Meghan Markle (or Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex as she’s now officially known) has been making headlines constantly since she started dating Prince Harry back in 2016. Their fairytale royal wedding in 2018 enchanted the world. However, soon after the honeymoon phase ended, relations between the couple and the British monarchy went downhill fast.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry shocked us all by announcing that they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family. They subsequently moved to Meghan’s home state of California and have been living there with their two young children.
So what drove Meghan and Harry to turn their backs on royal duties and privilege? Specifically what does Meghan want that she wasn’t getting from the British monarchy? Let’s analyze some clues.
Meghan Wants to Escape Toxic UK Press Scrutiny
Ever since she started dating Prince Harry, the UK media have been intensely critical of Meghan. There were constant complaints about her fashion choices, how she hugged people, and even eating avocados! Several British newspapers and tabloids were accused of abrasive, biased, and frankly racist coverage.
It became so bad that in 2019, Harry issued an emotional statement condemning the British tabloid press for their bullying of Meghan that echoed the media hounding of his mother Princess Diana. After moving to the USA, legal action was taken against Associated Newspapers Limited for breach of privacy.
Clearly escaping the toxic UK press was a huge reason Meghan likely wanted out of the stifling royal fishbowl.
Meghan Craves the Spotlight on Her Own Terms
Meghan Markle had a successful acting career before meeting Prince Harry, starring for 7 seasons on the popular TV series Suits. She had control of her own public narrative. Since joining the royal family, Meghan had to give up her personal career aspirations to become a lesser supporting player.
However, the popularity and global public fascination with her and Harry was still incredibly high during their time as senior working royals. It’s very possible that Meghan didn’t want to relinquish that level of fame and spotlight.
Hence by stepping down as senior royals but still doing high-profile interviews and deals with Netflix and Spotify, Meghan can now carefully curate her public persona on her own terms.
Meghan Wants to Speak Out on Social Justice Issues
Before she met Prince Harry, Meghan was outspoken on causes like gender equality and modernizing the monarchy. However senior working royals are expected to stay politically neutral. After leaving their official duties though, Meghan and Harry are now leveraging their star power to actively advocate issues from vaccine equity to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In fact their bombshell March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey directly challenged the British monarchy’s colonial undertones and treatment of people of color. Meghan is now freer to be an activist celebrity rather than just ribbon-cutting royalty. Her experience of racism is no longer being silenced.
Meghan Wants Her Children to Grow Up Normally
As a biracial American woman who grew up in Los Angeles, Meghan Markle had a relatively normal upbringing compared to Prince Harry’s highly privileged yet isolated childhood. Now that they’re raising their son Archie and daughter Lilibet together, it’s understandable that Meghan would want her kids to have typical childhood experiences too.
That’s just not realistically possible while living under the constant scrutiny and rigid protocol of the British monarchy. By moving to her hometown of LA and quitting as senior working royals, Meghan can give her little California-born princelings and princess some semblance of regular life. As normal as can be expected at least for the offspring of international celebrities.
The Big Picture on What Meghan Wants
At the end of the day, what Meghan likely wants most is happiness, privacy, and the freedom to live life on her own terms with Harry and her kids. The British monarchy is a thousand-year-old institution used to doing things a certain way. Meghan’s expectations and desires as an opinionated, biracial American TV actress were always going to challenge that institution.
Rather than continue struggling to fit the Windsor mold, it seems Meghan decided she’d be happier pivoting into an independent role that plays better to her strengths. Without the restraints of royal precedent and protocol, she now has much more flexibility over her personal brand and voice.
Whether you see Meghan more as a progressive change agent or self-promoting diva likely reflects your own attitudes on how much the British monarchy needs to modernize and diversify. Her next moves in California with Harry will continue shaping that polarizing narrative.
Regardless of which side they take though, everyone would likely agree that Meghan Markle is certainly not someone who is ever going to just sit back and meekly blend into the background. Love her or hate her, standing up boldly for who she is and what she wants has become her signature move.
