Divorced and Rebellious Actress: The Story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Romance

He is a British prince, she is an American actress, the star of a television series. Before they met, their lives were very different. Harry has a difficult childhood at court, the tragic loss of his mother, military service in Afghanistan.

Megan was born into an interracial family (her mother is African-American), began her career under the influence of her father, a cameraman, lived for two years with director Trevor Engelson and became popular with a role in the Suits TV series. Harry also had a serious relationship, but all potential wives ran away from the prince. TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, childhood sweetheart Chelsea Davey, journalist Caroline Flack, singer Molly King, models Florence Brandell-Bruce and Cressida Bonet… Even actress Emma Watson didn’t agree to woo the heir. The girls were frightened by the prospect of becoming a princess and living by the rules of royal protocol.

Harry, 31, met Meghan Markle, 34, in June 2016 at a social gathering and just a week after they met he invited the actress to accompany him to Botswana, where the prince was hosting charity events . Harry quickly decided on his intentions, but proposing was no problem. But getting the grandmother’s blessing – Britain’s ruling queen – is much more difficult.

Of course, Elizabeth II did not approve of her grandson’s choice. A commoner from another country, divorced, Catholic and older than the groom – unthinkable! For a long time, the question of the engagement remained in limbo, because the word of the queen is law. But Megan was not one of the weak. If the former girlfriends of the prince surrendered under the onslaught of journalists and the gaze of the queen, then Miss Markle began the fight for happiness. Harry and Meghan turned a blind eye to the Queen’s ban and continued to make public appearances together. Separation was out of the question.

Megan is mixed-race. Her mother is African American and her father is of Dutch and Irish descent. Prince Harry commissioned genealogical researcher Gary Boyd Roberts to study Meghan’s paternal ancestry. Roberts went up to the 17th generation in Megan’s father’s family tree and discovered that the actress and the prince are very, very distant relatives, and that Megan’s father is a descendant of King Edward III of England!

Elizabeth II surrendered. In October 2017, Her Majesty invited the couple to the palace for tea and discussed the details of Markle’s possible adoption into the royal family. The Queen immediately made it clear to the young girl that if she married her grandson, her acting career and Meghan’s usual social life would be over. Becoming the bride of a prince means being constantly in the spotlight, thinking about every step, living strictly by the schedule, and following strict and sometimes strange rules. Markle agreed to all the terms, which earned the Queen’s approval. The couple received consent to the marriage.

Elizabeth II accepted the marriage and even appeared at the wedding, although it was assumed that she would miss it. By the way, before the wedding, Megan was baptized and joined Anglicanism.

Almost immediately, Kensington Palace announced the engagement of the prince and the actress. But things couldn’t go so well. While the lovers spent time together and told reporters how happy they were, the ex-husband of the actress decided to moderate Megan’s happiness. Having learned that the ex-wife not only feels good after the divorce, but also found not just anyone, but the prince to replace the old one, Trevor Engelson decided that this simply could not be. But when he found out that the romance between Prince Harry and his ex-wife was real, he began to figure out how to put Meghan in her place. The director couldn’t think of anything better than making a movie about the relationship with Megan and poking fun at the fact that the woman left him for the prince. The scandal was quickly suppressed, so that “the farce failed”.

Megan refused money from her ex-husband, won the favor of the royal family and entourage, adequately responded to attacks from the press.

With her royal response to gossip and criticism, Meghan has earned the respect of Harry’s brother, Crown Prince William, and his wife, Duchess Katherine. It was another victory for the lovers, because the opinion of the older brother always played a special role for Harry. And with Kate’s approval, Megan got support from someone who had gone through similar hardships before. After all, Kate Middleton is also a commoner who did not immediately come to court.

And then there was a wedding, the birth of Archie’s first child and the scandalous departure of the young family, first to Canada and then to the United States. I wonder if the queen regretted accepting this marriage?

Text: Tatyana Veselova