Why did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle split from the Royal family? We all know that a big part of it was to do with the personal clashes the Duke of Sussex had with brother Prince William and other members of the crowning clan following his marriage to the former actress in 2018. And yet, according to illuminating fresh comments from Harry himself, that wasn’t actually the “central” reason behind it.
Since he and Meghan relocated from the U.K. to Montecito, California in 2020, Harry has made no secret of sharing his grievances in ways that the Royals usually frown upon. Before he was badmouthing his relatives to Oprah, however, he was taking the British press to court in a landmark lawsuit that began in 2020. The prince went up against Mirror Group Newspapers for their illegal acquisition of his personal information.
Four years later, the lawsuit finally concluded in December 2023 when the U.K. High Court officially found that Harry had been the victim of “extensive” phone hacking from 2006-2011, and he was awarded a total of £140,600. While that sum was likely a drop in the ocean for someone of his wealth, it was the principle that mattered to the prince, as he’s discussed in a new bombshell interview.
Prince Harry blames the media for causing the “rift” between he, Meghan and the Royals
Speaking publicly about it for the first time since the court case’s conclusion, Harry appeared on ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired on Thursday, July 25. Shining a light on the long-brewing phone hacking scandal, the special saw Harry open up about the far-reaching consequences of the tabloids’ treatment of him.
In addition to claiming it stoked an ongoing fear for Meghan’s personal safety, Harry claimed that the press’ intrusion into his privacy was also a big reason for his fractious farewell from Royal life. Declaring that he felt “vindicated” by the ruling, Harry labeled it a “monumental victory” for him.
Sadly, however, that victory was tempered by the fact that he had to do it alone. “It would be nice if we did it as a family,” he admitted (via BBC News). Unfortunately, this just wasn’t to be as Harry revealed that his decision to go to court over this “caused… part of a rift” with the Windsors. When pressed on the matter further, he said that it was “certainly a central piece” of why he and Meghan ultimately fled the nest. That said, the duke neglected to go further, concluding: “But that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”
It isn’t a surprise that the Royals reacted this way, as it’s long been the family motto to “never explain, never complain,” a doctrine that the late Queen Elizabeth II strongly followed. On the other hand, Harry claims that his grandmother was actually one of the few family members on his side in this legal battle, before her death in 2022.
At last, that battle is over, but it seems the battle scars run deep and may never fully heal.