00:00it looked like it was working. But then Harry and Meghan went public with their decision
00:03to step down as senior members. Ahead of their exit, there were a number of events
00:07that suggested all wasn't well behind palace doors.
00:12News that Meghan Markle was not adjusting to royal life started to surface in the moments
00:16leading up to her wedding. As it was originally reported by the tabloids, the former Suits
00:20actor was apparently forging a frosty but cordial relationship with sister-in-law Kate Middleton.
00:26Things appeared to take a turn for the worse during a heated bridesmaid dress fitting.
00:30According to reports from The Sun and The Telegraph, the argument was, in some sense,
00:34about pantyhose. Kate wanted the bridesmaids to wear tights, as is customary, but Meghan wanted
00:39to nix royal protocol and allow bare legs. To make matters worse, Princess Charlotte's
00:44bridesmaid dress required extra fittings, and the pair reportedly couldn't agree on the schedule.
00:49A source told The Telegraph,
00:50Demands were made about when subsequent fittings would be, and Kate left sobbing.
00:54The same source also claimed, quote,
00:56"...there was a sense that Meghan never really wanted to be friends after the
00:59Duchess of Sussex snubbed her future sister-in-law's attempts to hang out."
01:03Two years later, Meghan refuted this tabloid story in her illuminating
01:07interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was allegedly Kate who made Meghan cry over the dresses.
01:12The issue was correct about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry.
01:17Meghan said Kate apologized, even bringing her flowers, and both parties moved on.
01:22Though tabloids have gotten ahold of, or straight-up invented,
01:25a ton of inside information about the royal family's fraying relationship,
01:29there's one bombshell that Meghan and Harry kept quiet for more than a year.
01:33We now know that events surrounding Meghan's first pregnancy, which she announced in October 2018,
01:38had a significant impact on the couple's decision to quit their senior roles.
01:42In the pair's eye-opening Oprah Winfrey interview, the biracial actor alleged that there
01:46were concerns and conversations about how dark her son Archie's skin might be when he's born.
01:51What? And who is having that conversation?
01:58A royal family member who was not Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip,
02:02apparently had several of these talks with Harry, who says he was shocked.
02:06But he wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it,
02:10that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather.
02:14In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that some recollections may vary,
02:18but that the family was saddened to discover Meghan and Harry had been struggling. The
02:22palace planned to take the allegations very seriously, addressing them behind closed doors.
02:27Meanwhile, The Washington Post-reported Prince William told a reporter that the royals are,
02:31quote,
02:31"...very much not a racist family," and he still hasn't spoken to his brother.
02:36A month after Meghan Markle announced her pregnancy,
02:39it looked like the royal fab four were on the outs. Harry and Meghan announced that they
02:43were checking out of Kensington Palace, where they lived next door to Prince William and Kate
02:47Middleton. As Reuters reported, it was the first indication of tensions behind the scenes.
02:53Despite what it looked like, a report from the Daily Mail claimed that drama wasn't to blame — at
02:58least not drama — with the royal family. Instead, the system was the problem. According to the tabloid,
03:03the plan to move to Frogmore Cottage was reportedly fueled by Harry's desire to, quote,
03:08"...escape the goldfish bowl of royal life for the sake of his marriage and his unborn child."
03:12This would eventually be confirmed in the pair's Oprah interview.
03:15With the move came the disillusion of the fab four's joint office, as noted in People magazine.
03:20Meghan and Harry would be working on their own. Royals author Sally Bedell-Smith told People,
03:25"...the arrival of Meghan has changed the dynamic of the relationship in a fairly significant way.
03:30It is inevitable and practical because it gives Harry and Meghan some freedom
03:34to build up their own collection of interests and charities."
03:38In April 2018, a month before the big wedding, it was clear that Harry and Meghan were taking
03:43every opportunity to stay out of the public eye. The pair even skipped out on Meghan's first Easter
03:48with the royal family — a moment that could have smoothed over the incessant royal rift rumors,
03:53but scandalized the tabloids instead. Even though Harry hadn't attended church service in years,
03:58Express went as far as claiming the couple snubbed the queen. The following year, Meghan skipped out
04:03all on her own. Though her pregnancy with Archie's fast-approaching due date was the perfect excuse
04:08to stay at home, it still raised eyebrows. Maybe there was no so-called rift in the family,
04:13but her absence sent a clear message that she was not going to do her pregnancy publicly,
04:18like Kate Middleton, who was heavily pregnant when she attended the service a year prior.
04:22The service also fell on the queen's birthday, which would have been a great argument for Express to
04:27save a quid and run the same headline twice, but alas, they missed the opportunity. The couple
04:32celebrated from afar, sharing a sweet message on their official Instagram account.
04:37If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Easter absence made it seem like they were no longer entertaining
04:41the public demands of royal life, Archie's birth proved it. The couple circumvented royal traditions
04:47to give their newborn a greater sense of privacy, which is inherently at odds with being a member of
04:51one of the most photographed families in British history. Still, what's most telling are the lengths
04:56the pair went through to take control from the hands of the crown. According to Vogue,
05:00Archie's birth was handled more privately than past royal births. Meghan didn't don four-inch
05:05heels and pose for a photo op on the hospital steps like Kate Middleton did directly after giving
05:10birth. Meghan told Oprah, in fact, that she wasn't even asked to do so. Vogue noted that Meghan and
05:15Harry kept their newborn's identity hidden for two days, posing for a smaller, controlled photo shoot in
05:20Windsor Castle involving two photographers rather than an onslaught of media. Furthermore,
05:25the couple separated themselves from the royal family throughout. According to Vogue, Meghan did
05:30not use the queen's team of royal doctors and had her own natural birth plan. She kept her birth plans
05:35private, though she's said to have attempted a home birth, as the queen did, later moving to a private
05:40hospital. When it came time to announce Archie's arrival, the pair did not go through Buckingham Palace,
05:45as is customary. Instead, they announced it on their own, through their official Instagram account.
05:50The Sussexes' first child was set apart from the royals by both his name and his title.
05:55According to Vogue, Meghan and Harry opted for Archie Harrison simply because they liked it,
06:00even though it held no royal significance. They also circumvented tradition when they
06:04chose not to give Archie a double middle name. In the couple's eye-opening Oprah Winfrey interview,
06:09Meghan also revealed that the royals didn't want Archie to have a royal title, which she claimed was,
06:14quote, different from protocol. Meghan also alluded to the fact that the decision may have had something to
06:19do with her son's mixed race.
06:20The first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other
06:28grandchildren would be. According to The Guardian, the royal protocol established by George V in 1917
06:34dictates that only the children and grandchildren of a sovereign are automatically given royal titles.
06:40Archie is a great-grandchild and thus not entitled. The outlet noted that when Grandpa
06:44Prince Charles becomes king, Archie will be, well, entitled to the titles. Of course,
06:49it seems unfair because Prince William's children have titles, but it has to do with lineage. The
06:54Queen made an exception because William is the future monarch, and Prince George was already
06:58entitled because of his place in the line of succession.
07:02With title comes security. After Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview, the public learned that the brunt of
07:07their decision to exit the royal family hinged on the security the family provided to their newborn
07:12son — or lack thereof. Again, Meghan suggested that Archie's mixed race was a factor in the
07:17royal's decision to withhold a title and consequently withhold security, since the two are typically
07:22knotted together. According to The Guardian, extended members of the royal family also do not
07:28have automatic right to security, paid for by the crown, and Archie is seventh in the line of succession.
07:33Since it involves taxpayer money, the decision involves both the home office and metropolitan police.
07:38Nonetheless, considering Meghan's horrifying treatment in the press and the way tabloids were
07:42a factor in the death of Harry's mother, it makes sense that security would be a breaking point.
07:47It was also apparently the motivation behind the pair's Netflix and Spotify deals,
07:52which they claimed allowed them to afford security when they were allegedly
07:55financially cut off in the wake of their decision to leave.
07:59Every year on Christmas, the Queen publicly addresses the nation. It's a key moment that stokes a sense of
08:04unity across Britain and the Commonwealth, while giving a nod to the family's achievements,
08:09initiatives, and struggles over the past year. Remember, these people are paid by taxpayers to
08:14do good, and anyone who's watched the crown knows that the Queen's job is not only to lead,
08:19but also to preserve the nation's morale — which was especially difficult during 2020's address.
08:24The official message is a televised affair, and for Britons both at home and abroad,
08:28a nostalgic pang of warmth on a holiday centered around family. As such, the Queen always displays
08:34a selection of family photos on her desk. In 2019, mere days before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
08:39would officially announce their exit, the Queen's photos spoke volumes. The Sussexes were notably
08:45absent on the Queen's desk. She did, however, showcase photos of her husband, Prince Philip,
08:50her son Prince Charles and his wife, Duchess Camilla, Kate Middleton, Prince William and their
08:55children, and her father, King George VI. In fact, the address didn't contain a single mention of
09:00Meghan or Harry. This was a huge contrast from the year prior, where the Sussexes were on full display.
09:06Less than a month after the Queen's Christmas address, Meghan and Harry announced they were
09:10stepping back from their royal duties. The crown was forever changed.
09:14Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
09:16even more Nicki Swift videos about the royal family are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube
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