The Sussexes. The fairytale or a nightmare?

It will be five years this May, that the world watched the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Prince Harry the son of the beloved Princess Diana and Prince now King Charles and Meghan Markle, a non Brit, American divorcee not really known to many. William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan became known as simply the Fab Four. A new chapter, as the next generation that would modernize the Royal Family. But where did it all go wrong?

Only the Royal Family (Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace) and the Sussexes know the real truth and what happened between closed doors. But wouldn't we all love to be flies on the wall when this love story versus the royal family became a media circus. It is almost very reminiscent of the another royal love story of former King Edward VIII and an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson.

Not long after the Sussexes were married reports started to emerge of trouble in paradise, or in this case Kensington Palace. There was a lot of he said, she said, and eventually the Sussexes moved their offices out of Kensington Palace and their home in Nottingham Cottage to Fragmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The couple did their royal duties but one couldn't help that notice that things felt different with the Fab Four, simply from public outings and photos. In late 2018, the couple announced their were expecting their first child, coincidentally around the same time if not on the actual wedding day of Princess Eugenie. In May 2019, baby Archie was born and later that fall, the three would travel to South Africa. It was at that time that we the public got to see real live photos and images of baby Archie, as they met Arch Bishop Tutu and performed their royal duties. During that tour, the Sussexes gave individual interviews to ITV's Tom Bradby, where Meghan talked about her mental health and hinting that no one in the royal family had ever asked how she was doing. Meanwhile Harry had hinted that things between him and William were not what they use to be. One could not help but think, there was trouble brewing in the royal family.

On January 8, 2020 Harry and Megan announce on Instagram, that they would be stepping back as members of the working royal family and reallocating to North America. First to British Columbia, Canada, then finally settling in Montecito, California. This shortly after the Sandringham Summit, with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. We all know that everything that is shared with the public from the royal family is very selective, therefore very little was revealed. It is believed that the Sussexes wanted to be working royals as well as private citizens. However there would be no half in and half out. So they were out! Cue the media!

March 2021, a highly talked about interview was going to air with the Sussexes and Oprah. We all knew this would not end well. I personally did not watch, but between friends and social media, I was pretty much up to date, it was all dirty laundry, being aired by Meghan and Harry. The biggest revelations being the royal family is racist and Catherine made Meghan cry during the bridesmaid dress fittings. It sounded like a couple who had a falling out with their family. However they got to speak their truth or so we thought. What many of us were unaware of, was that around this same time, the Duke of Edinburgh, Harry's grandfather was gravely ill, which did not help the relations between the two families. In April, Prince Phillip the Queen's husband of over 70 years passed peacefully and a funeral was held. Harry attended, while Meghan pregnant at the time remained in America. As one that watched the funeral, it was clear that things were cold between and Harry, William and Charles.

In the meantime, the Sussexes had started Archewell Foundation, signed lucrative deals with Spotify, Netflix and Penguin Random House. The Sussexes seemed to be moving on with a second baby on the way. In April, baby Lilibet was born and this family of three were now four. But it seemed this was not enough.

Aprill 2022, the Queen was celebrating her 70th year on the thrown and we all know, the Brits know how to put on a party. For many of us royal watchers, all eyes were on Harry and Megan!! Their public exposure was limited and they literally were in the second row at the St. Paul's Cathedral in London. There was even speculation, the Sussexes were booed upon arrival. There was no balcony appearance for the Sussexes, not to mention, there were no sitings of the Sussex children.

That summer, Meghan was featured in the magazine, The Cut, where she came across as snarky. The interview was suppose to be about her upcoming projects but ended up being about the royal family. That same summer, Meghan's podcast Archetypes was released and it sounded like it was more about Megan and not so much her guests. But the big anticipated project by the Sussexes was their Netflix Documentary. The first three episodes being released three months to the date of the Queen's passing and the second three episodes on December 15, coincidentally the same date as Catherine's Christmas Concert in London. The series was highly viewed and commented on. It surely did not paint a pretty picture of the royal family. Again, they got to speak their truth, but they are not done. Apparently they have a lot to say.

January 10, 2023, Harry's biography is released. This was an opportunity for Harry to speak his truth... again! I was surprised just how open he was and how much private details he revealed. He clearly has been hurt and impacted from the death of his mother which explains his tough time in his teens and in his 20's. With so much information revealed to the public, some have taken to mock Harry. There has been a lot of complaining by both Harry and Meghan and some have started to do a little research of their own to follow up on the Sussexes stories and timelines. It seems the more they say, the more information is being exposed about them. I believe this is not the goal they had, in looking for public support and sympathy.

I last blogged about the Sussexes vs Crown on May 22, 2020. At the time the Crown, with Queen Elizabeth at the helm had tactfully overcome the negative press. It is now going on three years, and the Sussexes have had a lot to say, while the Crown follow Prince Phillip's motto "Never complain, never explain" and "get on with the job". It seems the Sussexes have only hurt themselves with too much exposure and the public may be experiencing Sussex fatigue. What does the future hold for them? Like I blogged three years ago, will this fairytale have a happy ending? It seems more like a nightmare at this time.