Prince Harry Confirms Suspicions About The Royal Family's Attitude Toward Meghan's Career
It's been well-established at this point that, much like the British tabloid press, Prince Harry's family wasn't sure about Meghan Markle when he first started going out with her. In fact, multiple royal insiders told People that Prince William warned his younger brother not to jump into things too quickly with his future wife. Harry's rift with the royal family has grown exponentially larger since he stepped back from official duties and absconded to the US with Meghan and their kids.
As a biracial American divorcée and actor, she proved to be a highly controversial choice for the prince. The Duke of Sussex was even forced to publicly defend Meghan following horrific racist and sexist abuse from the press, as Stylist reported at the time. Regardless, the former "Suits" star did her best to fit in, including retiring from acting. As Meghan reasoned, she saw it more as a transitional phase, and a chance to devote herself to public service (via Harper's Bazaar).
Ultimately, the Sussexes felt they had to defect from the royal family and make a life for themselves elsewhere. And, according to Harry, his wife's chosen career may have been why she couldn't fit in with them in the first place.
They weren't convinced that an American actor was the right fit for Harry
In the second episode of their Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Prince Harry opened up about why his family might've been unsure about his future wife when they first met her. "The fact that I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgment more than anything else at the beginning. 'Oh she's an American actress — this won't last,'" he opined. The Duke of Sussex also quipped that his family was probably surprised at him landing such a smart, attractive woman.
Joining the ranks of the British monarchy was a major culture shock for Meghan, who was then most well-known for appearing on the hit legal drama "Suits." As the former actor admitted, she wasn't sure whether all the pomp and circumstance was to be taken seriously, even questioning Harry en route to meeting his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. "I remember we were in the car and we were driving up and he's like 'You know how to curtsy right?' And I just thought it was a joke," she recalled.
Although Meghan was prepared to give up her acting career upon joining the royal family, as the queen's biographer Sally Bedell Smith informed Vanity Fair, "It seems now that she really regrets having had to give that up." The royal author added: "And what she was expected to do in the royal family didn't compare with what she had been accustomed to."