Meghan Markle Never Intended To Quit Royal Life As New Claim Reveals

Meghan Markle never intended to leave the British royal family and was reportedly happy with Prince Harry before a growing culture clash made remaining as a working royal increasingly difficult, according to claims by royal expert Simon Vigar.

Vigar explores the circumstances surrounding Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior working royals in his book The Four Wives of Windsor. According to the author, the Duchess of Sussex initially wanted to embrace her new role and believed she could build a successful future within the monarchy.

However, Vigar argues that differences between Meghan’s expectations and the realities of royal life eventually created serious difficulties.

“There was a culture clash there. It was avoidable,” Vigar told Fox News, describing what he believes contributed to the couple’s eventual decision to step away.

The author suggested Meghan may have expected to have considerably more control over how royal events and her public role were handled. That expectation, he claimed, collided with the established structure of the monarchy.

“I think she thought that there would be more control over events than there was,” Vigar said.

The royal expert also challenged the idea that Harry and Meghan faced constant hostility from the British media from the very beginning of their relationship with the royal institution.

“The narrative now is that the British media was always against Harry and Meghan. That is not how I remember it, and many of my colleagues remember it,” he said.

Vigar recalled seeing Meghan during her first official engagement in Nottingham and later covering the couple’s major 2018 tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

The overseas tour initially appeared to be a major success. Huge crowds turned out to see the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Meghan quickly attracted significant public attention.

Yet Vigar claims that problems emerged behind the scenes, particularly among palace staff responsible for managing the tour and its media coverage.

He recalled one member of the Kensington Palace team becoming emotional after difficulties emerged, describing the situation as having “gone pear-shaped,” according to his account.

The author believes the tour exposed some of the earliest significant tensions surrounding Meghan’s position as a working member of the royal family.

According to Vigar, Meghan had previously been accustomed to a professional environment in which public appearances and media exposure could be managed far more closely. Royal life, however, required a different approach.

He wrote that the level of control associated with Hollywood was difficult to reconcile with the monarchy’s traditional emphasis on public service.

Vigar also quoted an unnamed senior staff member who allegedly observed that Meghan had discovered royal life was considerably more demanding than it appeared from the outside.

“My overall sense is Meghan realised it was hard work and not that glamorous. It’s not about you,” the staffer reportedly said.

Another incident highlighted in the book concerns Meghan’s visit to Suva Market in Fiji during the 2018 royal tour. The engagement was intended to highlight women’s economic empowerment but ended earlier than expected.

At the time, the shortened visit was attributed to security concerns after large crowds gathered to see Meghan. Vigar, however, questioned that explanation, arguing that security personnel would not have allowed the Duchess to arrive if there had been a serious threat.

The author recalled seeing a sudden change in the atmosphere during the engagement, claiming Meghan appeared to exchange a look with one of her assistants before the situation quickly changed.

He also described members of the media being pushed aside as the Duchess’s visit was brought to an early conclusion.

The demanding circumstances were particularly notable because Meghan was pregnant with her first child during the overseas tour. Vigar acknowledged that she was working through an intense schedule while adapting to an entirely new environment.

Ultimately, the author suggests that Meghan understood the highly visible side of royal life but struggled with some of the deeper cultural expectations attached to being a member of the monarchy.

“Meghan understood ‘the show’ bit but not the cultural side of the royal family,” one senior aide reportedly told Vigar.

The claims offer a different interpretation of the Sussexes’ royal exit, suggesting that Meghan’s departure was not necessarily part of an original plan to abandon royal life. Instead, Vigar’s account portrays the decision as the result of mounting differences between what Meghan expected from her new position and what the institution required of her.

Harry and Meghan eventually stepped back from their roles as senior working royals and later relocated to the United States. Their departure has remained one of the most debated chapters of the modern royal family’s history.

While Vigar’s account reflects the views and recollections presented in his book, the claims about Meghan’s intentions and experiences remain his interpretation rather than established fact. Nevertheless, his account adds another perspective to the events that eventually led the Sussexes away from frontline royal duties.