What if the Megxit could have been avoided? According to the royal biographer Robert Lacey in his book Battle Of Brothers, Queen Elizabeth would at one time have considered letting the Sussex experience ordinary life away from the spotlight in South Africa.
The British monarchy is accustomed to scandal and upheaval, but in the past year the royal family has been going through a particularly trying crisis. The decision of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to relinquish a leading role in the monarchy, and their subsequent move to Los Angeles, has sent shockwaves through the country.
In his book Battle Of Brothers, which highlights the conflictual relationship between Princes William and Harry, the royal biographer Robert Lacey makes revelations about the months leading up to the Megxit.
According to the writer, Queen Elizabeth had considered the Sussex settling for “a year or two” in South Africa. Far from the idea of driving away her beloved grandson, the sovereign wanted above all to allow him to live the “ordinary” life he so dreamed of.
This normal life was precisely what the Queen had experienced for two years, between 1949 and 1951, when her husband Prince Philip served as a naval officer on the island of Malta. In the face of Prince Harry’s malaise, and to prevent him from making a radical decision, Queen Elizabeth was therefore ready to offer them this freedom.
The Sussex never made a secret of their love for the African continent, and rumours had long been circulating that they might settle in South Africa or another Commonwealth country.
But as the months went by, difficulties kept piling up for the Sussex, and especially for Meghan who had to face the relentlessness of some of the British and the press.
“It was a huge opportunity, the interracial union of these two popular headliners, Harry and Meghan, represented a unique chance to bring the monarchy closer to the people – people of all races and classes,” Robert Lacey said.
But the young woman, despite her efforts, would not have been able to truly integrate into the royal family. The idea of keeping the Sussex away temporarily was finally abandoned, and Meghan and Harry made the only decision they could make at the time: to slam the door on the monarchy.
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