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· collected 2026-08-04 · by Stephanie Nolasco, Ashley Papa
As Meghan Markle celebrates her 45th birthday, one royal author argues the Duchess of Sussex's exit from royal life caused "very serious damage" to the monarchy.
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exit → celebrate → monarchy
"I believe that the rupture in the family that saw Meghan and Harry go to the United States has done very serious damage to the monarchy," Catherine Mayer, who penned "Divide & Rule," told Fox News Digital.
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who → believe → Digital
"But to say that is not to say that I blame them for what happened," she said.
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she → say → them
"It's often taken as a criticism: 'Look what they've done to the monarchy.'
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they → take → monarchy
I think this has been very painful for everybody and for the institution, but you need only look at the latest polling on the popularity of the monarchy to see that it is losing ground."
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it → think → ground
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing intrusive British media coverage and a lack of support from the palace.
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Duke → step → palace
After moving to California, they aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries.
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they → move → interviews
Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare," further strained his relationship with the family.
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memoir → strain → family
In July, the former American actress had planned to accompany her husband during several engagements on his return to the U.K. However, security concerns prevented Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, from making the full trip.
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concerns → plan → trip
While the Sussexes had a private meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla on July 10, marking the first time since 2022 that Meghan had returned to England, she didn't make any public appearances.
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she → have → appearances
WATCH: PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE'S EXIT HURT THE MONARCHY:
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EXIT → watch → MONARCHY
The couple lost their taxpayer-funded security when they stepped down as working royals.
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they → lose → royals
The Duke of Sussex has long sought to have it reinstated, citing concerns for his family's safety.
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it → seek → safety
Mayer argued that, according to U.K. polls, the royal family has lost popularity primarily due to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his princely title following his controversial relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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who → argue → Epstein
However, she believes that "undoubtedly," the Sussexes had an ability to connect with younger populations in a way that’s "not really there with the rest of the family.
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that → believe → family
"
"The only ones who can potentially do it are Kate and William, and they're more of a small 'c' conservative in their approach," said Mayer, referring to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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Mayer → do → Wales
"They're young, but they're in their 40s," she said.
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she → say → 40s
Harry and Meghan are basically the same age, but they had this appeal, a much broader appeal, and that's been lost now."
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that → have → appeal
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner echoed that view, noting that family divisions remain unresolved despite recent signs of reconciliation.
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divisions → echo → reconciliation
"I feel there are major cracks in the royal family over Meghan and Harry, especially between King Charles and Prince William, who I believe are at loggerheads over the couple, culminating in the recent private meeting at Highgrove, leaving William blindsided about the meeting.
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I → feel → meeting
Now, with Harry able to use Buckingham Palace again when he returns, it could be a breakthrough for Meghan and a heart-piercing wound for William.
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it → use → William
While Meghan's relationship with King Charles reportedly softened following their private family reunion this summer, multiple reports continue to describe her ties with William and Kate as distant, with little evidence the broader royal rift has fully healed.
"In my book, I also examine the bullying allegations made against Meghan," said Mayer.
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Mayer → soften → Meghan
"One of the problems was that they surfaced at exactly the time of the 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview.
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they → surface → interview
I think that made a lot of people suspect this was done to undercut anything Meghan might say in the interview.
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Meghan → think → interview
I'd actually been hearing about friction in the palace for a very long time before the story surfaced.
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story → hear → time
As I explain in the book, that doesn't necessarily mean we're talking about bullying, but we're definitely talking about real friction there.
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we → explain → friction
"We're talking about people who were very bruised by the experience, which includes her as well," Mayer continued.
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Mayer → talk → her
"But the fact is, there were real frictions between the brothers, William and Harry, as well as between the women and within the palace system.
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fact → be → system
I don't think Meghan really understood that the monarchy will always give preference to the monarch and the immediate heir.
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monarchy → think → monarch
And its members get very nervous when somebody feels bigger and more glamorous than the institution."
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somebody → get → institution
"The last thing they wanted to do was make her into some big star," Mayer added.
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Mayer → want → star
Turner noted that Meghan hasn't been the only one to experience struggles with "The Firm."
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Meghan → note → Firm
"Outsiders are accepted, provided they do not become more powerful or overshadow family members," he said.
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he → accept → members
"In my time, Charles used to hate being overshadowed by Princess Diana at walkabouts.
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Charles → use → walkabouts
I believe this was part of the reason for the breakup.
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this → believe → breakup
I feel palace employees and members of the royal family could see Meghan's charm was making her into another Diana in waiting.
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her → feel → waiting
Still, British royal expert Hilary Fordwich said mistakes made by the Sussexes cannot be overlooked and have contributed to their estrangement from the royal family.
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mistakes → say → family
"Harry and Meghan didn't just make a silly mistake," Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
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Fordwich → make → Digital
"They have undertaken a fundamentally damaging, deliberate strategy to undermine the royals, which is unforgivable.
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which → undertake → royals
The Firm was most welcoming to her, bent the rules for her, made exceptions for her, but she thwarted it all.
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she → bend → it
…and 30 more, not listed.
