Meghan Markle 'was convinced there was a conspiracy against her,' 'felt like an outsider,' pal claims
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Meghan Markle was convinced courtiers were working “against her” once she joined the British royal family, one palace insider is claiming.
Vanity Fair correspondent Katie Nicholl told The Times on Monday a pal close to the former American actress revealed Markle “felt like an outsider from the start” during her time with The Firm.
“She was convinced there was a conspiracy against her and so she basically put herself in isolation when they moved to Frogmore [Cottage],” claimed the source, as reported by U.K.’s DailyMail.
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“I think she felt like an outsider from the start,” said the source. “This wasn’t the life she was used to and she wanted out.”
Meghan Markle was a Hollywood actress before she became a member of the British royal family. (Photo by Lars Niki/Corbis via Getty Images)
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According to the outlet, another insider explained how the Duchess of Sussex privately struggled after giving birth to her son Archie, feeling “lonely” and “unfulfilled.”
Nicholl shared how the 38-year-old’s close circle of friends were worried Markle was “burning out” as she immersed herself in numerous projects as a royal.
After Markle and her husband Prince Harry announced on Jan. 8 they were stepping back as senior members of the royal family, they headed to Canada. However, one friend said it “was never going to be their forever home.”
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“The big plan, for Meghan at least, was always L.A.,” added the source.
But the big move was “not easy” for Harry 35, who finds himself without “an established life” in America.
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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visits mothers2mothers during her royal tour of South Africa with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex on Sept. 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Mothers2mothers (m2m) is an African not-for-profit organization with the vision of a healthy, HIV-free Africa. The organization trains and employs women living with HIV as frontline health workers across eight African nations. (Getty)
The source alleged the Duke of Sussex feels “lonely and directionless” in the U.S., similar to how Markle previously felt in the U.K.
Nicholl previously told Australian website 9Honey that she had no doubt the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “had an agenda from the outset” to become independent. The author believed it was “inevitable” the couple would move overseas.
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“I was told from a very early stage in their courtship, they had told a friend of Harry’s that Meghan met quite early on that they wanted to be international roving royals and that was going to be their focus,” she told the outlet.
Nicholl shared that the couple “didn’t want to be stuck in one place” and, instead, yearned to make a difference “on a world stage.”
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House on March 05, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty)
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“They had an agenda from the outset — to be international royals,” she said, adding there were signs early on in their relationship that the couple was determined to do things differently.
Despite the move, a source close to the couple told Nicholl for Vanity Fair that Harry was feeling “a bit rudderless” without a job or friends in Markle’s native Los Angeles.
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“This is a very strange time for us all, but I think Harry is missing having a structure in his life right now,” claimed the insider. “He doesn’t have friends in L.A. like Meghan and he doesn’t have a job.”
The source said Harry has been keeping busy during the coronavirus outbreak by keeping in touch with friends and colleagues across the pond. He is also “keeping up regular communication” with the charities he is still involved with.
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In this January 2020 photo and made available on Monday April 27, 2020 by Mattel, Britain's Prince Harry poses for a photo during the recording of his introduction to the new animated special 'Thomas & Friends: The Royal Engine'. Set when Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles was a boy, Thomas has to take Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway, to Buckingham Palace to receive an honor. The special will be screened in the US on Netflix on 1 May 2020 and in the UK on Channel 5 Milkshake at 9:05 am on 2 May 2020. (Dave Poultney/Mattel via AP) (Dave Poultney/Mattel via AP)
“At the moment he’s a bit rudderless, but it won’t always be like this, and he knows that,” said the pal.
The couple is currently residing in Markle’s native Los Angeles with their son Archie, 1.