Too much drama for the duchess? Duchess Meghan (née Markle) struggled with her royal life behind-the-scenes, a source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly.
“Meghan knew life as a royal wouldn’t be easy,” the source says. “But nothing prepared her for the constant criticism and drama and backstabbing that goes on behind palace doors.”
The insider notes that Prince Harry felt responsible for his wife’s suffering.
“To say he’s upset about the way the royals and the U.K. press have treated Meghan is an understatement,” the source tells Us.
Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, announced their plans to step down as senior royals on Wednesday, January 8.
“It’s clear royal pressures have made them deep unhappy,” Richard Fitzwilliams adds of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “They’re going to do things their way.”
Less than a week after the shocking announcement, Queen Elizabeth II held a meeting with the Duke of Sussex, Prince William and Prince Charles to discuss the couple’s new roles in the family.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family,” the 93-year-old monarch said in a statement on Monday, January 13.
The queen added that Meghan and Harry, who share 8-month-old son Archie, have “made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.”
“It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK,” the statement read. “These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
While William, 37, and Duchess Kate have yet to officially comment on Harry and Meghan’s decision, an insider told Us that the Duke of Cambridge isn’t happy.
“He’s worried about the Queen’s stress levels too,” the insider told Us. “She’s 93 years old, Prince Philip’s incredibly sick, and Andrew only stepped down a month ago over the Epstein scandal … and now this. William’s done everything in his power to help his brother over the years and feels totally let down by his ‘reckless’ and ‘selfish’ actions.”
For more on what’s next for Harry and Meghan, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands tomorrow!
