before they started dating. Of course, she knew about it.'”
“I’ve been covering the monarchy for a very long time. I’m also the biographer of Charles, the man who is now King. I’ve spent a lot of time behind the scenes. Even after all the time I’ve spent there, I’m still surprised by the strangeness of the culture and how unlike any other culture it is.”
Mayer also recalled when Meghan received criticism for mimicking how she curtsied to the late Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan.” However, audiences missed the point, she said.
“How weird it is to have a family where, even in private, you not only curtsy to the monarch, but you also follow an order of precedence,” said Mayer. “How would anybody be prepared for that? The monarchy is essentially a medieval institution with some modern features grafted onto it.”
Chard said “the damage has been done” following Meghan and Harry’s departure. She noted the royal family has “moved on,” prioritizing the future. While there will always be hope for reconciliation, she said, it will take time on all sides.
“Trust takes years to rebuild,” she said.
