Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Friends Say They Were ‘Driven Out’ Of The Royal Family

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s friends believe their shocking exit from their royal duties came after they were “driven out” of the family, according to U.K. news outlet, ITV News. Back in October 2019, the outlet interviewed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who, at the time, opened up about the struggles of media scrutiny and its negative effects on them. And, while their candid admissions were thought to be about the invasiveness of the British tabloids, “old friends” of Harry and Meghan’s believe their words were aimed at the royal family, ITV reports.

During the interview documentary, titled Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, when journalist Tom Bradby asked Meghan how she’d found the past year, she admitted that “not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” He then asked if her answer meant that she wasn’t OK at the time and if she had been struggling. Meghan confirmed, “Yes.” — That response is what reportedly caught the attention of Meghan and Harry’s friends.

“A lot of old friends of the couple took that primarily to be aimed at the royal family, not the media,” ITV reports, explaining, “The atmosphere has been fractious within the family, ever since those close to Prince Charles pushed out the Queen’s longstanding and well regarded private secretary two years ago. Central authority weakened the rest of the family increasingly doing their own thing. There have been many battles within the family since then,” the friends say, noting that from the outside looking in, it would be hard to decipher “who is in the right and who is in the wrong.”

“Some would argue, Meghan and Harry were too independent too difficult, but their friends feel they have been driven out,” the friends believe. “Those close to the couple say that if the family is to be slimmed down this is the right and only step complicated it will be. This is a new war of the Windsors and it’s not over yet.”

ITV's @tombradby spoke to Meghan as he gained exclusive access to the royal couple as they toured Africa for 10 days with their son Archie.

The documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, airs on Sunday at 9pm on @ITV #HarryandMeghan https://t.co/Uy21iE6ozJ pic.twitter.com/XYlHVytiHF

— ITV News (@itvnews) October 18, 2019

Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, shocked the world on January 8 when they revealed that they plan to step back from their royal duties. They explained that they will split their time between the U.K. and North America to become more financially stable. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are parents to 8-month-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, made the announcement in a lengthy statement in a post on their official Instagram account.

Soon after, Queen Elizabeth II broke her silence in a statement via Buckingham Palace, which called the situation “complicated.”

“Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that we will take time to work through,” the official Royal Communications statement read.