Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's relationship with the royal family

There’s a little drama in every family—even the royal family. Following her shock step back from her senior royal duties in March 2020, prince harry And meghan markle have distanced themselves from their relatives across the pond.

When the couple, who exchanged vows in May 2018, announced their plans to take a break from their senior roles in January 2020, the news came as a huge shock to those close to them. ,[Prince] William Was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement,” a source exclusively told us weekly those days. “William is incredibly hurt, but at the same time he has his own family to focus on and is trying to move on with his life.”

Before he and Meghan settled in California with their son, Archie, the Duke of Sussex attended a series of meetings with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and had a “heart-to-heart” about the situation. A source said at the time that despite his decision to give up his position within the palace, Harry “loved” the monarch.

The royal insider said: “The last thing Elizabeth wants is for Harry to feel disconnected from his family and she made her feelings about this very clear at the meeting.”

Nearly a year after their initial steps away, Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that Harry and the Suit alums were not going to return as working royals. A month later, he aired his grievances during a no-holds-barred interview with CBS, claiming he felt a “lack of support and a lack of understanding” from the firm.

Harry insisted he didn’t “blindsided” his grandmother with the decision, noting, “I have a lot of respect for her.” his relationship with his father, King Charles IIIIt’s a bit hazy.

“It was like, ‘I need to do this for my family.’ This is not surprising to anyone. It’s really sad that it has come to this point, but I have to do something for my mental health, my wife’s and Archie’s as well, because I could see where this was going,” Harry explained. The Prince of Wales had stopped taking his calls.

More shocking revelations followed, including an allegation that a family member made comments about Archie’s skin color before he arrived in May 2019. (The couple are also parents to daughter Lilibet Diana, born in June 2021.) Although he declined to name the relative at the time, Harry confirmed that neither the Queen nor her late husband, Prince Philip, was in talks were involved.

Many members of the prince’s extended family have kept relatively quiet about the drama, but both Charles and William have been hurt by Harry’s words. Naresh tried to mediate the situation, to no avail.

“The way things are going, Charles may never forgive Harry, which didn’t go down well with Elizabeth,” a source said. We In May 2021. “He feels he is putting his pride before the best interests of the monarchy. … It’s drama she can do without.”

While Harry and Meghan met the Queen in England during a pit stop on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands in April 2022, the couple made their first official return to royal events during Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee in June 2022 – a A four-day event that celebrated her 70 years on the throne. A source told Polygon, “They wouldn’t miss it for the world.” We those days.

The couple brought their two little ones along for the trip. While son Archie was born in the UK, the occasion saw Lilibet meeting her great-grandmother for the first time. The late monarch died later that year in Scotland at the age of 96.

Scroll down to see where Harry and Meghan stand with the rest of the royal family: