From her different upbringing to her feuds with royal family members, this is the controversy of Meghan Markle and the royal family

Meghan

This actress turned royal family member has become extremely well-known in recent years. There’s pretty much no way you haven’t heard about Meghan at this point, considering her internationally televised marriage to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. But, in case you don’t know much about this leading lady, we’re going to talk a little about who she is and where she comes from. Meghan was born in Los Angeles, California in 1981 and is thirty-seven years old. Her parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr., divorced when she was just six years old.

When she began her career in acting, Meghan played small parts in movies and television shows, including General Hospital, Century City, and Get Him to the Greek. She was then cast in the series Suits on USA Network in 2011, and she finished her work on the show in 2017 for its seventh season. It was estimated by Fortune magazine that she made approximately fifty thousand dollars per episode, equalling about four hundred fifty thousand dollars every year. So, she was by no means struggling when she met Prince Harry.

She also created a lifestyle site called The Tig in 2014 and used it to blog about beauty, travel, food, and fashion and made an additional eighty thousand dollars a year doing so. However, she was forced to shut down the site after marrying into the royal family.

Prince Harry

These two went on their first date in July 2016. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. Meghan later recalled that she didn’t know much about Prince Harry despite his fame. During their interview with BBC, Meghan stated, “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, ‘Well is he nice?’ ‘Cause if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense.”

These lovebirds had sparks flying immediately and couldn’t wait to see each other again. They spent about four months just enjoying each other’s company and really getting to know one another. Prince Harry noted, “I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars. Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other.”

The news that Harry and Meghan were together came out in October of that year when a source revealed to the Sunday Express that the Prince was “happier than he’s been in years.” Meghan added that the time they had alone was wonderful, stating, “We had a good five, six months almost with just privacy, which was amazing.”

After media outlets found out that they were together, they began publishing unfavorable and false stories about Meghan and Harry. She told BBC about the trying time, noting, “I think we were just hit so hard at the beginning with a lot of mistruths that I made the choice not to read anything, positive or negative. It just didn’t make sense and instead we focused all of our energies just on nurturing our relationship.”

Father & Sister

Since she and Prince Harry made their relationship public, Meghan has been facing many hardships concerning her father, Thomas, and her half-sister, Samantha. Some of the Duchess’ close friends spoke to PEOPLE magazine about the issues she’s been dealing with. Her father had gone on Good Morning Britain and noted that she had “shunned and ghosted” him despite his daily attempts to text and call her. He later told the Daily Mail that she was “cold.” Thomas even added that “everything Meghan is, I made her,” even though he backed out of the opportunity to walk her down the aisle. Meghan’s sister has also been saying some choice words to the media. But, it seems that she is doing so for the publicity and had changed her last name from “Grant” back to “Markle” when news of her sister’s royal engagement reached her. Since Meghan has to refrain from speaking out about the drama, her friends stepped up to do it for her.

They said, “Thomas knows how to get in touch with her. Her telephone number hasn’t changed. He’s never called; he’s never texted. It’s super painful, because Meg was always so dutiful. I think she will always feel genuinely devastated by what he’s done. And at the same time, because she’s a daughter, she has a lot of sympathy for him.” Before Meghan and Harry tied the knot, her dad had even posed for staged paparazzi photographs to make himself look better. Apparently, after the pictures were revealed, Meghan and the Prince still wanted to get him to London for the wedding. However, her friends further noted, “The next morning when the car got there to take him to the airport, he wouldn’t get in.

Then Meg heard he had a heart attack and she’s calling and texting, even up to the night before the wedding. It was like, ‘Please pick up. I love you, and I’m scared.’ It was endless.” They said that the Duchess had even written her dad a letter after the wedding saying that she was heartbroken and pleaded him to “stop victimising [her] through the media” in an attempt to mend their relationship.

Incorporating Heritage

Although many people seemed to have a problem with Prince Harry marrying an American actress, that didn’t stop the bride from incorporating her heritage into their wedding. They had an American bishop give the sermon, and he quoted Martin Luther King Jr. The invitations were also printed on English paper with American ink. Meghan’s mother rode with her to the church, and, as we stated previously, her father was supposed to walk her down the aisle. She also had many of her American friends there as guests. During the ceremony, the gospel choir sang “Stand by Me.”

Kate Middleton

There has been an alleged feud going on between Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William, and Meghan Markle. Apparently, the whole rumor began when now-Duchess of Sussex made Kate cry. When her daughter, Princess Charlotte was being fitted for a bridesmaid dress for the wedding, Kate left the appointment in tears.

A broadcaster noted, “Kate had just given birth to Prince Louis, so maybe she was a little bit emotional. But, whatever the thing was, the future queen of England was in tears over what Meghan had said to her.” It has also been reported on some occasions that the women don’t always agree on everything because they’re very different regarding their personalities and upbringings.

However, that doesn’t mean that there’s an all-out feud between them. Then, a royal journalist reported that Meghan and Prince Harry were upset that she didn’t get her choice of tiaras for the wedding. She stated, “Prince Harry had a word with courtiers to say he really wanted Meghan to have her first choice. I think the words were, ‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets,’ and that really didn’t go down very well at the palace at all – so much so that the Queen did intervene and, we understand, had a word with Harry about his and Meghan’s behavior and was told in no uncertain terms that Meghan would get what she was given.” Plus, many Kensington Palace attendants were notedly rubbed the wrong way by her up-and-at-’em attitude, which is very common in the United States.

Camilla Parker Bowles

The new Duchess of Sussex also has an alleged feud with her mother-in-law, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles’ second wife. The National Enquirer reported that the two are fighting because Camilla won’t associate with Meghan. A source told the tabloid, “The drama with Meghan and Kate is nothing compared to what’s going on with Camilla… Camilla doesn’t really talk to Meghan. She is snobbiest and least friendly. Camilla even told her ‘this is real life and you’re not an actress playing a role.’”

They further stated that Meghan is trying to be close with her. But, apparently, Camilla’s frigidness isn’t only directed towards Meghan. The source said, “William and Harry aren’t close to Camilla either, so Harry is telling her not to worry about it. He’s told Meghan she’s the mistress of his father so just forget about it. She’s not important to their happiness.” But, this is all just speculation.

Moving Out

Although all of these feuds Meghan has had with various royal family members are speculative, she and Prince Harry have decided to move out of Kensington Palace. They confirmed in November 2018 that they’d be leaving the city lifestyle of London for Frogmore Cottage at Windsor Estate. They’re timing their move so that they’ll be able to settle into their new home for a while before Meghan gives birth.

But, to make this change, they had to have the house renovated. The building plan details show that there will be a yoga studio, a double staircase, and new fireplaces, among various other things. Plus, they’re making the house eco-friendly. Some people think that they decided to move due to family conflict; however, it’s very reasonable that they simply want more privacy while welcoming their first child.

Breaking The Rules

The British media has had a lot to say about Meghan Markle throughout her relationship with Prince Harry. After they got married, even more information has come out about her. People that work for the royal family have said she’s demanding and lashes out at staff members.

However, there’s a significant chance that the statements were overblown or taken out of context; we already discussed the fact that Meghan was raised in a different fashion than the people working and living at Kensington Palace. But, it also isn’t too surprising that people would be upset about Markle straying from royal traditions… not that it’s a bad thing. She dresses modestly but still makes fashion choices that set her apart.

She paints her nails dark red, do things for herself instead of being waited on, and wears clothes that don’t follow protocol, like the pink off-shoulder dress she wore to a Trooping the Colour ceremony. Plus, she and Prince Harry are one of the only royal couples in which he wears a wedding ring too.

These lovebirds are also known to have public displays of affection pretty often and have been seen smooching and holding hands on numerous occasions. They don’t have full-blown makeout sessions, of course, but even small gestures have been avoided in the past.