Meghan Markle’s story can seem like a fairytale at times — a famous actress meets a prince and they marry and start a family. Best known for her role as Rachel Zane in “Suits,” in which she appeared for seven seasons out of the show’s total nine, Markle also had a wide-ranging career outside of acting, which included everything from fashion to calligraphy and even being a lifestyle influencer. After it was confirmed she and Prince Harry were engaged, Meghan announced her retirement from acting in order to focus on being a full-time member of the royal family.
However, in January 2020, Meghan and Harry made a shocking announcement that they would be leaving the royal family to pursue a life together in California in the United States.
Taking to their official Instagram account, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted a statement announcing they “intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
During an interview with Oprah the following year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex explained more of their reasoning before their royal departure as well as more information regarding their personal lives, including Meghan’s estranged relationship with many of her family members.
After this announcement, the estranged father of Meghan spoke out on her and Harry’s decision to step down from royal life. Meghan’s outspoken father, Thomas expressed his disappointment about his daughter and son-in-law’s decision to step back as senior royal family members; he even went as far as to accuse Meghan of quitting for more money.
Prince Harry met US-born actress Meghan Markle in the summer of 2016 through mutual friends. In a cover story for Vanity Fair back in September 2017, she said: “We’re in love.”
When Meghan’s name first appeared in newspapers when the couple first started dating, not many British people knew who she was. The former actress was born in Los Angeles in 1981 and is best known for her portrayal of Rachel Zane on the television show “Suits.”
Not all media coverage of Prince Harry’s then-girlfriend was positive, however. In fact, in October 2016, the royal palace released a statement on behalf of the Duke, describing the media coverage as “harassment” and “abuse,” even having “racial undertones.”
Much of the initial criticism towards Meghan was rooted in her first marriage to film producer Trevor Engelson, to whom she was married for three years and divorced in 2013. She also had a blog, the Tig, which was closed down in 2017.
She had once written on her blog: “I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches — I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works.”
Still, Harry and Meghan proved that their love was strong enough to last. The Duke and Duchess’ wedding was in the media spotlight for months ahead of the event, which took place on May 19, 2018. The royal ceremony differed from others in the past, featuring elements of Meghan’s African American roots, such as a gospel choir. The ceremony was attended by many high-profile Hollywood personalities such as George and Amal Clooney.
The couple was first photographed together holding hands at the Invictus Games in 2017. The Invictus Games is an annual multi-sport event created by Prince Harry in 2014 for wounded and disabled veterans.
And now, every so often, the public is treated to an inside view of the private life of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The royal couple stays relatively quiet outside of curated press releases and rare public appearances. Although the Duchess of Sussex was somewhat used to the spotlight as a former actress, being reintroduced as a member of the British royal family was extremely different and very difficult.
However, after Meghan and Harry announced their royal departure in 2020 and acted on that the following year, the family unit has stayed very strong and has even grown in size. Meghan and Harry are parents of two: Archie Mountbatten-Winsdor and Lilibet “Lili” Mountbatten-Windsor. They now reside in Montecito, California.
Mere days after giving birth to their daughter, the Duchess of Sussex released her very first children’s book titled “The Bench.” The story began as a poem that Meghan wrote to Harry one Father’s Day before it was turned into a book with gorgeous illustrations by Christian Robinson. Released in June 2021, it didn’t take long for “The Bench” to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, proving that Meghan’s talents lie in much more than just acting. After hitting the No. 1 New York Times bestseller list, Meghan personally thanked her fans via the couple’s Archewell website. It seemed like everything was going in a great direction for Meghan and Harry.
The royal couple had already had a very busy year in 2020, and 2021 had proved to be just as busy. Before Meghan released her book, she and Harry released their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, which bared all about their time as working royals and revealed the mistreatment Meghan received. To this day, many people still talk about the Duke and Duchess’ interview, including Winfrey herself.
Speaking with Gayle King in a September 2022 CBS interview, Winfrey spoke more about the “bombshell” interview she did with Harry and Meghan. “I was as surprised by the bombshell as everybody else,” Winfrey explained. “I was doing an interview to offer them a platform to tell their story about why they left, and that was my number one intention was just clarity on ‘Why did you leave?’”
She added, “And so some of the things that were revealed in that interview came as a surprise to me and those surprises are now referred to as a ‘bombshell.’” Winfrey also said that she just wanted to give Meghan and Harry a platform to share their side of the story.
“But I didn’t set out to do a ‘bombshell’ interview,” she said. “I set out to do an interview, have a conversation that would allow them to tell their story.”
Regardless, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have persisted in their lives residing in the United States. And for Meghan’s big 40th birthday in 2021, Meghan revealed another project, as the mom was just refusing to slow down.
Meghan filmed a home video with actress Melissa McCarthy, in which McCarthy came up with several outrageous ideas on how Meghan was celebrating her 40th birthday, jokingly suggesting a “Suits” reunion, as well as a yacht party. After McCarthy’s antics, Meghan revealed that she was celebrating her 40th by launching the 40×40 project.
In the video, Meghan said:
“In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, TENS OF MILLIONS OF women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the U.S. So many of these women are also SHOULDERING THE BRUNT OF THE CRISIS when it comes to unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members. And the latest research shows that FEWER WOMEN THAN MEN WILL REGAIN WORK as we recover from the pandemic.”
By teaming up with 40 “friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders,” Meghan wanted to kick off a global effort for people to offer 40 minutes of mentorship to women reentering the workforce.
Meghan said:
“With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well. If you are able, please JOIN US and pledge 40 minutes today in service of others in the way that feels right to you. The time that you donate can contribute to a GLOBAL WAVE OF SERVICE and set in motion meaningful impact in our own communities, and across the world.”
And while Meghan and Harry both have several accomplishments to be proud of, their former lives as working royals were not always as glamorous as people may have imagined.
“Within the first eight days of our relationship being made public was when they said, ‘Harry’s girl almost straight outta Compton.’ And that her exotic DNA will be thickening the royal blood,” Harry said of the media’s treatment of Meghan in the documentary series, according to The Independent. “We would get followed, photographed, chased, harassed.”
Harry then made a comparison between the hate Meghan has faced and the racism that his mother and Egyptian boyfriend experienced in the late 1990s, saying that “history was repeating itself.”
“My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn’t white,” Harry added. “And now look what’s happened. You wanna talk about history repeating itself, they’re not gonna stop until she dies.”
After both sides had admitted to infidelity, Princess Diana and her husband, King Charles III, filed for divorce in 1996 after receiving pressure from Queen Elizabeth II to separate, according to the BBC. Around a year later, the paparazzi spotted the princess on vacation with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed.
And, as Harry alluded to in his interview, the media wouldn’t let up. In fact, Diana and Fayed died following a car crash where they were trying to escape the paparazzi, who were following the couple in Paris.
Given that Harry says this history of harassment has repeated itself, the former working royal explained that he regretted not speaking out earlier about the racism his wife faced. According to The Independent, the prince said his biggest regret was “not making more of a stance earlier on in my relationship with my wife and calling out the racism when I did.”
While Meghan seems to have endured quite a bit in her life already, she also has issues with her estranged father. Thomas Markle spoke about his daughter and son-in-law during a Channel 5 Documentary called “Thomas Markle: My Story.” Thomas said he believed his daughter was “destroying” the royal institution.
“It’s disappointing because she actually got every girl’s dream. Every young girl wanted to become a princess and she got that, and now she’s tossing that away, for it looks like she’s tossing it away for money. Apparently $3 million and a 26-bedroom home isn’t enough for them.”
Thomas referred to Harry and Meghan’s UK estate — Frogmore Cottage. In 2019, the Royal Household released figures that showed how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had spent £2.4 million (equivalent to about $3 million) on renovating the Frogmore Cottage at Windsor into a family home. The cottage had previously been five separate residences, but the renovations conjoined the homes into one single property.
In a statement made by the late Queen Elizabeth, she shared how it was Meghan and Harry’s “wish” that they “repay the Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.”
However, Thomas believed Meghan made an obligation to be a royal. “When they got married they took on an obligation, and the obligation is to be part of the Royals and to represent the Royals, and it would be foolish for them not to,” Thomas said. “This is one of the greatest long-living institutions ever and they’re destroying it. They’re cheapening it and making it shabby. It’s kind of embarrassing to me.”
Many commenters were quick to point out that Thomas was the embarrassing one of the family for publicly bashing his daughter. One commenter stated:
“What kind of a father would publicly betray his daughter like that? He is not a father in any meaningful way, no wonder she has been keeping her distance. And the media giving her a hard time. She is so lucky to have Harry, truly his mother’s son.”
Thomas and Meghan’s relationship became strained when Thomas was caught posing for photos leading up to Meghan and Harry’s wedding. Harry called him to ask him if he staged the photos, and Thomas revealed he lied:
“I denied it. All Harry asked me was did I pose for measurement for a suit, and I said no I wasn’t posing for a measurement for a suit, I was being measured for a new hoodie. That’s what I told them. And of course that was a lie. I lied to him. I’m not proud of that, but I did.”
Thomas also gave numerous interviews to journalists, which he was paid for and bashed his daughter on a number of occasions.
Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Markle, who is Thomas Markle’s other daughter from another marriage, also scrutinized Meghan for stepping down. Samantha wrote a piece for The Sun where she condemned her sister’s actions amid the Megxit negotiations:
“My sister has ripped through the Royal Family like a tornado. With this historic institution close to collapse, we have to ask whether peace can really be found.”
Many commenters were quick to point out that Thomas was the embarrassing one of the family for publicly bashing his daughter. One commenter stated:
“What kind of a father would publicly betray his daughter like that? He is not a father in any meaningful way, no wonder she has been keeping her distance. And the media giving her a hard time. She is so lucky to have Harry, truly his mother’s son.”
Thomas and Meghan’s relationship became strained when Thomas was caught posing for photos leading up to Meghan and Harry’s wedding. Harry called him to ask him if he staged the photos, and Thomas revealed he lied:
“I denied it. All Harry asked me was did I pose for measurement for a suit, and I said no I wasn’t posing for a measurement for a suit, I was being measured for a new hoodie. That’s what I told them. And of course that was a lie. I lied to him. I’m not proud of that, but I did.”
Thomas also gave numerous interviews to journalists, which he was paid for and bashed his daughter on a number of occasions.
Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Markle, who is Thomas Markle’s other daughter from another marriage, also scrutinized Meghan for stepping down. Samantha wrote a piece for The Sun where she condemned her sister’s actions amid the Megxit negotiations:
“My sister has ripped through the Royal Family like a tornado. With this historic institution close to collapse, we have to ask whether peace can really be found.”
What do you think about Meghan Markle’s family? Were you surprised by her father’s comments? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.
