When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at Windsor Castle in 2018 it was hailed as a new era for British royalty.

It was hoped that the former Suits star would breathe fresh life into the Firm and use her unique skillset to carve out a distinct role for herself within the Royal Family.

But Meghan’s love for the limelight following her previous life on TV appeared to spark an irrevocable identity crisis for the Sussexes that still lingers more than seven years on.

 

When the couple said ‘I do’ in May 2018, St George’s Chapel was filled with a plethora of A-list celebrities that included George and Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and stars from the casts of Suits.

Then, in the midst of her ‘long British maternity leave’ in 2019 and just two months after the birth of Archie, the Duke and Duchess were pictured greeting pop icon Beyoncé at the Lion King premiere in London.

In August of that year, the Royal couple boarded a private jet to visit Sir Elton John‘s private villa in the south of France. Just two days prior, Meghan had been soaking up the sun in Ibiza in celebration of her 38th birthday.

Making a quick turnaround, she also boarded another private flight to New York to watch her old friend Serena Williams play in the US Open finals.

Across just eleven days, the Duke and Duchess took four private jets, in spite of Prince Harry’s impassioned barefoot speech at the annual Google summer camp about the importance of saving the planet.

In her bestseller, titled ‘The Palace Papers’, royal author Tina Brown writes that at the ‘core of the difficulties’ the couple faced while senior Royals, one key dilemma dominated: ‘Whether the Sussexes were celebrity royals or royal celebrities’.

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Meghan’s love for the limelight following her previous life on TV sparked an unshakable identity crisis for the Sussexes. Pictured: Harry and Meghan attend ‘The Lion King’ European Premiere at Leicester Square in July 2019

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In the midst of her ‘long British maternity leave’ in 2019 and just two months after the birth of Archie, both Meghan and Harry were pictured greeting pop icon Beyoncé at the Lion King premiere in London

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The Duke and Duchess hold a number of star-studded celebrity friends from across the globe. Pictured: US tennis player Serena Williams and her husband US entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian arrive at Harry and Meghan’s wedding ceremony in May 2018

She notes that the summer of 2019, filled with star-studded acquaintances and an ensuing environmental hypocrisy row, provided confirmation that both Harry and Meghan ‘had made the decisive and deadly pivot to the meretricious side of the equation’.

In July of that year, Harry, while speaking in a Q&A with primatologist Jane Goodall, declared that both him and Meghan were limiting themselves to two children in a bid to help the fight against climate change.

Speaking to The Mail, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams described such a statement as ‘farcical’, adding that ‘they were so obviously not practicing what they preached’ given the number of private jets the pair had used.

Mr Fitzwilliams, who dubbed Harry and Meghan’s ‘shameless’ lavish travels as ‘royal celebrity at its worst’, added that ‘when royalty becomes mere celebrity, it loses its special cachet’.

He said of their travel during that summer: ‘Noticeably, there was no visit to see Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral. William and Kate conspicuously boarded a budget flight to Aberdeen en famille, underlining the contrast between the couples.’

The Duchess’ controversies were also compounded by her decision to guest edit on one of Vogue’s most notorious issues, alongside influential taste baron Edward Enninful.

Described as Meghan’s ‘unexpected Waterloo’, the reveal of the September 2019 issue, titled ‘Forces for Change’, was said to have been a ‘mystifying bore’ for ‘traditional Vogue subscribers’, according to Ms Brown.

Raising eyebrows for the ‘snubbing’ of the late Queen, Meghan was said to have been left ‘defeated by the renegade British sensibility’, with the public’s response to the issue leading to feelings of rejection, loneliness, and even her contemplating suicide, the royal expert claimed.

While it became the fastest-selling issue in the magazine’s 104-year history and sold out in just 10 days, critics pointed out that the Queen was not among the 15 ‘women she admires’ featured

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The Duchess’ controversial luxurious summer travels of 2019 were also compounded by the decision to guest edit on one of Vogue’s most notorious issues, alongside influential taste baron Edward Enninful (pictured)

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In August  2019, the Royal couple boarded a private jet to visit Sir Elton John’s private villa (pictured) in the south of France. Across just eleven days, the Duke and Duchess took four private jets, despite being public advocates for environmental issues and climate change

The Duchess’ decision to include Greta Thunberg and then New-Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden in those featured on the cover also confirmed ‘the Palace’s fears about a member of the family wading into political territory’, Ms Brown said.

Meanwhile, Mr Fitzwilliams described the exclusion of the late Queen as ‘ridiculous’, adding: ‘It was always supposed that she had a liberal outlook but all 15 of her chosen female role models were of a similar political persuasion.

‘This was foolish, as a senior working royal she should have taken care to be above politics.’

Questions were also raised over why the Duchess had carried out a mere 22 royal engagements in the seven months she spent as an unpaid guest editor.

In the book Battle of Brothers, royal author Robert Lacey wrote about the huge unpaid time commitment Meghan made to the magazine.

He said: ‘In the same seven months, January to July 2019, the Court Circular showed the Duchess of Sussex carrying out just 22 royal engagements, less than one per week – though this period did include Meghan’s maternity leave, along with a three-day tour to Morocco with Harry.

‘But why had this “powerhouse” recruit to the highest echelons of the House of Windsor spent seven months labouring so intensively on behalf of British Vogue – entirely unremunerated it must be emphasised again – while doing hardly any work at all for the British Royal Family?’

Compared to Kate’s performance in previous years when she took maternity leave, Meghan appeared to be failing to live up to her example.

In 2018, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, took time away from royal duties while she took time off after the birth of her son, Prince Louis.

According to the Court Circular, during 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge undertook 42 engagements, while Meghan Markle undertook 45 engagements.

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Described as Meghan’s ‘unexpected Waterloo’, the reveal of the September 2019 Vogue issue, titled ‘Forces for Change’, was said to have been a ‘mystifying bore’ for ‘traditional Vogue subscribers’, according to royal expert Tina Brown in her bestseller ‘The Palace Papers’

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Pictured: George Clooney greets Serena Williams while actor Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre watch on at Meghan and Harry’s wedding at St George’s Chapel. Meghan has publicly insisted that she is ‘not an influencer’, but, rather, ‘a female founder’ and ‘entrepreneur’

By comparison, according to the Court Circular, Meghan undertook 28 engagements this year, meaning the Duchess of Cambridge took on an additional 14 engagements during the year she gave birth compared to her sister-in-law.

This equates to an additional 50 percent on Meghan’s working commitments during 2019.

In 2020, shortly before Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back from official royal duties, Meghan was at the bottom of the royal family engagements list, while Princess Anne was the most active.

Mr Fitzwilliams adds that though Prince Harry is born a prince, ‘his behaviour when with Meghan has usually been that of a celebrity, fatefully sharing her addiction to media appearances, especially when promoting his ill-advised memoir, Spare’.

Meanwhile, while the Duchess has publicly insisted that she is ‘not an influencer’, but, rather, ‘a female founder’ and ‘entrepreneur’, Ms Brown adds that during her time in the Firm, Meghan, ‘like many global influencers, still hankered for the gravitas of old media’s validation’.

Indeed, despite the success of the notorious edition, earlier this month Mr Enninful, the former editor of British Vogue, bluntly dismissed the possibility that he would collaborate with Prince Harry’s wife again.

‘Meghan and I had a great moment with the issue we did, but I feel like I have done it and I wouldn’t necessarily repeat myself,’ Edward told The Times.

The remark took on even greater force given that, in the same interview, Edward sang the praises of Meghan’s father-in-law, King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 78.

Edward, 53, who was appointed Global Ambassador for Charles’ youth-focused charity, the Prince’s Trust (now the King’s Trust) in October 2021, added: ‘I love King Charles and Queen Camilla – I went to the coronation with Katy Perry.’

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Speaking to The Mail, Richard Fitzwilliams said that though Prince Harry is, of course, born a prince, ‘his behaviour when with Meghan has usually been that of a celebrity, fatefully sharing her addiction to media appearances, especially when promoting his ill-advised memoir, Spare’

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In September 2019, Meghan controversially boarded a private flight to New York to watch her old friend Serena Williams play in the US Open finals (Pictured: Meghan with Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Pippa Middleton in the Royal Box on Wimbledon’s Centre Court in July 2019)

He added: ‘I am happy to have them in the magazine. They care about the same things I do.’

Edward’s remarkable final Vogue cover for the March 2024 issue featured 40 ‘legendary’ women, from Serena Williams to Oprah Winfrey, but with one notable absence: Meghan.

The Mail on Sunday later revealed that the pair’s friendship had imploded two years prior, with a disagreement over how Vogue was set to present a series of articles about Meghan and Harry’s charitable work reportedly responsible for the feud.

A source told the Mail on Sunday: ‘The duchess and her team had high expectations and were expecting she might get a print cover or at least a digital cover out of it, but Enninful was not able to meet those expectations. He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month.’

The decision to shelve the project reportedly caused irreparable damage to their friendship. ‘Edward was furious to have lost the project, as were the powers that be at Conde Nast’, the source added.

The coverage, designed to tie in with Meghan’s keynote appearance at the One Young World Summit in Manchester in September 2022, would have involved extensive features across the magazine and its digital editions.

In an interview with People Magazine earlier this year to promote her Netflix show, Meghan sought to distance herself from the ‘influencer’ title, despite royal experts suggesting that her brand-new Instagram account, podcast, lifestyle brand, Netflix cookery show and online shop, may suggest otherwise.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in March, PR and branding expert Hayley Knight warned that Meghan’s last venture, a ShopMy link, means it is ‘difficult to deny’ that the Duchess is increasingly adopting ‘standard influencer behaviour’.

The links, which she launched via her Instagram account @meghan, mean that the Duchess will be paid a commission for promoting clothes from other companies if her followers purchase an item through them.

The tool is one commonly used by influencers, who can make thousands on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok by wearing and promoting clothes – and providing a link for shoppers to get their own.

While previously, both Meghan and Prince Harry have emphasised the importance of  ‘activism and philanthropy’ in their work via their Archewell Foundation – Hayley warned that the addition of affiliate links could now ‘cheapen’ her overall brand.

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Edward’s (pictured) remarkable final Vogue cover for the March 2024 issue featured 40 ‘legendary’ women, from Serena Williams to Oprah Winfrey, but with one notable absence: Meghan. The Mail on Sunday later revealed that the pair’s friendship had imploded

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David and Victoria Beckham, alongside Sir Elton John, were amongst a number of A-list guests in attendance at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. Tina Brown writes that one key dilemma dominated their Royal tenure: ‘Whether the Sussexes were celebrity royals or royal celebrities’

She explained: ‘The Duchess of Sussex has long positioned herself as an advocate, humanitarian, and media entrepreneur, distancing herself from traditional influencer culture.

‘Yet, with this latest move, she is embracing a model that is predominantly about monetising and sales.

‘Meghan’s new shop directly contradicts her claim that she’s not an influencer because affiliate marketing is one of the most common revenue streams for influencers.

‘Meghan is also showcasing standard influencer behaviour by curating selections of products in order to drive sales, so it is not surprising that she has received backlash for there being a disconnect between her comments and her actions.’

It comes just a week after Meghan Markle drew attention to her brand with her latest As Ever promotional post, while senior members of the Royal Family put on a united front for the American President.

As her husband’s family lived the high life at the glittering Windsor Castle state banquet, the Duchess of Sussex took to her company’s Instagram page to share a snapshot of herself tending to the strawberry plants in her garden.

Dressed in a simple blue dress and a brown fedora hat, Meghan looked chic as she worked in her tranquil garden, offering her followers a rare glimpse into her life outside of the spotlight in Montecito.

Subtly promoting her ongoing business ventures, Meghan captioned the post: ‘Seasons shift, but the garden stays magic.’

This summer, the Duke and Duchess signed a new ‘multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects’ with Netflix – a downgrade on their previous contract.

The couple’s new output will include a second season of the Duchess’s ‘With Love, Meghan’ lifestyle show later this month, as well as a Christmas special in December.

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 It comes just a week after Meghan Markle drew attention to her brand with her latest As Ever promotional post (pictured), while senior members of the Royal Family put on a united front for the American President

The new arrangement is a first-look deal, meaning Netflix can say yes or no to new film or TV projects before anyone else.

The Sussexes are also working on ‘Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within’ – a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda, where the ‘shadows of the HIV/Aids crisis linger’.

There is also ‘active development’ on other projects with Netflix which ‘span a variety of content genres’, including an adaptation of romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake.

Netflix has already released the first series of With Love, Meghan as well as Polo, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead and the couple’s bombshell documentary Harry & Meghan as well as being a business partner on Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.

Netflix said Harry & Meghan, which came out in December 2022, was a huge success with a total of 23.4million views, making it the most viewed documentary ever through its first four days and reaching the English Top 10 TV list in 85 countries.

But With Love, Meghan, failed to break into Netflix’s top ten programmes – or even the top 300, as it ranked at number 383 in 2025 so far for the streaming giant with just 5.3million viewers across the globe since it was first broadcast in March.

However, the Duchess said: ‘We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.

‘My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision.’