Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are in a "Tough Spot" After Their Royal Exit, According to Tina Brown

She thinks they could have handled it better.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn't have it easy while they were working royals, but they don't have it much easier now that they have left the U.K., either.

Their freedom sadly came at a price, which meant no more income from the Royal Family, and no more official protection despite their status.

And then there's the way they chose to create their own income, which has included revealing behind-the-scenes royal tidbits that have incensed the U.K.-based royals via various media projects (some of which are currently in the works). This, in turn, has sadly widened the rift between the Sussexes and the King and Prince William especially.

For royal author and former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, the Sussexes' departure may have been justified, but the way they went about it could have been handled better.

"I think they are in a really tough spot now, actually," Brown said during a lecture at City, University of London (via Express).

"I feel for Harry, because he's made a mistake in the way he did his exit. I don't think it was wrong necessarily the decision to leave, and certainly it wasn't wrong to marry the woman he was in love with.

"It's just the way they handled it that was so unfortunate."

Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine how else someone with Prince Harry's status could have handled leaving his role as a senior royal. I suppose he could have focused his efforts on the kind of work he's doing at mental health startup BetterUp, and perhaps taken a paid role at a charity, but that's not what happened, so.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.