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However, she might feel about Megxit personally, it’s clear that Queen Elizabeth will always love and support Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

These days, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), the queen sees Prince Harry, Meghan, and their adorable son, Archie on video calls. Though the Sussexes have carved out a new path for themselves following Megxit, the queen initially had other plans for them.

Before the duke and duchess pulled the trigger on Megxit, Queen Elizabeth wanted them to move to this country.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018 in London, England. The Queen's Young Leaders Programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates the achievements of young people from across the Commonwealth working to improve the lives of people across a diverse range of issues including supporting people living with mental health problems, access to education, promoting gender equality, food scarcity and climate change
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018 in London, England. The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates the achievements of young people from across the Commonwealth working to improve the lives of people across a diverse range of issues including supporting people living with mental health problems, access to education, promoting gender equality, food scarcity and climate change | John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth knew Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were unhappy

Though no one in the royal family expected the Sussexes to announce their resignation from the royal family on Instagram, it wasn’t exactly a shock. Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship had reportedly been increasingly strained, and the Sussexes had expressed their unhappiness in the ITV documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey.

Also, from the moment they went public with their romance, Prince Harry had expressed his desire to insulate Meghan from the harsh tabloids and critics. His concerns only escalated when the bullying increased to include sexism and racism. An insider explained to Daily Mail,

Meghan said Harry made it crystal clear that they could not function in good faith under the current system…and that if it wasn’t revised and updated to their liking, they would have no other choice than to break from the royal family. She said no one took his pleas seriously, so they had to take the issue into their own hands. This was about protecting the family and doing right by Princess Diana. She said the British tabloids have haunted Harry since childhood and should have been kicked out of the media pool long ago. The system is broken and Harry wanted to fix it. She said he needed to take a stand and now they are doing it together.

Megxit has put the British royal family’s brand at risk

In the end, the royal family hoped that Sussexes would dig in their heels and ignore the bad press like members of the royal family before them. They did not expect Meghan and Harry to leave the royal fold and move halfway across the world.

The pair have signed a multi-million dollar Netflix deal, purchased a home in California, and signed on to speak at multiple events. All of this puts the royal family’s brand at risk even though Meghan and Prince Harry are no longer working royals. “The Meghan and Harry brand has always been very disruptive,” The Kim Kardashian Principe author Jeetendra Sehdev told The Guardian. “They’re going to show us all a different way in which royal family members can live.”

Still, it nearly didn’t come to this. Queen Elizabeth has always been sympathetic to the Sussexes and she had a plan for them, but it simply did not come together in time.

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Queen Elizabeth Could’ve Stopped Megxit

Queen Elizabeth had another plan for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Having seen her late sister, Princess Margaret, and the late Princess Diana stumble in the royal fold, the queen had hoped to guide the Sussexes down a different path. In his new book Battle of Brothers, royal historian Robert Lacy reveals that the queen hoped the Sussxes would live in the Commonwealth country of South Africa for a couple of years.

“Her Majesty was aware of Meghan and Harry’s wish to live an ‘ordinary’ life, which had reminded her of the years she spent with Prince Philip in Malta,” Lacey explained. “She thought Johannesburg could be their Malta.”

However, the Sussexes had other plans.

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