Meghan Markle: William’s Harry ‘concerns’ discussed by expert
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s sensational statement announcing their decision to step down as senior royals. It came after months of unhappiness for the couple, who struggled with the intense public and press scrutiny. Meghan said in an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby several months before that she had not known what this scrutiny would be like.
She said: “When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy for me because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great, but you shouldn’t do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life’.
“And I, very naively ‒ I’m an American, we don’t have that there ‒ ‘what are you talking about, that doesn’t make sense, I’m not in tabloids’. I didn’t get it.”
Meghan and Harry’s royal exit has caused considerable tension with the Royal Family, but the Duke’s rift with his brother William began long before any whispers of stepping down.
In fact, it was William’s advice to Harry in the early days of his relationship with Meghan that is believed to have started their feud.
The Duke of Cambridge, who has always been very protective of his younger brother, advised that he should take plenty of time to get to know Meghan, and to make sure she understood what it meant to be a member of the Royal Family.
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Prince William warned Prince Harry about rushing his relationship with Meghan (Image: GETTY)
William and Kate had been dating for nearly a decade before they got engaged (Image: GETTY)
William reportedly had worries, when Harry was planning to propose to Meghan, that the couple had not had sufficient time to get used to the demands of royal life.
William and Kate dated for nearly a decade before the Duke finally proposed, whereas Harry waited little over a year.
The Cambridges also enjoyed significant privacy in the early years of their relationship ‒ the press had agreed not to bother William while he was at university, which is where the couple met.
After they married in 2011, they continued living a relatively low-key life out of the spotlight in Anglesey.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward, speaking on the Channel 5 documentary ‘William & Harry: Princes at War?” added: “It was all so quick that William and Kate didn’t have a moment to get to know Meghan because Harry hardly knew Meghan.”
Meghan and Harry announced their engagement a year and a half after they met (Image: GETTY)
Royal correspondent Emily Andrew wrote in in December 2018: “He knew Harry was already head-over-heels for the US star, but wanted him to take it slowly.”
A source told Ms Andrews: “William told his brother they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like.
“He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the Royal Family is a massive undertaking and the pressure and security is unrelenting. Was Meghan the right one?”
However, Harry was offended by his brother’s words.
The source added: “Harry went mental. He accused his brother of trying to finish his romance before it had begun.
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Harry and Meghan’s romance timeline (Image: GETTY)
“The brothers’ relationship has not really recovered.”
William, then, arguably predicted Megxit as he questioned his brother on the longevity of his relationship with Meghan.
Harry’s fury in response undoubtedly played a huge part in their eventual breakaway from the royal frontline.
This account of events is backed up by the 2020 book ‘Finding Freedom’ by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which was set to give the Sussexes’ side of the story.
According to the authors, William said: “Don’t feel like you need to rush this.
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“Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
Harry allegedly took umbrage with the phrase “this girl”, believing his brother to be acting snobbishly, rather than caring.
What’s more, Harry was tired of the dynamic between him and William and felt he no longer needed “looking after”, and found the advice “condescending”.
One source told the authors: “Harry was pissed off. Pissed off that his brother would ask such a thing.
“Some felt it was an overreaction. But then, this totally sums them up as people ‒ William the calm and rational one and Harry, who can’t help but take things far too personally.”
William and Harry were very close when they were younger (Image: GETTY)
Another source said: “Harry has a heart of gold, but he’s incredibly sensitive.”
However, another insider said William was just looking out for his brother, because he did not know Meghan very well.
They said: “After all, these are two brothers that have spent their whole lives with people trying to take advantage of them.
“They’ve developed a radar to detect that type of person, but as William didn’t know a whole lot about Meghan, he just wanted to make sure Harry wasn’t blindsided by lust.”
In this way, William was being a protective older brother, but also watching out for the Royal Family more widely.
As a future King, he saw it as his role to “assess the risk of any newcomers”, especially as certain courtiers were “whispering words of alarm” into his ear.
According to Finding Freedom, senior Palace staff do not like outsiders upsetting the “carefully balanced machine” and it is their job to spot potential crises when outsiders are coming into The Firm.
Arguably then, William foresaw the potential crisis of Megxit and his warning was not taken seriously by his brother.
Meghan and Harry clearly struggled adapting to the reality of life in the royal spotlight, with the Duchess even admitting she did not really know what she was letting herself in for.
Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.
Commenting on the contrast between Kate and Meghan’s introduction to royal life, Ms Gripper said: “It was lovely that William and Kate had their cottage in Anglesey, and then in Norfolk.
“They could work out what their lives were. [William and Kate] were part-time royals, they weren’t on the senior royal rota.
“I think for me, [Harry and Meghan] have just gone straight, all in.”
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Finding Freedom was written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand and published by HQ in August 2020. It is available here.
