A Timeline of Meghan Markle’s Ups and Downs With the Royal Family

Credit: MEGA

A Timeline of Meghan Markle’s Ups and Downs With the Royal Family

It’s been a rocky road for Meghan Markle and the British royal family since she fell in love with Prince Harry. The Suits alum started dating the prince during the summer of 2016. While she gushed about Harry to Vanity Fair during her September 2017 cover story, the couple spoke about their relationship — and preparing Meghan for royal life — for the first time during their engagement interview in November 2017. "I think I can very safely say as naive as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve in the past year and a half I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like," Meghan said at the time. Harry replied, "I had tried to warn you as much as possible. … I think you can have as many conversations as you want, trying to prepare as much as possible but we were totally unprepared for what happened after that." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wed in May 2018. Despite the alleged tension between the brothers over how quickly Harry and Meghan’s relationship moved, the pair teamed up with Prince William and Princess Kate and the foursome launched a charity together. In June 2019, news broke that the group effort was already done and the two couples were splitting their charities. “Kensington Palace is painting this as a natural progression,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “But there were definitely issues with Meghan and Kate seeing eye to eye on how they wanted to run this charity.” [jwplayer eNyiibWB-zhNYySv2] In October 2019, Harry and Meghan spoke to ITV’s Tom Bradby and hinted that they were unhappy. Harry also confirmed reports that there was a rift between him and William. “I have said for a long time to H, that’s what I call [Harry], 'It's not enough to just survive something. That’s not the point of life. You have to thrive. You have got to feel happy,’” Meghan said during the special, admitting she was “not OK.” She continued: “I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a 'stiff upper lip.' I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging." Less than six months later, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step back from their senior royal duties in January 2020. The pair subsequently relocated, first to Canada and then to Los Angeles. The pair informed Queen Elizabeth II in February 2021 that they would not be returning to the U.K. to work for the family. ​One day after the queen's death in September 2022, King Charles III shared his "love" for Harry and Meghan in his first speech as the new monarch. “I want ... to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” he said in the address. Scroll through for a complete timeline of the ups and downs, including the drama surrounding Harry and Meghan’s March 2021 CBS tell-all interview:

Credit: MEGA

A Timeline of Meghan Markle’s Ups and Downs With the Royal Family

It’s been a rocky road for Meghan Markle and the British royal family since she fell in love with Prince Harry. The Suits alum started dating the prince during the summer of 2016. While she gushed about Harry to Vanity Fair during her September 2017 cover story, the couple spoke about their relationship — and preparing Meghan for royal life — for the first time during their engagement interview in November 2017. "I think I can very safely say as naive as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve in the past year and a half I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like," Meghan said at the time. Harry replied, "I had tried to warn you as much as possible. … I think you can have as many conversations as you want, trying to prepare as much as possible but we were totally unprepared for what happened after that." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wed in May 2018. Despite the alleged tension between the brothers over how quickly Harry and Meghan’s relationship moved, the pair teamed up with Prince William and Princess Kate and the foursome launched a charity together. In June 2019, news broke that the group effort was already done and the two couples were splitting their charities. “Kensington Palace is painting this as a natural progression,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “But there were definitely issues with Meghan and Kate seeing eye to eye on how they wanted to run this charity.” [jwplayer eNyiibWB-zhNYySv2] In October 2019, Harry and Meghan spoke to ITV’s Tom Bradby and hinted that they were unhappy. Harry also confirmed reports that there was a rift between him and William. “I have said for a long time to H, that’s what I call [Harry], 'It's not enough to just survive something. That’s not the point of life. You have to thrive. You have got to feel happy,’” Meghan said during the special, admitting she was “not OK.” She continued: “I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a 'stiff upper lip.' I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging." Less than six months later, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step back from their senior royal duties in January 2020. The pair subsequently relocated, first to Canada and then to Los Angeles. The pair informed Queen Elizabeth II in February 2021 that they would not be returning to the U.K. to work for the family. ​One day after the queen's death in September 2022, King Charles III shared his "love" for Harry and Meghan in his first speech as the new monarch. “I want ... to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” he said in the address. Scroll through for a complete timeline of the ups and downs, including the drama surrounding Harry and Meghan’s March 2021 CBS tell-all interview:

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November 2016

Meghan’s official introduction as Harry’s girlfriend was when the first sign of trouble began as the palace released a statement condemning the “wave of abuse and harassment” the actress received in the press.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” the November 2016 statement read. “He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.”

The following month, reports surfaced that the palace wasn’t happy Meghan sported an “H” initial necklace during a December 2016 outing as it perpetuated additional headlines about their romance.

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January 2017

While sources told Us that things went well when Harry introduced Meghan to William and Kate in January 2017, things took a turn when the eldest brother felt they were moving too fast. Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed in their book, Finding Freedom, that Harry was “pissed off” when William suggested he was “blindsided by lust.” William reportedly told his brother to “take as much time as you need to get to know this girl,” which upset Harry.

“Some felt it was an overreaction,” the book read. “But then, this sums them up as people — William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can’t help but take things far too personally.”

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May 2017

Before Harry and Meghan got engaged, there was reported tension between the couple and the Middleton family over her potential attendance at Pippa Middleton and James Matthews’ May 2017 nuptials. In the end, she only went to the reception.

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November 2017

Elizabeth, Prince Philip,Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, William and Kate all celebrated Harry and Meghan’s engagement in November 2017. Harry and Meghan also confirmed in their engagement interview that she met the queen — and the two women hit it off.

“It’s incredible, I think, you know, a) to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother, all of those layers have been so important for me,” she said at the time. “So that when I met her, I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. … She’s an incredible woman.”

Meghan subsequently became the first “fiancée” to have Christmas with the royal family in December 2017.

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February 2018

William, Kate, Harry and Meghan were all smiles at their first — and only — event for the Royal Foundation in London in February 2018.

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May 2018

When Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, opted not to attend her May 2018 nuptials after he was caught staging photos with the paparazzi, Prince Charles stepped in to walk her down the aisle.  

There were conflicting reports, however, about Meghan and Kate’s relationship at this time, with some outlets claiming the women fought about Princess Charlotte’s outfit for the wedding.

According to Meghan, Kate was the one who made her cry during a disagreement about dresses. “That was a turning point. … The narrative with Kate, it didn’t happen,” Meghan said during an interview on CBS in March 2021. “A few days before the wedding she was upset about flower girl dresses and it made me cry. It really hurt my feelings. … She was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized. And she brought me flowers and a note, apologizing. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.”

There were also reports that the queen didn’t approve of Meghan’s tiara choice. The Finding Freedom authors suggested that Queen Elizabeth’s official dressmaker, Angela Kelly, was the one who had issues with Meghan’s pick — the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara.

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June 2018

Meghan attended her first solo engagement with the queen in June 2018. A source told Us at the time that “enthusiasm toward living a life of service and humanitarianism excites the queen and it’s just the type of vim and vigor she likes to see in someone.”

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July 2018

While the duchesses appeared to be on good terms in July 2018 when they attended Wimbledon together, Meghan hinted in March 2021 that things were tense between the two women.

“I know you say, 'Was it what it looked like?’ — my understanding and my experience for the past four years is that it’s nothing like what it looks like,” she said during her CBS tell-all when asked about the Wimbledon outing.

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October 2018

Harry and Meghan announced they were expecting their first child together in October 2018. Three days before they confirmed the news, the duo attended Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank. The princess was reportedly unhappy with the twosome for discussing the pregnancy at her nuptials. “It didn’t go down particularly well with Eugenie, who a source said told friends she felt the couple should have waited to share the news,” Scobie and Durand wrote.

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December 2018

In November 2018, Harry and Meghan made headlines for moving to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Sources told Us in December 2018 that Meghan struggled with royal rules regarding the press after she made headlines when her personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, and secretary, Samantha Cohen, quit six months after the pair’s nuptials.

“It’s just been frustrating and stressful to have no voice,” a royal insider told Us. “She’s always relied on her own voice to stand up for others, and for herself. So not being able to say anything is a debilitating feeling. She’s always been so independent, her entire life, and that’s all been taken away from her. She’s always been able to clap back on social media and now she can’t.”

There were also reports at the time that palace staff didn’t “trust” Meghan. While one staffer reportedly said she “comes with a lot of baggage,” another employee was allegedly overheard referring to the Suits alum as “Harry’s showgirl.”

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January 2019

While 2018 was plagued with on and off rumors about Meghan and Kate’s relationship, a source told Us that the queen influenced the two women to bury the hatchet over the holidays.

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January 2019

Meghan revealed in March 2021 that she hit her lowest point when she was five months pregnant with Archie.

"One of the things that still haunts me is this photograph that someone had sent me, we had to go to an official event at the Royal Albert Hall," Meghan recalled of the January 2019 event. "A friend said, 'I know that you don't look at pictures, but oh my God, you guys look so great' and sent it to me. I zoomed in and what I saw was the truth of what that moment was. Because right before we had to leave for that, I had just [told Harry that I didn’t want to be alive anymore] that morning.”

Meghan went on to claim that she told the family that she wanted to seek treatment but was told that "it wouldn't be good for the institution."

As for the event, Meghan noted that she went because she warned Harry that she couldn’t be “left alone.” She explained: “And that picture, if you zoom in, what I see is how tightly his knuckles are gripped around me. You can see the whites of our knuckles because we are smiling and doing our job, but we are both just trying to hold on."

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March 2019

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex split their royal household from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March 2019. Several months later, the two couples officially split their charity too.

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May 2019

According to Harry and Meghan, the pair weren’t asked to take the iconic photo outside of the Lindo Wing when Archie was born in 2019. During their CBS sit-down in March 2021, the couple also shut down reports that they opted not to give Archie a royal title, claiming that they were given “no explanation” as to why their son wouldn’t receive a title or the subsequent security that comes with it.

Meghan also revealed that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born … and what that would mean or look like.”

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October 2019

While sources told Us that Meghan and Kate were “civil,” noting that they would “never be best friends” because they don’t have a lot in common, Harry confirmed he and William had a falling out. During the same interview, Meghan got candid about royal life.

“If things were fair … If I’d done something wrong, I’d be the first one to go ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I would never do that,’” she said on ITV in October 2019. "But when people are saying things that are just untrue and they are being told they’re untrue but they’re allowed to still say them — I don't know anybody in the world who would feel like that’s OK.”

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November 2019

Us confirmed in November 2019 that Harry and Meghan were opting not to have Christmas with his family. While Buckingham Palace’s official statement said that the twosome had “the support of Her Majesty the Queen,” a source told Us that Queen Elizabeth II was actually “disappointed” by their choice.

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January 2020

Harry and Meghan announced their plans to stop working for the queen in January 2020. Reports suggested that the queen wasn’t happy with the pair going public with their announcement so quickly.

“The website took everyone, even their communications team, by surprise. Aides and family members knew the couple wanted to step back, but the public website, which laid out the details of their new half in-half-out model as if it were a done deal, put the Queen in a difficult position,” Finding Freedom claimed.

The couple subsequently went back and forth with the queen over the use of the “Sussex Royal” name as the pair initially tried to trademark their then-charity, Sussex Royal The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020,” the couple said in a statement in February 2020.

A source told Us at the time that the queen was “so disappointed that her own grandchild would heap so much embarrassment on the monarchy and bring all this unwanted attention on his family at the worst possible time.”

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March 2020

Sources told Us in March 2020 that William and Kate were blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s announcement, noting that the brothers had only spoken “a couple times” about “business matters” in recent months. During Harry and Meghan’s final engagement as working senior royals in March 2020, William and Kate appeared to snub the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they arrived.

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February 2021

While Harry and Meghan didn’t travel to the U.K. after March 2020, due in part to the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Us that the couple FaceTimed with the queen, Philip and Charles so they could see Archie. When the couple announced they were expecting baby No. 2 in February 2021, the family — with the exception of William and Kate — sent a public congratulations.  

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February 2021

Later that month, things took a turn again when the twosome announced their royal exit was permanent.

“Following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” the palace said in a statement in February 2021. “The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family. While we are all saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain much-loved members of the family.”

The couple subsequently fired back in a statement of their own: “As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

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March 2021

Leading up to the interview, The Times reported accusations that Meghan mistreated her palace aides and staff prior to the 2020 exit. While Meghan denied the allegations, noting in a statement to Us in March 2021 that she was “saddened” by the “latest attack on her character,” the palace revealed they were investigating the claims.

“We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” the statement read. “Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”

According to an insider, the twosome’s inner circle believes that Buckingham Palace’s statement was a direct response to the upcoming interview.

“The assumption from friends close to Meghan and Harry is that the palace has released this statement to strike back at Harry and Meghan for doing the [tell-all] interview,” the source said. “The palace knows that they will not be cast in the best light by Harry and Meghan on Sunday and doesn’t want Harry and Meghan coming off as victims.”

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March 2021

Harry and Meghan filmed a sit-down interview with CBS for March 2021.

“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Meghan said during a sneak peek of the special. “And if that comes with risk of losing things, there is a lot that has been lost already.”

Sources told Us that William and Kate were “appalled” by their decision to do the interview, especially as Philip remained in the hospital amid his ongoing heart condition.  

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March 2021

During their CBS tell-all in March 2021, Harry and Meghan gave an update on their status with his family, noting that she checked in during Philip’s health scare.

"This morning, I woke up earlier than H., and saw a note from someone on our team in the U.K. saying that the Duke of Edinburgh had gone to the hospital," Meghan said during the special. "I just picked up the phone and I called the Queen just to check in. I just called, that’s what we do." 

Meghan added: ”So, there's the family, and then there's the people that are running the institution. Those are two separate things. It's important to be able to compartmentalize that because the queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me."

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June 2021

One year after their royal exit, Meghan and Harry welcomed their second child, naming their daughter Lilibet in honor of the queen. “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” they said in a statement on their website.  

A source told Us at the time that Lilibet was the couple’s “favorite” name option, but it “was important for them that the queen signed off” on the moniker. “They both agreed it would only be right if Her Majesty gave her approval, especially with something so personal,” the insider added.

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April 2022

Meghan returned to the U.K. for the first time in two years when she and Harry stopped in England to visit the queen on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. One month earlier, the twosome skipped a memorial for Philip, who died in April 2021.  

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June 2022

Meghan traveled with Harry and their two little ones, Archie and Lilibet, to England to attend their first royal event since stepping down from their senior duties in March 2020 — the queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 

A source told Us at the time that the couple “wouldn’t miss it for the world” and kicked off the weekend activities by attending Trooping the Colour in honor of the monarch’s historic 70 years on the throne. While the couple did not stand alongside Elizabeth on the Buckingham Palace balcony, they weren’t far away, instead taking in the parade from the Major General’s Office. 

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August 2022

The royal family sent their standard social media messages to Meghan on her 41st birthday.

“Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex,” William and Kate’s official account tweeted alongside a photo of Meghan at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Charles and Camilla’s account opted for a picture from the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, writing, “Happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!”

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August 2022

In an interview with The Cut, Meghan further detailed the reasons she and Harry left royal life behind. The duchess pointed to the strict rules about releasing family photos as one example of what made life in "The Firm" so difficult.

“There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota,” she explained. “Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?” the podcast host asked. “You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game.”

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September 2022

A spokesperson for Harry revealed the prince was traveling to Balmoral, Scotland to see the monarch before her death at age 96.

Though Meghan remained in London (the couple was in town for an engagement), she paid tribute to the queen after her passing was announced. “In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022, the duke and duchess of Sussex's Archewell website reads.

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September 2022

“I want ... to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” Charles stated in his inaugural address as king.

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September 2022

Meghan joined Harry for a rare public reunion with William and Kate as they greeted mourners outside Windsor Castle. An insider told Us at the time that the appearance was the new Prince of Wales' idea. “William invited Harry and Meghan to join them,” the source explained. “They were delayed in arriving while they arranged the plans.”

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September 2022

Meghan remained in London for the queen’s funeral events and was one of the members of the family waiting to greet Queen Elizabeth II's coffin at Buckingham Palace on September 13. One day later, she rode with Sophie Wessex to Westminster Hall and was seen curtsying at the monarch’s casket inside the service led by Archbishop of Canterbury and Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster.

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September 2022

Meghan was spotted getting visibly emotional at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022. She also looked somber leaving the Committal Service at St George’s Chapel with Harry.

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December 2022

While reflecting on her wedding to Harry, the duchess revealed in Netflix's Harry & Meghan that she was "guided" by others not to invite her half-sister's biological daughter, Ashleigh, to the nuptials.

"I don't think anyone understands what that very small comms team was dealing with. They just couldn't wrap their heads around it. And I have compassion for it. How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding, but that the half-sister's daughter is? And so with Ashleigh, the guidance at the time was to not have her come to our wedding," she recalled. "I was in the car with H. I had her on speaker phone and we talked her through what guidance we were being given and why this assessment was made and that's painful."

The couple also looked back on what went down with Thomas before the big day — and the father-daughter duo's subsequent estrangement. "Of course, it's incredibly sad what happened," Harry said. "She had a father before this. And now she doesn't have a father. And I shouldered that. Because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad."

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December 2022

Meghan remembered the first holiday season she spent with her royal in-laws. "I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham. Calling my mom, and she’s like, ‘How’s it going?’ and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. It’s just like a big family like I always wanted,'" she said of the 2017 Christmas during an episode of Harry & Meghan. "There was just this constant movement and energy and fun."

Her mood only got better when she was seated next to the late Philip for the celebrations that year — but things didn't go as planned. "At dinner, I was sat next to H’s grandfather and I just thought it was so wonderful," she added. "I was like, ‘Oh, we chatted and it was so great and I talked about this and talked about this.’ [Harry] was like, ‘You had [his] bad ear. He couldn’t hear anything you were saying.’ I was like, ‘Oh, well I thought it went really well.'" 

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April 2023

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Meghan would not be joining Harry at the king’s coronation the following month. “The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the statement read.

A source exclusively told Us that “Meghan is a mom first,” so while she “appreciates the invite,” she “wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world.” The Archewell cofounder’s son Archie’s fourth birthday is the same day that Charles is being honored in the U.K.

“She feels very grateful to be included in such a special occasion by the royal family and is glad that Harry can go and show support on behalf of their family,” the insider added.

A second source told Us that the monarch is “thrilled” his youngest son will watch him get crowned, but Meghan will be missed. “Charles is sad that Meghan will not be in attendance,” the insider explained. “Charles was hoping the coronation would be a chance to better connect and maintain healing between them.”

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May 2023

When Charles was officially crowned king, Meghan stayed at home in California with the kids while Harry attended the coronation. “As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world,” an insider exclusively told Us, referring to the fact that Archie's 4th birthday was the same day as the ceremony. “Despite being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is a mom first.”

Another source told Us that Charles was "sad" his daughter-in-law wouldn't be present at the event. "Charles was hoping the coronation would be a chance to better connect and maintain healing between them,” the insider explained. 

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May 2023

Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic” car chase in New York City following the 2023 Women of Vision Awards, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said in a statement at the time. The trio were chased by a "ring of highly aggressive" paparazzi, the rep said.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesperson stated. “While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety."

One day later, Buckingham Palace told Us they wouldn’t be making a statement about the incident. “This is not something we’re commenting on,” the palace told Us at the time.

The NYPD later reported that no injuries or collisions occurred.