Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren’t a couple who do things by halves. During their trip to Europe last week – their first official visit since they quit the royal family in 2020 – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex managed to attend the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, have tea with the Queen, get invited to join the Jubilee celebrations and upset the majority of the royal family with yet another controversial TV interview from Harry.
And, we’re told, Meghan, 40, is thrilled with how things went – despite some of the controversy.
It’s fair to say the Sussexes wowed the crowds at the Invictus Games, with Meghan looking radiant in a £40K wardrobe that included a white trouser suit by Valentino, a Celine jacket, as well as shoes by Chanel and Manolo Blahnik.
“There’s a ton of back slapping going on right now inside Team Sussex, and Meghan could not be happier if she tried,” our royal insider says.
“She’s telling Harry they’ve played a blinder and their comeback is just getting started. But, she also knows it’s critical they maintain their standards and don’t allow anyone to try to steamroller them. She wants them to be able to live their lives the way they want to – and the royal family will have to fit in with that. In her mind, they’ve entered a whole new stratosphere of status and importance. She doesn’t care about the criticism and feels they’ve got what they want – back in with the Queen on their own terms.”
Before they flew to Holland for the Invictus Games – an event Harry organises for injured and sick service men and women – they visited the Queen for 15 minutes at Windsor Castle, where it was thought they saw Prince Charles and his wife Camilla as well.
It was the first time the royals had seen Meghan and Harry, 37, together since their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview, in which they criticised the family, claiming Meghan had been subjected to racism and that Charles and Prince William were “trapped”. However, it’s thought tensions between Harry and Charles remain, especially after Harry did a US TV interview from the games, in which he appeared to suggest he was the only one who could protect his grandmother, who turned 96 last week.
“It was really nice to see [the Queen] in some element of privacy. Being with her it was great, it was just so nice to see her, she’s on great form,” Harry told US network NBC. “She’s always got a great sense of humour with me and I’m just making sure that she’s protected and got the right people around her… We have a really special relationship, we talk about things that she can’t talk about with anybody else.”
Harry also refused to rule out a rift with Charles and his brother William and spoke about his late mother Princess Diana, claiming that she had “done her bit” with William and his three kids – Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and four-year-old Prince Louis – and was now looking after Harry, Meghan and their two children, Archie, two, and ten-month-old Lilibet.
His comments did not go down well with the palace, who accused the couple of “breathtaking arrogance” and going too far as they don’t seem to care who they upset. “It is the Queen’s birthday and despite a difficult year people are working full steam ahead on making her Platinum Jubilee an event to remember that properly honours such a remarkable woman. She just doesn’t deserve this,” one reportedly said, adding, “Harry needs to start thinking before he opens his mouth.”
It was also reported that despite the royal rift, the Queen has invited Harry and Meghan – who were joined on their visit by a Netflix film crew as part of their $100million deal with the streaming giant – to join the family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
Harry was last in the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, but missed a memorial service for his grandfather a few weeks ago. It was thought this snub would mean the Sussexes wouldn’t get an invite to the Jubilee, so we’re told Meghan is thrilled to be included – after all, being part of the royal family is still integral to their brand. Harry has said they may not be there, due to his much-publicised security concerns, but he is desperate for the Queen to see Archie again and meet Lilibet.
“Meghan was always extremely confident that if she and Harry bided their time, they would be welcomed back into the royal fold,” our source says. “It was all about staying true to their principles and riding out the uncomfortable standoff that’s been in effect since their Oprah interview. It’s fair to say that, out of the two of them, this has been harder for Harry – he hates unresolved conflict and wanted to hash things out a lot sooner. But Meghan’s advice was to sit tight, not appear weak and wait for the appropriate moment to pay the Queen a discreet visit when some of the fuss had calmed down. Timing it with their visit to Holland made total sense, and they’re thrilled to have broken the ice. They got to do this with their heads held high and came away full of optimism and positivity about where this leaves them.”
In his NBC interview, Harry said he had no intention of moving back to the UK and California was now home, another comment that angered some royals, as they feel he can’t have the best of both worlds. But, we’re told, both he and Meghan want the glitz and glamour of certain royal events, while not having to endure life fully in Britain and they are well on their way to making that happen.
“They’re well aware that certain figures inside the Firm are rolling their eyes about things, especially now they’ve been formally invited to stand on the balcony alongside the Queen,” says our source. “But that doesn’t bother them one iota – they figure it’s no more than they deserve. Her Majesty is OK with them, and that’s really all that matters. They know that, no matter what they do and how much they manage to achieve by themselves, there will always be the cynics who will try to put the boot in and stir conflict between them and Harry’s family. But they’ve gotten very skilled at rising above negativity and letting it all wash over them.”
The source adds, “Meghan and Harry are determined to enjoy this new chapter. Even though it’s early days, as far as their relationship with the royals is concerned, they still feel it’s a huge step in the right direction. What’s so satisfying for them is that they haven’t needed to grovel, or compromise any of their principles to get there. They feel their brand is going from strength to strength.”