Now that the media frenzy has somewhat died down from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive tell-all with talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, a closer listen of the infamous interview reveals several relationship gems that could be the next “The Secret”. Before they create a podcast or Netflix show about it, remember you read it here first.
From the get-go, Prince Harry has been proactive about having Meghan’s back. While not everyone can issue a public statement denouncing the media for racially-biased news coverage and social media harassment, or break ranks from the Royal Family, his overarching concern for her safety and privacy shows a deep understanding of her needs and personal space.
“By that point, I took matters into my own hands. It was like, I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s as well,” shared Prince Harry to Oprah when asked why his father stopped taking his calls.
All relationship experts will advise the same thing: get to know your partner – the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. Prince Harry and Meghan may have known everything they felt they needed to know about each other as adults, but her admission that she had not googled Prince Harry (or the Royal Family) is an avoidable misstep. There’s a thin line between virtually stalking your other half and willfully ignoring their past, and what contributed to making him/her your present partner. To complicate matters, that Prince Harry is a member of royalty meant that her ignorance of that non-negotiable fact only set her up for failure and the eventual culture clash.
Beware the man who does not introduce you to his circle of loved ones. Maybe not immediately, but once there’s been a level of intimacy and connection established, meeting those close to him will give clues to who they are and not just the man he seeks to be in front of you.
In his interview with James Corden, Prince Harry openly admitted that their relationship went from “0 to 60” in two months and that “all the dates become dinners or watching the TV or chatting at home. And then eventually, once you become a couple, you venture out to dinners, to the cinema, and everything else”.
While their “back-to-front” scenario – because of his royal status – is an exception, that she did not interact with him in a family setting early on, say with his older brother or with close-knit school friends, meant that she did not see his authentic British side, one which may have given her more clues to how royal life would be like – quirks, curtseys and all.
One of the most shocking moments of the interview was also its most vulnerable. Admitting to entertaining suicidal thoughts while pregnant, Meghan’s frank admission: “I was ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn’t say it — then I would do it,” has changed how many will now talk about mental health.
While critics were quick to decry Meghan for first approaching palace staff for help before telling Prince Harry, there’s good reason for her actions. Mindful of his late mother’s struggles with the press and the pressure of marrying into royalty, she thought the most adult thing would be to take charge of her struggles before adding pressure on him and potentially digging up painful memories of his late mother.
The commoner marrying a prince is a fairytale as old as time, but in this case, it came true. While Meghan Markle is far from an unknown individual, the two first formed a bond over a shared love of charity work and a desire to make a difference in the world. Growing up, their background may be vastly different, but these core shared values have surely helped to keep them together during challenging times. Side note: How cute were they showing off Archie’s Chicken Coop together?
Whether you’re Team Sussex or Team Queen, the fall-out following the tell-all interview has forever altered the public’s perception of the British Royal Family. And perhaps that’s the “closure” the pair needed — to share their version of events — to move on with their lives.
“It’s obvious that Harry and Meghan sincerely feel that they’ve been mistreated by members of the family and would like a resolution,” says Marcia Moody, a royal biographer, and journalist in an interview with CNN. “Unfortunately, their ultra-open style has collided with an institution that lives by the rule of never complain, never explain. They will probably never get that resolution.”
While this breakup may not be permanent, for now, it’s clear they feel they’ve done what they could. “I’m sad that what’s happened has happened, but I know, and I’m comfortable in knowing that we did everything that we could to make it work,” Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey.