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Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Aren’t Bigger Than the Monarchy

Last Updated September 23, 2020 2:24 PM
Aubrey Hansen
Last Updated September 23, 2020 2:24 PM
  • It’s been widely reported that Meghan Markle had unreasonable expectations of what royal life entailed.
  • You get the impression that power and unbridled freedom are what Meghan craved.
  • Apparently, she didn’t realize those benefits expired with the introduction of the Magna Carta in 1215.

There’s long been speculation that Meghan Markle didn’t quite understand the job she was taking on when she married Prince Harry and became a member of the British royal family.

According to one royal commentator, Meghan was shocked to learn that joining the monarchy wouldn’t provide her with “unrivaled power” and freedom.

I guess those are the sorts of misconceptions that ensnare you when you look to Disney princess movies for cues about what royal life entails.

meghan markle disney princess
It’s almost as though Meghan Markle believed she was a real-life Disney princess. | Source: Twitter 

Meghan Markle appeared to have an utterly outdated view of how royalty operates

It’s somewhat ironic that the prevailing narrative is that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were too modern for the old fashioned royal family. I’d contend that they were the ones who were outdated.

As royal commentator Emily Andrews commented: 

I think Meghan Markle found this all very difficult. What she thought she was getting was unrivaled power, and she would be able to help and be this changemaker. This is what she wanted to be.

It seems like Meghan was entirely clueless about how the royal family operates.

The Magna Carta – which was passed in 1215established that everyone was subject to the rule of law . Even the King himself.

That’s right, Meghan. You were a few hundred years too late if you believed that marrying a prince would afford you unlimited power and freedom.

meghan markle, prince harry, queen elizabeth
Whether Meghan and Harry like it or not, the royal family has a hierarchy. | Source: John Stillwell/Pool Photo via AP

Archaic misunderstandings about royalty aside, did Meghan Markle really think she could waltz into an institution that has thrived for over a thousand years  and start making sweeping changes?

Is this honestly what she believed? That the monarchy was hanging on by a thread and in desperate need of the input of a C-list actress from the United States on how to improve?

It’s no wonder her time as a royal was both short-lived and nothing less than an absolute failure.

No one is bigger than the monarchy – not even the Queen

Meghan apparently knew life as a royal wouldn’t be easy, but once she saw there was no absolute power on offer, she lost interest quickly. Here’s what she said in an interview last year:

To a certain extent, I can understand Meghan not being clued up on how the royal family operates. She was a hapless newcomer. What’s Prince Harry’s excuse? I’m beginning to wonder if he took a fall and banged his head shortly after meeting Meghan.

According to the embarrassingly one-sided biography, Finding Freedom, Harry bristled when other royal family members upstaged them:

Increasingly, Harry had grown frustrated that he and Meghan often took a back seat to other family members. The pair had to wait to announce projects if other more senior royals had announcements of their own.

It’s as if he suddenly decided to forget the royal protocol that he has lived with his entire life.

He knows perfectly well how things work at the palace. He should be all too aware that there’s a hierarchy. And while he has to take a backseat to more senior royals, other royals have to take a backseat to him and Meghan.

Could you imagine the fuss the spoiled Prince Harry would make if someone further down the pecking decided to steal the spotlight on the same day he and Meghan Markle announced a major project?

I doubt he would have taken it well.

The royal family’s success depends on the members working together as a cohesive unit, all recognizing that their duty to the people matters above all.

According to royal expert Russell Myers, the Hollywood Royals viewed their roles differently .

It always reminds me of a top football [soccer] manager saying that no one is bigger than the club. I think that analogy is very true here, Meghan and Harry were not bigger than the institution.

It’s precisely for this reason that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry won’t be missed.


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.