Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Rumors That Turned Out To Be True

This feature contains discussions of drug and alcohol misuse, racism, and suicidal thoughts. 

We love to talk about the royal family. And why not? They're so fun to gossip about! Books, movies, and Emmy-winning TV shows have been produced about the interpersonal drama that plays out behind palace walls. While they don't like to talk about their personal lives, there are some rumors so long-standing they might as well be considered cultural fact. For example, even though King Charles won't address his disastrous marriage to Princess Diana, the rumor that his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles played a large part in its demise is widely known. And even though Prince Andrew is at family events, it's also broadly speculated that most of the family would rather not be seen in public with him.

We could spend hours digging into every member of the royal family, but this time we want to talk about the rumors surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Since the day they met, there has been non-stop gossip about the Windsor family's most controversial modern couple. First, there were rumors that Meghan gave Harry an ultimatum to go public with their relationship back at the beginning of their relationship, per The Times. In 2021, there was speculation that Meghan never wanted to be a royal and that ditching the family for a lux life in California was part of her and Harry's plan all along.

We couldn't possibly have time to explore all the rumors surrounding Harry and Meghan. So instead, we're getting to the bottom of the ones that turned out to be true.

The tabloids love to pit women against each other, so after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement, it was only a matter of time before Meghan and Kate Middleton allegedly became enemies. According to The Telegraph, which first broke the allegation, Meghan was said to have reduced her sister-in-law to tears during a bridesmaid dress fitting for Princess Charlotte. Tom Bower's book, "Revenge," further purported that at the core of the argument was a question of whether the bridesmaid outfits should follow royal protocol and include tights, prompting tears from Middleton.

However, in the now-infamous CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey (via Newsweek), the former "Suits" star insisted that the two fell out because Kate was in the wrong. Addressing the rumors that she made her sister-in-law cry, she stated, "No. The reverse happened ... And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding. And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized."

As of 2022, tabloids have continued to stir the pot between the two. However, a year earlier there were reports that the women had made an effort to amend any wrongdoing after Meghan gave birth to Lilibet. Regardless, as noted by Us Weekly, we have yet to see them interact in any meaningful way in public. If they have buried the hatchet, then the reportedly complicated relationship between their respective husbands likely doesn't help matters. 

Prince William was allegedly very concerned about Prince Harry's relationship with Meghan Markle from the very beginning. Ever since Harry tied the knot, it's been alleged that things have majorly broken down between the brothers — and rumor has it that everything can be traced back to Meghan.

It's impossible to know exactly what happens behind the palace walls, but we may get an inkling based on what gets leaked. As such, there's a seemingly never-ending list of reasons Will apparently doesn't like Meghan. According to Tina Brown's book, "The Palace Papers" (via InStyle), sources alleged that he warned Harry against marrying Meghan too soon, fearing neither was ready for the pressures of such a public commitment. That relationship may have been further complicated when Harry and Meghan did their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

As a rule of thumb, the royals do not tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. So it was a shocking turn of events when the Sussexes openly dished the dirt about palace life to Winfrey. While that alone may have been enough to infuriate William, sources say it was Meghan suggesting his wife made her cry that tipped him into the deep end. "William was disgusted about Meghan's attack on Kate because she can't answer back," royal expert, Brown, alleged in an interview with The Telegraph. Granted, as of 2022, meaningful interactions between William and Meghan seem limited. Could there be some truth to that rumor?

One of the first rumors ever circulated about Prince Harry was that he really liked to party. If the rumor was true, then it would have hardly been surprising that a young, rich, and handsome man liked to blow off some steam at the weekends. However, there was speculation that his penchant for partying had become a problem. Per The Guardian, one of the first indicators that Harry's behavior was an issue came in 2002. King Charles reportedly discovered that the then-16-year-old boy had been frequently drinking alcohol and using cannabis. He subsequently ordered him to spend a day at a rehab clinic. In the intervening years, tabloids reported him as getting into repeatedly questionable situations such as the time he dressed up as a Nazi for a costume party, or the time he was caught playing strip poker in Las Vegas.

It wasn't until years later that Harry admitted that he'd had a problem with drug and alcohol misuse. In his AppleTV+ docuseries, "The Me You Can't See" (via People) he explained that it took him years to deal with the trauma of his mother's death, and he began binge drinking at the weekends to cope. "I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling," he confessed. "... I would find myself drinking, not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially stepped away from their royal duties in January 2020, there was still a lot to figure out with their family. Up until that point, the couple had relied fully on their salaries as working royals — now that they were out of a job, money was going to be an issue. At the time, King Charles was reportedly against continuing to pay Harry and Meghan taxpayer money if they were going to relocate to California and no longer serve the family. Harry said as much during his interview with Oprah, and added that if it wasn't for the inheritance left to him from his mom, the late Princess Diana, he'd still be stuck in the U.K.

According to Vanity Fair, Charles did not think it was fair for the British public to finance Harry's SoCal lifestyle, but he wasn't rash about cutting him off either. According to official royal expenditure reports, between 2020-2021 the royal family still spent millions ensuring the safety and financial security of Harry and Meghan. However, a spokesperson for the couple claimed that this payment didn't contradict Harry's statement as it was part of a different financial timeline to the one discussed. 

While things are likely still tense between Charles and Harry, the prince has managed to almost fully move towards financial independence. Shortly after establishing himself in the US, he and Meghan signed multimillion-dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify – something he could never have done as a working royal.