Every family has a little bit of drama — even royal ones. Following their shocking resignation from their senior royal duties, March 2020, Prince Harry Meghan MarkleThey have distanced their family members across the pond.
The couple, who had made their vows in May 2018, shared their plans to step down from their senior roles in Jan 2020. It was a shock to their closest friends. “[Prince] William was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement,” a source exclusively told Us Weeklyat the time. “William is incredibly hurt, but at the same time he has his own family to focus on and is trying to move forward with his life.”
Before he and Meghan settled down with Archie in California, the Duke of Sussex attended several meetings with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and had a “heart-to-heart” about the situation. Despite his decision to leave his position within the palace, Harry “adores” the monarch, a source said at the time.
“The last thing Elizabeth wants is for Harry to feel estranged from his family and she made her feelings clear about this in the meeting,” the royal insider noted.
Nearly a year after their first step away, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and thea were still together in February 2021. SuitsThey were not going back to work as royals, according to alum. One month later, they aired their grievances during a no-holds-barred interview with CBS, claiming that they felt “a lack of support and lack of understanding” from The Firm.
Harry asserted that he didn’t “blindside” his grandmother with the decision, noting, “I have too much respect for her.” His relationship with his father, Prince Charles, is a little murkier.
“It was like, ‘I need to do this for my family.’ This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s, and for Archie’s, as well, because I could see where this was headed,” Harry explained, adding that the Prince of Wales had “stopped taking” his calls.
More shocking revelations followed, including the allegation that a family member had made comments about the color of Archie’s skin before his May 2019 arrival. (The couple also have daughter Lilibet, who was born in 2021. Harry did not name the relative but confirmed that neither the late queen, nor her husband, Prince Philip were involved in the conversation.
Many of the prince’s extended family members have kept relatively quiet about the drama, but both Charles and William have been hurt by Harry’s words. The monarch tried to mediate, but it was apparently in vain.
“With the way things are going, Charles may never forgive Harry, which hasn’t gone down well with Elizabeth,” a source told UseIn May 2021. “She feels that he’s putting his pride before the best interest of the monarchy. … It’s drama she can do without.”
Scroll down to see Harry and Meghan’s position with the rest of Royal Family