Harry should have prepared Meghan better for what royal life would be like, says author

Prince Harry did not prepare Meghan Markle for what royal life would be like, an expert on the royals has said.

“It’s a combination of Harry and Meghan’s fault, mainly Harry for not explaining it to her properly,” Robert Jobson, royal editor at the Evening Standard and author of Prince Philip’s Century, told Page Six.

“He’s not the sharpest guy, but maybe he didn’t want to explain it. It’s hard work being a member of the royal family. People think it’s not but it is. It’s not glamorous and maybe she didn’t fancy that after at all,” he said.

Mr Jobson explained that the Duchess of Sussex could have shown greater interest in what she was getting herself into prior to the wedding.

“It’s up to you to do your own homework if you want to marry into a prestigious family,” he said.

He also underlined how the royal palace had assigned out a member of the Queen’s personal team to help the new bride learn the intricate details of being a Duchess, leaving no reason for Ms Markle not to know about the subtleties.

“When she saw that she had the little house and William and Kate were the number one couple she probably didn’t understand that and thought, ‘Well we can do better than this and start commercialising the royal family,’ well frankly that’s not acceptable,” he said.

The author said the royal household is all about “service and helping others. It’s not to do with helping yourself. I’m afraid that’s what’s happened here. I blame Harry really because he knew the story but he wanted his cake and to eat it and you can’t do that.”

On 31 March 2020, the couple formally stepped down as senior royals.

In a statement at the time, the couple said: ”After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.

“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.

“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.

“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”