Prince Harry Was Already "Looking for a Way Out" of the Royal Family in 2018, Andrew Morton Says

Whatever the reasons may be, the arrival of Meghan Markle onto the royal scene spelled trouble for the family, which is now divided across an ocean.

Marie Claire spoke to royal biographer Andrew Morton as he releases his new book, The Queen: Her Life (opens in new tab), and the author shared insights into what was going on behind the scenes when Markle first married Prince Harry. For Morton, the Queen did everything she could to make her new granddaughter-in-law feel welcome.

"I think the Queen did her best to bring her into the family. I mean, demonstrably so," he tells Marie Claire.

"She took her on public engagements, notably up to Merseyside. She gave her jewelry, pearls and so on. She put her assistant private secretary, Samantha [Cohen], into her office to teach her about, you know, the niceties of the Commonwealth and the monarchy.

"And I think she really embraced her, and tried to bring her into the fold in a very friendly and open manner.

"I mean, sadly, Harry was talking to Oprah in December 2018 at a hotel in London, discussing interviews, and he was looking for a way out, even then.

"Yeah, within six months... they married in May 2018, didn't they? Yeah, so it's December, or November."

Asked whether the Royal Family knew the trouble that would be coming their way after the wedding, Morton answers, "No, I don't think they did."

He adds, "I mean, you know, they certainly knew that Harry was not happy in the Royal Family, and as you know, he's been to counselling, psychological counselling. He found it very difficult appearing in public.

"And yet, conversely, he had the Diana touch, he was and is quite a charismatic individual. And so, for that matter, was Meghan, even though obviously both are now the butt of tremendous criticism from people."