Meghan Markle's Not the 'Driving Force' Behind Royal Family …
A new book claims Meghan Markle's not to blame for the royal family rift. Rather, Prince Harry was the "driving force" behind their leaving in 2020. Ahead, what the author -- and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex -- had to say about misplacing blame.
Book claims Prince Harry's the 'driving force' behind the feud, not Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images
Royal reporter Robert Jobson writes in Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed about the couple's exit.
In it, the author quotes a "senior aide," per a Mail Online extract, who said blaming Meghan disregards Harry.
"'Some blame Meghan Markle for the fallout, ignoring the fact that Harry seems to be the driving force in everything that happened.'" the aide told Jobson, per the extract. "'There was a point when officials joked Harry was the victim of Stockholm syndrome, and he was Meghan's hostage,'" they continued. "'But now most just feel Harry has turned his back on everything he has known.'" "The widening gulf" between King Charles III and his youngest son, Jobson added, has the 74-year-old "deeply saddened." Furthermore, that the 74-year-old "wishes he could see more of the Sussexes' two children," Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Meghan previously said she didn't accept the 'blame the girl' narrative
In Netflix's Harry & Meghan docuseries, Meghan opened up about British tabloid accusations she "took" Harry away from royal life.
"I often think about, in any relationship, oftentimes, when a guy falls in love with a girl, his buddies are like, 'Oh my God, he changed I don't see him anymore. He's always with her,'" Meghan said (via Elle). "You blame the girl," she continued. "They're angry with her because she's the thing that took him away, whether you're in a small town or a big city or in the royal family."
Meghan, 41, went on to say Harry was "on his own path" long before they connected on Instagram and met in July 2016. "He wouldn't have ever been attracted to or interested in me if he hadn't already been on his own path," she said.
Prince Harry made the 'decision' to leave, Meghan Markle 'never asked'
King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Harry also discussed blame being placed on Meghan for their 2020 decision to "step back" as senior working royals. "How predictable that a woman is to be blamed for the decision of a couple," he said. "In fact, it was my decision." "She never asked to leave," he added. "I was the one that had to see it for myself." The 38-year-old went on to call it a "missed" opportunity to modernize the royal family. "Anyone inside that system, whether it's my family, whether its staff, whether its PR, whoever it is, have already missed an enormous opportunity with my wife and how far that would go globally."
Jobson's Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed hits shelves on April 13.