On May 19, Harry and Meghan celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary. Their wedding at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor was once seen as a beacon of hope for the monarchy, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton.
However, much has changed since then. The initial feud between the royal brothers has escalated into a full-blown rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family. The relationship has hit rock bottom, raising questions about whether reconciliation is even possible.
Now, six years later, Harry and Meghan have built a new life in the US. But is it a better one? A royal expert suggests that the rivalry might intensify, potentially leading to the emergence of two distinct royal families.
The grand royal wedding of Harry and Meghan on May 19, 2018, took place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Their wedding followed seven years after Prince William and Kate Middleton’s, prompting inevitable comparisons between the two.
Harry & Meghan’s Wedding vs. Prince William and Kate’s: Key Differences
Harry and Meghan’s wedding was celebrated globally, much like Prince William and Kate’s seven years earlier. While both weddings were magnificent, there were notable differences.
One key difference was their journeys to the chapel. Kate Middleton arrived with her father, while Meghan was accompanied by her mother due to a strained relationship with her father, Thomas Markle.
Additionally, the brides’ demeanor offered a contrast. Meghan’s relaxed wave to the crowd, with fingers spaced apart, differed from Kate’s more reserved wave, with fingers held close together.
As tensions persist, the dynamics between these royal figures continue to evolve, and the possibility of two competing royal factions becomes increasingly plausible.
The two ceremonies were also quite different. William and Kate’s was more serious, with few laughs, while Harry and Meghan’s was far more relaxed and included gospel singing.
Harry & Meghan’s wedding raised questions over “strangers” on guest list
William and Kate’s guest list included world leaders, ambassadors, and Prime Ministers, among many other notable guests. Of course, many friends and family were there as well. On the other hand, Meghan and Harry didn’t have any of those obligations. Instead, their guest list was packed with a veritable who’s who of celebrities.
Harry and Meghan’s private life – and the media coverage they got beforehand – made their wedding unique. One royal expert even went as far as to claim that the guests were there just to, well, be there.
Movie star George Clooney and his wife, Amal, were two guests, but reports suggest they didn’t know Harry or Meghan.
“There’s a story doing the rounds that while Carolyn Bartholomew, Diana’s former flatmate, was waiting for the wedding service to start, she turned to the couple alongside her and asked how they knew Harry or Meghan,” Johnson wrote in the online publication AirMail. ‘”We don’t,” the Clooneys answered brightly.’
After the wedding, Harry and Meghan were said to have visited the Clooneys at their residence in Como, Italy. George Clooney himself explained that the four have had dinner together several times in recent years.
Oprah Winfrey also attended the wedding, though most people were perplexed as there hasn’t been any talk regarding the talk show host’s relationship with Harry and Meghan. As royal reporter Daniela Elser pointed out, one headline read, “Oprah Winfrey has arrived at the royal wedding — but people aren’t sure why.”
Royal expert Andrew Morton – the author of Diana: Her True Story – also questioned the celebrity guest list.
“(She) populated the wedding with A-list Hollywood celebrities who … have proved their worth to her by speaking out in public about the criticisms of her,” Morton said.
Meghan & Harry knew “within days” after wedding that royal life wouldn’t work
“I don’t think she (had) even met Oprah Winfrey (before the wedding). I don’t know whether Harry had. But she invited these people along, and now she has her own court.”
“She’s a new player and she’s been quick out (of) the starting box. Unlike Prince Harry’s friends who keep quiet, Megan’s A-list celebrity friends, the court of Meghan, is a very voluble court and they’re very powerful.”
With all that said, it was evident to some that Harry and Meghan might question leaving the royal family early on during their marriage. Just days after the wedding, Jonny Dymond, royal correspondent for the BBC, felt that something was off.
“I mean, within days, really… There were stories coming out about how Megan behaved towards staff,” he said in the BBC documentary The Prince and the Press.
Camilla Tominey – who first broke the story of Harry and Meghan’s relationship, added, “We were getting briefings that all was not well, with the relationship between William and Harry, Meghan and Kate, and the relationship between Harry and Meghan and the royal household.”
Still, to this day, many things remain uncertain about what really happened. Harry and Meghan have made it clear that there were several reasons why they decided to leave the Firm permanently.
“We were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy”
In an interview with The Cut, Meghan Markle opened up about when she and Harry decided to leave the UK. British press coverage scrutinized the Duchess, affecting her health and relationship with the royal hierarchy.
Because Harry and Meghan’s lives — and the rest of the Firm — were taxpayer-funded, the tabloids claimed the intense scrutiny was of “public interest.” As a result, the couple suggested they could work and earn their own money instead of being taxpayer-funded.
Speaking with The Cut, Meghan explained that “maybe all the noise would stop.”
Moreover, they appealed to the Royal Family to be able to leave the UK behind and instead move to another country in the Commonwealth, perhaps South Africa or Canada. Sadly, the answer was no.
“Anything to just… because just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’” Meghan recalled.
She added that their request wasn’t “reinventing the wheel” and that other royal family members had received the green light for the same arrangement.
“That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing,” Meghan said.
Six years later, Harry and Meghan have created a new life in the US with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. However, according to one expert, their luxurious lifestyle and what seems to be a perfect marriage are “too good to be true.”
Royal expert says Harry & Meghan “let us down”
Speaking with The Sun, royal editor and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Sweard explained that Harry and Meghan’s “Disneyesque” wedding in 2018 had the public initially love the couple.
But sadly, the public’s opinion of them didn’t stay for long.
“We loved them for a while, and then we didn’t much anymore. Too many complaints. But they were in love and that mattered. Until they left and then they didn’t matter anymore. They had let the Queen down, they had let the Prince of Wales down, they had let William, then the Duke of Cornwall down,” Ingrid Seward said.
“They had let us down. Harry was stoic. He loved his Californian lifestyle. He loved his wife and children. But he was bitter against everything he had left behind including his brother and his father and his sister-in-law, Kate.”
Harry and Meghan gave insight into the day they left royal life for good in their Netflix show. The couple, together with their son, Archie, and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, left the UK on a private jet, which Harry could the “freedom flight,” the fact that the two decided to live in royal exile was somewhat a shock for many.
Moreover, Seward added that Harry’s life is a “success” when judging his financial success. However, “he as a man,” the royal expert added,” is not a success.”
“As a husband and father, he has done brilliantly. And when he and Meghan celebrate their six-year anniversary on Sunday (today) they will pat themselves on the back,” Seward told The Sun.
Harry & Meghan’s Nigeria visit – a “pro royal trip”?
“People said it wouldn’t last and it has! Harry is no longer feted in his homeland as he once was. If anything, he is pitied. I don’t think Harry can see it. He is happy in his rarefied world with Meghan doing what they do. Long may it last – and I think it will.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam also commented on Harry and Meghan’s marriage, saying they look “very well matched” from the outside.
Meanwhile, as he explained, they can “always do the unexpected,” which can be unpleasant for many.
“All I can say is that the optics [of their marriage] as far as I can see seem fine. The two seem very well matched now, whether or not that’s a favorable comment depends, of course, on your view of them. They have their fans. They’ve also now got quite a few activities, and Megan launching American Riviera Orchard,” he said.
“And of course, she has a program she’s doing for Netflix and Cochrane entertainments, and so forth. Harry, with his series on Polo. The trip to Nigeria, which as a private visit, certainly had the trappings of a sort of pro royal trip, but it went well. There’s no reason that it shouldn’t have – what they want to do in the future weeks and months – that is quite another question.”
Leave a Reply