Even before Prince Harry and Meghan,Duchess of Sussex abruptly decided to leave their roles in the royal family andmove half a world away, she was the subject of intensecriticism. Skeptics accused Meghan of luring Prince Harry away from hisfamily and potentially threatening the centuries-old royal tradition.
In a way these critics were right to worry — Harry did eventually quit the life he’d always known. But like another famous royal in history, it wasn’t entirely the fault of the woman he loved. Prince Harry wasn’t the first to escape the pressure of being royal while Meghan certainly wasn’t the first woman to get blamed for it.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get compared to King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
The moment the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced theirresignation and perhaps even before, fans couldn’t help but compare them tosome of Prince Harry’s relatives. It’s hard to forget one of the mostscandalous — and romantic — royal love stories of all time.
In 1936, EdwardVIII became king as was his birthright. Only there was a problem: he was inlove with an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson and wanted to marry her.Knowing his subjects would never accept her as their queen, Edward chose to abdicateand pass the responsibility to his younger brother. That king was George VI,Queen Elizabeth’s father.
Did Meghan Markle force Prince Harry to leave his family?
Ultimately, Prince Harry’s departure is much less dramaticthan King Edward VIII’s was, especially since he had little chance of ever beingthe king. But thanks to social media it feels a lot more sensational among thefans who love him. Sadly, many of them blame Meghan for the whole disaster.
But they may forget how Prince Harry was openly hostile toward the press even before he got married. The Duke of Sussex blamed media obsession for the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. Those feelings seemed to intensify after Harry got married and became a father. But he likely would have felt the same way no matter who he chose as his bride.
Wallis Simpson supposedly ‘lured’ Edward VIII away
Critics accused Simpson of bewitching Edward VIII and temptinghim away from his obligations. But in reality, he didn’t want to be king in thefirst place, and Simpson encouraged him not to marry her.
Biographer Anna Pasternak wrote, “People do not understandthat [Simpson] really tried to stop this, she tried to get away from him. But[Edward] put so much pressure on her.”
She continued, “He threatened suicide if she left him. Hethreatened that no matter where she went in the world, he would follow her. Hewas almost deranged when it came to his obsession or need with her.”
Prince Harry made his own choices
Like Simpson, Meghan gets more of the blame for Harry’sdeparture than she probably deserves. She tried to fit in with the royals but wasunfairlytargeted by the media for being an outsider. Prince Harry became upset andretaliated by getting away rather than putting up with it.
To some extent, he was motivated by love, just like his distant relative King Edward VIII. But there’s a good chance the Duke of Sussex was just waiting for an excuse to escape anyway.
Source: Read Full Article