Palace Feared Meghan Markle Was Becoming Another Diana in Waiting, Source Says

A new book, 'Divide & Rule', written by Catherine Mayer and released in June this year, has claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move to the United States has deprived the institution of two figures capable of endearing the monarchy to younger audiences. As Meghan turned 45 this August 4th,

'You need only look at the latest polling on the popularity of the monarchy to see that it is losing ground', Mayer told in an interview.

The author clarified that she did not place responsibility entirely upon the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She instead pointed to declining support for the monarchy in recent polling, particularly following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over his connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

How the Couple's Move Has Affected the Monarchy's Public Connection

Harry and Meghan stepped back from their positions as working royals in 2020, citing hostile media coverage and a lack of support from within the palace. They relocated to California, and have discussed their experiences in multiple interviews, a Netflix documentary series, and Harry's controversial 2023 memoir, 'Spare'.

The couple's public criticism of royal life further damaged their relationships with members of the family, particularly Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. However, Mayer argued that the monarchy also lost the Sussexes' ability to reach members of the public who felt less represented by its more traditional members.

'The only ones who can potentially do it are Kate and William, and they're more of a small 'c' conservative in their approach,' she said.

Yet the Prince and Princess of Wales are themselves now in their 40s, Mayer noted, while their eldest son, Prince George, remains too young to take on a significant public role.

'There's nobody in between George and his parents, William and Kate, to capture the imagination of younger audiences,' she said. 'Harry and Meghan are basically the same age, but they had this appeal, a much broader appeal, and that's been lost now.'

Growing Cracks Between Royal Family and Sussexes

Relations between the Sussexes and the royal family remain strained. Although reports have suggested some improvement in Meghan's relationship with King Charles, particularly following a private meeting at Highgrove this July, her ties with Prince William and Catherine are still described as distant.

'I feel there are major cracks in the royal family over Meghan and Harry, especially between King Charles and Prince William, who I believe are at loggerheads over the couple', Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner has said. 'Now, with Harry able to use Buckingham Palace again when he returns, it could be a breakthrough for Meghan and a heart-piercing wound for William.'

Mayer also addressed allegations that Meghan bullied palace employees. 'One of the problems was that [the allegations] surfaced at exactly the time of the 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview. I think that made a lot of people suspect this was done to undercut anything Meghan might say in the interview. I'd actually been hearing about friction in the palace for a very long time before the story surfaced. As I explain in the book, that doesn't necessarily mean we're talking about bullying, but we're definitely talking about real friction there.'

'[T]he fact is, there were real frictions between the brothers, William and Harry, as well as between the women and within the palace system,' Mayer continued. 'I don't think Meghan really understood that the monarchy will always give preference to the monarch and the immediate heir. And its members get very nervous when somebody feels bigger and more glamorous than the institution.'

Comparing Current Treatment of Meghan Markle to Princess Diana

Turner echoed Mayer's view, comparing Meghan's treatment to that of Princess Diana: 'outsiders are accepted, provided they do not become more powerful or overshadow family members'.

Other royal commentators, including Hilary Fordwich, claim that mistakes made by the Sussexes cannot be overlooked and have contributed to their estrangement from the royal family.

'They have undertaken a fundamentally damaging, deliberate strategy to undermine the royals, which is unforgivable,' Fordwich said. 'The Firm was most welcoming to her, bent the rules for her, made exceptions for her, but she thwarted it all. She didn't want to either learn or accept advice. King Charles and Prince William now have a narrower, more disciplined monarchy as a result.'

Mayer rejected the notion that Meghan could have fully understood royal life before marrying Harry, describing the monarchy as governed by unfamiliar customs, strict hierarchies and an order of precedence followed even in private.

'When I was writing this book, I really did go back and challenge my own assumptions about whether Meghan could have ever made a go of it,' said Mayer. 'And I concluded that it was highly unlikely, and not her fault — or certainly not entirely her fault.'

'I've been covering the monarchy for a very long time. I'm also the biographer of Charles, the man who is now King. I've spent a lot of time behind the scenes. Even after all the time I've spent there, I'm still surprised by the strangeness of the culture and how unlike any other culture it is.'

Mayer notes such controversies as Meghan's criticised curtsy to the late Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's documentary miniseries 'Harry & Meghan'.

'How would anybody be prepared for that?' she said. 'The monarchy is essentially a medieval institution with some modern features grafted onto it.'

To broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard, the fundamental issue remains that Meghan failed from the very beginning to adapt to the demands of royal life.

'Both Princess Catherine and Meghan came in as outsiders. But one chose to learn the institution,' Chard said. 'The system is tough, but the system also gave Meghan support. The system can't save someone who won't play ball. The institution expects sacrifice before platform.'

'Harry himself also talked about leaving royal life for years. Meghan gave him that push. Better handling could have delayed it, but I don't think it would have prevented it', Chard analysed.

The royal family has, in Chard's words, 'moved on' following Harry and Meghan's departure, and are looking towards the future. Security concerns prevented Meghan from accompanying Harry on his UK trip this July, leaving the Sussexes' private meeting with the King and Queen as the first time since 2022 that Meghan had returned to the UK alongside Harry.

To Chard, 'the damage has been done', and further reconciliation remains uncertain. 'Trust takes years to rebuild'.