THE Queen was "cruel" to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle because she feared being overshadowed by them, an expert has claimed.
Robert Lacey – author of Battle of Brothers, a book delving into the rift between Princes Harry and William – claimed the entire Royal Family exhibited "a certain cruelty" towards the couple.
"The British royal system can be very cruel, and it's particularly cruel to the spare," Lacey said, adding: "Harry came to realize in his teens that he was typecast as the court jester, the number two."
Lacey claims Harry has had a problem with his second class "spare" status since he was a teen, but it was only when he met "megawatt" Meghan that he realised he was a "rock star royal" in his own right.
In reaction, senior royals doubled down on the family hierarchy, expecting Harry and Meghan to perform lower profile tasks and shunting them to one side in order to make sure they didn't overshadow the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William or Kate Middleton, Lacey claimed.
Follow all the latest news on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry below…
- Samantha Lock
'REMEMBER YOUR PLACE'
Robert, who is a historical consultant on Netflix series The Crown, said: “The message here is very clear.
“These people are in the second rank. And the people who matter are, look, myself, the queen, Charles, William, and little Prince George.”
He claims the “message” was emphasised days later when Buckingham Palace released a new portrait of the Queen and her heirs, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George.
He added: “I think the underlying message of that is, ‘Just remember your place, Harry and Meghan.
“These are the people that really matter in the royal family. And you are the backup. And you're trying to play too prominent a role.’”
- Samantha Lock
'GOT IT IN FOR MEGHAN'
The royal author claims that there is a “clique” of aides and royals who have “got it in for Meghan” and tried to suppress her power and “edge out” the couple.
One of the small ways they did this, according to Robert, was in the Queen’s annual speech in December 2019, when she failed to mention Meghan and Harry.
While she did call attention to the birth of their son, Archie, she didn’t say her great-grandson by name.
Also the photo of the couple of their wedding day, which was visible during her Christmas 2018 speech, had been removed – but William, Kate, and their three children were pictured.
- Samantha Lock
'MEGAWATT WOMAN'
Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, which details Harry and William’s relationship, described Meghan as a “megawatt woman” who “inspired” and “transformed” Harry, and encouraged him to take control of his life.
He cited Meghan as being a driving force in her and Harry quickly becoming the “rock stars” of the royal family.
He claims that while this was good in boosting popularity for the royals, aides started to get frustrated at their lack to conform to centuries-old traditions.
Robert said: “I think Meghan's a force of nature that maybe Buckingham Palace hasn't worked out how to cope with. She is a woman of great conviction.”
- Samantha Lock
'ROCK STAR' PERSONALITIES
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry were “edged out” of the royal family because their “rock star” personalities threatened to “overshadow” the Queen, William and Kate, an expert claims.
Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, which details Harry and William’s relationship, said Harry was a victim of certain “cruelty” due to his role as the “spare” heir.
Speaking to Good Morning America, Robert said: “The British royal system can be very cruel, and it's particularly cruel to the spare.
“Harry came to realise in his teens that he was typecast as the court jester, the number two.”
The royal expert claims this result in Harry feeling resentment towards The Firm, which increased when he and Meghan, 39, felt “edged out” by aides who felt they were stealing attention.
He added that Harry’s feelings intensified with William and Kate being primed to take over the throne.
- Becky Pemberton
HARRY CLAIMS HE HAS BEEN 'VERY CLOSE' TO A 'NERVOUS BREAKDOWN' DURING HIS LIFE
The Duke of Sussex spoke out three years ago about how he felt his life was slipping into "total chaos".
In an interview with UK's The Telegraph in 2017, Harry said it wasn't until he was 28 that he addressed his troubled mental health.
He said: “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well.
“I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle.”
- Becky Pemberton
HARRY AND MEGHAN ARE THE LEAST ECO-FRIENDLY ROYALS, SURVEY REVEALS
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to South Africa had almost the same carbon footprint as a British person emits in an entire year, according to the shocking stats.
The Save on Energy rankings placed Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, second while Prince Philip came in third for his work supporting 40 environmental charities.
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton was ranked fourth overall while Prince William was placed sixth – with the Duke of Cambridge just this week releasing an environmental documentary.
Her Majesty, 94, was ranked fifth.
The rankings were determined by a royal's travel footprint, how many environmental charities they support, their attendance at environmental events, how sustainable their wardrobes are, how many of their social media posts cite environmental issues, and whether they use electric cars.
- Becky Pemberton
MEGHAN AND HARRY 'EDGED OUT' OF ROYAL FAMILY DUE TO 'ROCK STAR STATUS' EXPERT CLAIMS
Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, which details Harry and William’s relationship, said Harry was a victim of certain “cruelty” due to his role as the “spare” heir.
Speaking to Good Morning America, Robert said: “The British royal system can be very cruel, and it's particularly cruel to the spare.
“Harry came to realise in his teens that he was typecast as the court jester, the number two.”
The royal expert claims this result in Harry feeling resentment towards The Firm, which increased when he and Meghan, 39, felt “edged out” by aides who felt they were stealing attention.
- Becky Pemberton
MEGHAN MAY REIGN IN 'WOKE' SPEECHES TO SAVE HARRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH FAMILY, EXPERT CLAIMS
Appearing on True Royalty's The Royal Beat, royal biographer Robert Lacey claimed the Duchess of Sussex's recent public engagements has proved that William was “right” to have concerns about his sister-in-law.
The expert – who is a historical consultant on Netflix's The Crown – said: “Meghan is a self-made woman; she become a star; she become a self-made millionairess.”
The expert continued: “I think that [Meghan] has come to realise how [some of her] speeches risk her husband's relationship with the family and perhaps she may pedal back on some of these more extreme positions.”
- Becky Pemberton
MEGHAN WEARS STAGGERING £300,000 WORTH OF JEWELLERY AND CLOTHES IN NEW PHOTO
The 39-year-old posed alongside Prince Harry in the photo, released ahead of the couple hosting an episode of TIME100 Talks on Tuesday.
In the photo the mum-of-one is smiling and looking away from the camera, as she’s dressed in a £1,820 ensemble.
Meghan wears a bespoke version of the Grain de poudre suit, which costs £575 for the trousers and £1,245 for the blazer.
Meghan wore a £17,800 Cartier watch on her left wrist, which was a gift from her father for her 21st birthday.
Meghan also wore her everyday jewellery – her trilogy engagement ring – which gets its name from the trio of stones.
Prince Harry designed the sparkler, estimated to be worth £271,000, using stones from Botswana and from his mother’s collection.
Click here for the full breakdown.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEGHAN AND HARRY AT FIRST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS 'JUNIOR ROYALS' IN MARCH
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEG & HARRY ‘OVERSHADOWED’ CAMBRIDGES
The royals took issue with Meghan and Harry’s “rockstar” status because they overshadowed William and Kate, Battle of Brothers author Robert Lacey claims.
Speaking to GMA the royal expert said with Meghan as the driving force, the pair quickly became “rock star” royals.
“I think Meghan's a force of nature that maybe Buckingham Palace hasn't worked out how to cope with. She is a woman of great conviction,” Laceysaid.
He added he believes there is a “clique” of aides and royals “who've got it in for Meghan” – a claim also mentioned in Finding Freedom, and also allegedly backed by Harry.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
ROYALS WERE ‘CRUEL TO SPARE HEIR’ HARRY
The royal family were cruel to “spare heir” Price Harry, Battle of Brothers author Robert Lacey claims.
In an interview with GMA Lacey explained Harry became resentful of the Firm who appeared to favour is brother – potential King, who fathered a future King.
Lacey said royal siblings like Harry and Andrew “start off in the public eye as playmates, as co-stars with the heir.
“And what's their destiny? To be pushed down the line of succession as babies come along, marriages come along.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
HARRY & MEGHAN ‘ANGRY AND UPSET’ AT BEING LEFT OUT OF COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE
Meghan and Harry were furious when they found out they weren’t included in the Commonwealth Day service, royal author Robert Lacey has claimed.
Writing in his new book Battle of Brothers, he explained the Sussexes weren't included in the official procession into the Abbey as they were technically now “junior royals”.
This meant they would have to find their seats with the rest of the guests and not arrive with their more senior relatives – which reportedly caused some issues.
They were “extremely angry and upset” when they found out they weren't on the list, according to Mirror online.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
CAMBRIDGES & SUSSEXES PICTURED AT LAST PUBLIC EVENT BEFORE PANDEMIC
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
WILLIAM AND HARRY ‘MADE NO EFFORT TO CHUM UP’ AT LAST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared at their final royal engagement in March this year stepping out alongside The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey.
Royal expert and author Robert Lacey recalled the day in his book, Battle of Brothers, which reportedly caused a lot of upset behind the scenes.
He writes: “Nor could it be said that the two royal brothers made any great personal efforts to 'chum up' together once they found themselves seated close.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEG & HARRY’S LOVE ‘STRONGER THAN EVER’ – BUT ASTROLOGER PREDICTS MEG COULD ‘TAKE HARRY TO THE CLEANERS’
An astrologer who claims to have predicted the coronavirus pandemic said it’s possible Meghan will “take Harry to the cleaners” next year.
But back in August, a source claimed the couple’s bond was “stronger than ever” after they quit the Firm.
Royal author Obid Scobie said: “Now they’re stronger than ever because of what they’ve experienced.
“I think their love for each other grows the more they take on.”
- Joseph Gamp
MEGHAN PICTURED WEARING DIANA’S WATCH
Meghan wore Princess Diana's watch in a new photo announcing she and Prince Harry will host an online talk with their celeb pals on the dangers of social media.
In the snap the duchess has donned around £300k worth of jewellery.
As the new interview was revealed, a new black and white photograph of the couple was revealed – showing Meghan wearing the £17,800 Cartier watch that once belonged to Harry's mother, Diana.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
HARRY & MEGHAN ‘HAVE NOT THOUGHT THROUGH FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF MEGXIT’
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry failed to completely take stock of their finances as they exited the Firm, one royal expert has said.
David McLure told The Telegraph: “I don’t think Harry and Meghan have totally thought through the financial consequences of their exit from the Royal Family.
“The more their expenditure rises in California, the greater the pressure to generate their own income in more downmarket, commercial deals. That’s always been the worry of the palace.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
EXPERT WARNS HARRY OF MASSIVE US TAX BILL
Ingrid Seward of Majesty Magazine has warned Prince Harry he should head back to the UK soon or face a massive tax bill in the US.
Another royal expert, David McLure,told The Telegraph, “California is a high tax state and he’s likely to get a hit.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEGHAN WEARING ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SUIT IN 2018
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEG RECYCLES 2018 SUIT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY TALKS PROMO PIC
In the promo photo for Meghan and Harry’s upcoming chat about social media, the mum-of-one is smiling and looking away from the camera, as she’s dressed in a £1,820 ensemble.
Meghan re-wore an Alexander McQueen suit, which she wore back in 2018 to her first royal engagement.
The former actress donned the tailored two-piece for the Endeavour Awards, which celebrates the achievements of wounded servicemen and women.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
QUEEN ‘DUG HER HEELS IN’ OVER COUPLE’S USE OF HRH
The Queen “dug her heels in” over Meghan and Harry’s usage of their HRH titles.
Author of the new book Battle of Brothers, Robert Lacey, told Pod Save the Queen podcast the Queen refused to let Harry carry on his royal title as the pair planned to ditch official duties.
He said: “I think what we saw at the beginning of the year with the Sandringham Summit was the Queen digging her heels in, in a very determined fashion.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
COUPLE’S ROLES WILL BE REVIEWED IN MARCH
Meghan and Harry’s royal royals will be reviewed in March next year as part of the Megxit agreement, says one royal biographer.
The Queen will sit down and discuss how the Sussex’s new venture is working out so far with Prince Charles and Prince William, Robert Lacey, author of the new book Battle of Brothers told Pod Save the Queen podcast.
He said: “As we understand it ‒ although it is one of the many uncertainties that lie ahead in 2021 ‒ the situation, this ambiguity, is going to get resolved in a royal review next March when, apparently, the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William will sit down to decide what’s next.
“We shall see, it’s one of the big question marks in what lies ahead.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
MEG IN DIANA'S WATCH: PICTURED
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
HARRY AND MEG WON’T SPEND XMAS AT SANDRINGHAM
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry won’t spend Christmas at Sandringham, a source has told Vanity Fair.
Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl said the pair are feeling excited for their first American Christmas.
They will then travel to the UK a few days later to allow for two weeks of isolation before Meghan’s court case against the Mail on Sunday kicks off again.
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