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According to royal biographer Hugo Vickers, Prince Harry may have found himself in deeper waters than anticipated after his marriage to Meghan Markle. Vickers claims that following their wedding, Markle began to “vet” Harry’s public speeches, suggesting a shift in dynamics within the couple.
After tying the knot in 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex settled into Frogmore Cottage, a residence on the Windsor Estate that was a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II. Initially, it seemed like a peaceful start to their new chapter, but signs of discord soon emerged.
One notable incident involved Markle allegedly receiving a reprimand from the queen for being discourteous to the Windsor gardeners. This incident was among several that hinted at tensions behind the scenes.
In his latest book, “Queen Elizabeth II,” Vickers reveals that Markle imposed restrictions on nearby sports grounds, prohibiting cars from being seen from her home windows. These grounds, a mere five-minute stroll from Frogmore Cottage, have long served as a recreational spot for the royal family, including Prince Philip and young Prince George, as well as for the household staff’s cricket team.
The sports grounds, where royals from Prince Phillip to young Prince George have played cricket and members of the household staff have a cricket team, are a five-minute walk from Frogmore Cottage.
Even though the property was well fortified, complete with extra fencing and security gates, once Harry, 41, and Markle, 44, moved in in April 2019, the car park was still visible from the house.
“The Duchess of Sussex refused to have cars on the sports ground because she could see them from nearby Frogmore Cottage,” Vickers writes.
According to the book, this was not the only play Markle made to run things her way.
“Observers noted that Prince Harry’s speeches already had a Californian ring to them,” Vickers writes. “In October 2018, they had visited Australia, deemed a successful tour, but every speech that Harry made was vetted by Meghan.”
This, Vickers adds, left Harry looking like a lost prince:
“The following year, 2019, he appeared uncomfortable and the rapport between them looked nil. He seemed unhappy on Easter Day, and in a general sense a man who had ‘bitten off more than he could chew’.”
In fact, Vickers claims that Harry was “reluctant” to leave the royal family.
Markle famously used an overseas visit to Africa in October 2019 to tell journalist Tom Bradby how miserable she was, prompting the Sussexes’ decision to flee to Canada that Christmas.
When Harry returned, Vickers writes, he was “keen to discuss a way forward with the Queen. He wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the Royal Family. In the new year of 2020, the three Private Secretaries, Sir Edward Young, Sir Clive Alderton and Simon Case, went into summit mode on the Sandringham estate and drafted their proposal.
“Prince Harry went to Sandringham for the meeting and was told it was either all in or all out. He returned to Canada — reluctantly out.”
The Sussexes announced they would be stepping down as working royals in January 2020 and made a full-time move to California three months later. They were requested to vacate Frogmore Cottage in March 2023, shortly after the release of Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
The last time the couple was publicly seen at Windsor was when they joined Prince William and Kate Middleton to meet mourners after the queen’s death in September 2022.
The Sussexes remain largely estranged from the family, who were seen celebrating Easter at church on Sunday, while Markle posted kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on an Easter egg hunt at home in Montecito, California.