When Did the Public Turn on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Royal Fans Pinpoint the Exact Moment It Happened
With all the negativity in the news lately about Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leaving the royal family, it’s hard to remember a time when most people loved this royal couple. Sure, there were always critics. But back when Harry and Meghan first got engaged most royal followers were over-the-moon thrilled for them and looked forward to watching their new lives unfold.
When did it all change? It may come down to one pivotal decision the couple made together.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fell in love quickly
After years of feeling adrift and searching for the right woman to settle down with, Prince Harry finally met the love of his life after being set up by a mutual friend. The two met up in Toronto and then quickly realized they wanted to spend every minute together.
As Meghan explained, “We met for a drink, and then I think very quickly into that we said, ‘Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again.’”
Three weeks after that first meeting the pair took their relationship to the next level by embarking on a trip to Africa. They later described those private, early days as some of the happiest they ever had.
Fans were supportive of Prince Harry choosing Meghan Markle
Back when Prince Charles married Diana Spencer, a royal blue blood in the line of succession could never marry a foreign-born divorcee. But times changed and rules relaxed, allowing Prince Harry to choose someone who wasn’t in the same social class or even from the same country.
Most royal fans approved of Meghan Markle despite her history. Their 2018 royal wedding was the event of the year, with an estimated 1.9 billion viewers worldwide. Even the queen seemed delighted by her new granddaughter-in-law.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were expecting a baby that fall, delighting their millions of fans even more. Then they made another announcement that seemed to change everything.
Royal followers were annoyed when Harry and Meghan moved away
The moment it all changed was when the couple began their long, painful separation from the royal family. And that all started with their move from Nottingham Cottage to Frogmore Cottage, just over an hour away.
It may have been a fantasy to imagine Prince Harry and Meghan getting Archie together with the three Cambridge children every night after dinner for cousin bonding at Kensington Palace. But when Harry and Meghan announced they were leaving for Frogmore Cottage and more privacy, they began the process of distancing themselves from the rest of the family that’s still continuing now.
Fans were not pleased to see this couple breaking tradition in that way. Ever since, public perception has gone from bad to worse.
Fans became resentful of Harry and Meghan’s quest for privacy
After moving to Frogmore, the rest of Harry and Meghan’s reputation continued to unravel with a never-ending stream of unflattering news stories.
There was the feud between Harry and William, that one time Meghan allegedly made Kate cry, the couple’s decision to keep Archie’s birth private and not pose for photos right after, Meghan’s rumored attitude with staff which earned her unflattering nicknames, and so on, and so on.
Eventually, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex got so fed up with the drama that they made a life-altering decision to quit the royal family, which they announced via Instagram in January 2020.
Would it have come to this if they had just stayed in Kensington Palace? We’ll never know what could have been.
