There are many theories as to why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the controversial and shocking decision to step down as senior royals in 2020.
Many people – some of whom are reportedly in the royal family itself – have blamed the former Suits actress entirely, while others have suggested that it wasn’t just Meghan. And now, a royal insider has actually claimed the real reason behind Megxit was Prince Harry and Meghan’s mutual “addiction” to drama. Yikes!
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Prince Harry Was Reportedly Searching For An Excuse To Leave The Royal Family For Years
According to Tina Brown's book The Palace Papers, Meghan, now 44, wasn't solely responsible. Prince Harry, 40, simply "didn't want" to stay in the royal family, and had been searching for an excuse to leave for years.
Brown wrote that one royal aide claimed both Prince Harry and Meghan were very confrontational within palace walls, describing it as a mutual "addiction to drama."
She added: "Their new complicity required Meghan to fight all the norms he had kicked against for so long. She was now his comrade in arms."
Family Tensions Before The 2018 Royal Wedding
Brown also suggested that trouble was brewing well before the couple's 2018 wedding. Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. and half-sister Samantha Markle publicly slammed her before the wedding, raising questions about whether the issue lay more with Prince Harry and Meghan themselves than with their families.
"Samantha had called Meghan 'narcissistic and selfish' as early as November 2016, before Meghan and Harry were even engaged. But she was stirred again by Harry's insensitive remark on BBC Radio 4's Today show about the royals being 'the family, I suppose, that [Meghan's] never had,'" Brown observed.
"This seems rich, given what Harry has since told the world about his miseries as a misfit in the royal cage," she added. "But in a contest of dysfunctional families, the Markles versus the Windsors is probably a toss-up."
Lady Anne Glenconner also weighed in, and reportedly told Brown: "We all have black sheep in our families, don't we? But you know you have to somehow round them up and get them onside and bring them all in and stick them somewhere."
Royal Expert Says The Sussex Headquarters Were 'Miserable'
Behind the scenes, Prince Harry and Meghan's behavior reportedly didn't match the glowing public reputations they had at the time. Tom Bower claimed in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors that the mood in Sussex HQ was "miserable." In one alleged outburst, Meghan even "threw a cup of tea into the air." Woah!
According to Bower, the couple were also obsessed with their image and were hypersensitive to criticism – a trait that may have fueled their decision to quit royal life. "Every night, he [Harry] trawled social media, searching for snide comments on the internet," Bower explained, adding: "Every morning he and Meghan turned on their phones to surf the internet. Thin-skinned, they were inflamed by the slightest criticism."
Of course the criticism of the couple has increased tenfold since they stepped down as senior royals, which could be why they are allegedly scrambling to be let back in!
