Prince William should ‘finally accept the happiness’ of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry following reunion: author

Meghan Markle stayed behind in California as her husband Prince Harry headed to his home country – and there’s no doubt the Duchess of Sussex will be scrutinized by the tabloids over her absence.

Harry, 36, and his older brother Prince William, 39, reunited on July 1, which would have been their late mother Princess Diana’s 60th birthday. They led the unveiling of a statue they commissioned to honor her life and legacy.

The Princess of Wales passed away in 1997 at age 36 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash.

Markle, 39, is currently in California, where the couple resides, with their two children: Archie Harrison, 2, and Lilibet Diana, who was born on June 4.

PRINCE HARRY SEEMINGLY CHOKES UP WHILE DISCUSSING PRINCESS DIANA IN NEW VIDEO

"While the British press is figuring out how many ways they can skewer Harry, who appears to have found his happiness and broken a toxic cycle, Meghan will be put through the thresher that is Fleet Street press for not accompanying her husband even though she is a post-partum, breastfeeding mother with a toddler in tow as well," royal author Leslie Carroll told Fox News.

Carroll has written seven books on the loves and lives of European royalty. Most recently, she wrote "American Princess: The Love Story of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry," which details the couple’s courtship leading up to their May 2018 royal wedding.

She is aware of Harry’s alleged feud with William since the couple decided to step back as senior members of the British royal family. Carroll believes it is the Duke of Cambridge who should step up and make amends.

"I wish that William could finally accept the happiness of the Sussexes," she said. "People are different, and everyone has their own path to the altar. It took William a decade to realize that Catherine was The One. Harry realized it for himself almost immediately on meeting Meghan. There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to find your person."

PRINCESS DIANA ‘GAVE THE RIGHT IMAGE’ AS A ROYAL WHO CONTINUES TO INSPIRE PRINCE WILLIAM, PRINCE HARRY: AUTHOR

"I've long said, only half in jest, that the British royal family is the world's longest-running soap opera," she continued. "And it's the media that keeps feeding the narrative, plumping up the plot wherein heroes and villains/esses are selected and those storylines are fed to the public. It's also ironic to me that William (and Catherine) and Harry were instrumental in forming the Heads Together mental health awareness campaign in Great Britain -- and William had the sensitivity to recognize how important this issue is for his future subjects who may be suffering."

"Why does he not seem to extend that same concern for his own kid brother?" Carroll shared. "And accept the fact that Harry has a happy marriage to a woman who -- so much like their own mother -- is his biggest fan?"

Carroll pointed out that Harry himself revealed how Markle has been a supportive force in his life. He candidly spoke about his mental health to Oprah Winfrey in the Apple TV+ docuseries "The Me You Can’ See" where he serves as co-creator and co-executive producer.

"Harry tells Oprah that every time he'd be on a flight returning to London, he was triggered because of what had happened to him growing up there," said Carroll. "I found Harry's revelation about being triggered every time he was about to touch down in London again so striking. Of course, he was born into a family where… as the proverbial ‘spare’ one would think that he would have more freedom to be the architect of his destiny than William, whose destiny was set from the day he was born."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

"… Ironically, his PTSD is not triggered by his battlefield experiences, but by those as a boy, in the company of his mother who was hounded by the press and cornered like an animal by cameras and microphones and pushy paparazzi," she continued. "It's the grasping hands and the flashbulbs and the viciousness of the media that trigger Harry's anxiety and the very real fears that he could lose another woman dear to him – Meghan.

"So I believe that as Harry heads back home alone - which will clearly trigger countless painful emotions for him - Meghan will be figuratively be holding his hands in that reassuring way of hers, clasping one of his hands in both of hers. They will also be in constant communication by phone and video chat."

Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry in May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former "Suits" star. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, Calif.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Winfrey, 67, in March, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.

Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.

On June 4, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The child is eighth in line to the British throne.

The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.