Meghan Markle Addresses False Narrative That She ‘Took’ Prince Harry From Royal Life
In Netflix’s bombshell new docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex open up about having to start their relationship in secret in order to avoid the British press and why they ultimately decided to leave palace life forever. Early episodes delve into the couple’s meet cute and offer never-before-seen photos of their iconic nuptials on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, which nearly 30 million Americans streamed and an estimated 9 billion watched worldwide. The series also features new shots of the reception, where Meghan wore a Stella McCartney halter gown.
In episode 5, Meghan opens up about widespread accusations made in British tabloids that she “took” Harry away from his royal duties. “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 says in the docuseries. “You blame the girl. 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.”
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But Meghan says her husband already had a complicated relationship with his royal status long before they met: “He wouldn’t have ever been attracted to or interested in me if he hadn’t already been on his own path.”
In Harry & Meghan, Harry calls it “predictable” that Meghan would be blamed for their joint decision to leave the U.K. “How predictable that a woman is to be blamed for the decision of a couple,” he says. “In fact, it was my decision. She never asked to leave. I was the one that had to see it for myself.”
Harry goes on to call the rift with the royal family a missed opportunity to address the crown’s complicated legacy, and to bring the monarchy into the modern age. “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 how far that would go globally, ” Harry says.
You can watch the full series here on Netflix.
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