In a bombshell interview, Meghan Markle discussed being cut off from the family that she left, her surprise at the scrutiny as a member of the Royal Family, and being put down for her lack of acting chops.
For weeks, this interview has been all my friends and I have been able to talk about. Like most Americans, the majority of the conversation that dominates family dinners, neighborhood cookouts, and bar talk revolves around the Royal Family. I mean, Democrats still haven’t given up granting prime news spots to Donald Trump, several weeks after the end of his term. Why would Americans give up talking about the family who couldn’t contain a bunch of drunk rebels with muskets? I honestly can’t think of a single more interesting thing in the world of drama than an interview with a Royal Couple…..until Oprah stepped in: an exclusive interview with a former Royal Couple. This was probably the biggest moment of my life since O.J. tried to demonstrate how impossible it was for him to commit the murders of his former wife and her friend. And Oprah, along with the Markles, certainly did not disappoint.
Based on what I’ve read on social media, along with reputable journals such as The Globe, my reaction matched most viewers. The shocking revelation of Meghan’s struggles with acting, and the inability of the Royal Family to not only help her improve her acting chops, but also to refrain from shielding her from criticism based on her terrible performance, truly saddened me.
It’s well known among inner circles that most members of the Royal Family are incredibly talented actors and actresses. One must simply watch the ease at which they perform in front of the camera to see it first hand. Perfectly practiced smiles, glowing eyes, immaculate hand waving form, marching among families in the most decrepit and downtrodden places in the world with a grin on their face that would make the Cheshire Cat jealous. It’s a talent that’s been passed down through generations in the House of Windsor, and became more and more important with the advent of radio, then television, and finally a global internet which supports endless social media platforms.
Surely the family would have known this was coming. Meghan had been in several small television and movie parts prior to latching onto Harry, and the several seasons she spent on the American hit “Suits” provided ample evidence of her lack of talent. As soon as their engagement was announced, the family should have made the same acting classes available to her that were made available to her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge. Meghan shared that this uneven treatment led to a direct conflict between her and the Duchess at the Royal Wedding. “The narrative with Kate, which didn’t happen, was really difficult” Markle explained, adding that “the story was all backwards.” “I attempted to fake cry at my wedding, to really spice up the storyline. Just a few tears was all we needed for some really great photos. But I didn’t know how!” When she was chastised by a family member for not being able to muster some fake tears, Meghan had a breakdown. “Kate told them that she taught me how to cry, but that never happened. I mean, they saw me on T.V. Did they really expect me to pull this off without help?!?! What was hard to get over was getting blamed for doing something I didn’t do but was actually done to me.” To add insult to injury, Harry reported that certain members of the Royal Family were worried that Meghan’s lack of ability would pass on to their children, but when pressed for more details, Harry said that he wouldn’t comment further. What we do know was that it was implied, while not directly stated, that Harry and Meghan’s children would not be granted royal titles until their acting chops had been proven. “They didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing how good his acting would be, which would be different from protocol, and [said] that he wasn’t going to receive security.” The thought that acting ability, of all things, would still perpetuate the minds of any family in this age of progress is mind numbing.
Support that was typically given to other royals, but was withheld from Meghan, wasn’t just limited to acting lessons, however. Several of her aides were fired or quit after filing complaints of verbal abuse from the Duchess. These aides were not replaced, and Meghan was never defended properly from these complaints. Harry and Meghan were also damaged financially. The couple announced their decision to “step back” and become “financially independent” from the Royal Family in January of 2020. A mere two months later, they were horrified to find out that the family had financially cut them off instead, leaving the young family scraping to survive on a mere 25 million pound inheritance. Reports that their interview with Oprah brought a fee of $7 million USD makes their motivation for doing the interview obvious: the couple is broke. After purchasing a California mansion, being forced to pay for their own private security (insider sources report that Meghan was shocked to learn that the US doesn’t subsidize private security for immigrants), and raising a child with another soon on the way, Harry is struggling to make ends meet for his family.
The hope, of course, is that the family will someday be able to put all this mess behind them. Harry and Meghan are rumored to be close to signing a deal with Netflix that will bring them in the neighborhood of $100 million USD, an influx of cash that the family clearly needs. And as they continue to spend the majority of their time in the US, which has a history of being very receptive to actors and actresses over the entire talent spectrum, perhaps the distance, and lack of constant tension it brings, will allow time for healing. Additionally, being in the US, and the relative quiet of Hollywood, should ease the perpetual strain that Meghan felt when she was in the spotlight as a Royal. Finger crossed friends, there should be plenty more Royal, or Un-Royal, news to fill the dinner table in the near future.