Meghan Markle sought help from Queen Camilla when the media was being really harsh on her, according to Prince Harry’s book.
Back in 2017, Meghan faced a lot of negative press after it became known that she was dating Prince Harry.
At the same time, Harry was trying to get his father, King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales), to take a stand against the British tabloids, but it wasn’t working.
“Meg, meanwhile, reached out to Camilla,” Harry wrote in his memoir “Spare.” “Camilla tried to comfort her, saying the press always targets newcomers and that it would pass in time. Camilla mentioned that she had once been the bad guy too.”
Harry felt Camilla’s advice wasn’t very comforting. Was Camilla implying it was Meghan’s turn now? Harry didn’t find that fair.
Camilla also suggested that Harry could become the Governor General of Bermuda, which would help them escape the intense media attention.
“Right, right,” Harry thought, “and one added bonus of that plan would be to get us out of the picture.”
It was unclear why Camilla’s advice shifted from ignoring the press to moving away.
In the 1970s, there was talk of Charles becoming governor-general of Australia, but Queen Elizabeth II stopped it because she believed he needed to be married first.
At the time Camilla suggested moving to Bermuda, Harry and Meghan were together but not yet married.
Camilla likely thought Bermuda was convenient since it’s close to the U.S. However, there was a history of exiling royals.
Edward VIII was made governor-general of The Bahamas after he gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Comparisons would have been made.
This suggestion was one of the earliest discussions about Harry and Meghan possibly living outside Britain.
If the timeline in Harry’s book is correct, it happened before August 2017.
Harry and Meghan got engaged in November 2017 and married in May 2018. They left their roles as senior royals in January 2020.
Before Meghan asked Camilla for help, Harry had already pleaded with his father, Charles.
Duke of Sussex wondered why he had to beg for help and why it wasn’t a priority for Charles.
“You adore her,” Harry told his father. “You bonded over your shared love of music, you think she’s funny and witty, and impeccably mannered—so why, Pa? Why?”
Harry felt abandoned when he couldn’t get a straight answer from his father and the conversation went in circles.