Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's uncertain future: Princess Diana's former chief of staff weighs in

Meghan MarklePrince Harry and their son Archie face an uncertain future as new reports on the terms of the so-called "Megxit" are dribbling out following a statement from the Queen of England on Saturday.

But according to the former Chief of Staff to Princess Diana -- uncertainty is nothing new to a prince born into an unsettled life.

"I think Princess Diana always had a very clear idea that her sons had been born into some pretty awesome challenges," Patrick Jephson, former chief of staff to Princess Diana, told Fox Nation. "If Harry had challenges, they were certainly complicated by the death of his mother. "

In Fox Nation's "Harry and The Princess: A Megxit Saga," Fox Nation host Kacie McDonnell investigated how the royal family came to this moment that has thrown the monarchy of the United Kingdom into crisis mode and set a new precedent for the royal family.

Prince Harry is the second son of Prince Charles and Diana, and sixth in line to the throne. Charles and Diana were separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

Adding to the strain on Harry, and his brother Prince William, was the sudden tragic death of their mother in 1997 from injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris. The deadly accident has been blamed on the aggressive driving of paparazzi following the vehicle.

"He was the little bereft 10-year-old boy trailing along behind his beloved mother, Princess Diana's casket," said the New York Post's Miranda Devine. "I think the whole world's heart went out to that little boy. So then you fast forward and you've got a boy who's grown up without his mother. He's a bit lost, doesn't have a role."

"Talk to me about Harry when he was young and that influence of Diana and how that set the foundation," McDonnell asked Jephson.

"Traditionally, the youngest son, has been the spare," said Jephson, alluding to the fact it is highly unlikely that Harry would ever become king. "And history is not very encouraging about what happens to the spare.

"The important thing for a spare is to find a good use for this extraordinary royal profile. It gives you a tool kit of extraordinary opportunities. The big test is whether you use those for the benefit of the country, of the world and especially of yourself."

ARE HARRY AND MEGHAN HEADED FOR A BIG HOLLYWOOD PAYDAY?

As a young man, Prince Harry attracted an immense amount of media attention, and in many ways, he encouraged the coverage with arguably provocative behavior.

"He goes to Vegas, he's got girlfriends, he has parties. He wears questionable Halloween costumes," observed McDonnell.

Some even saw parallels between young Harry and his mother, who also broke the traditional mold of the British royalty.

"The similarity between Prince Harry and his mother, that can be exaggerated," said Jephson. "But I would certainly say that they had this in common, that if you wanted young Harry to do something, that usual trick was to tell him to do the opposite."

Though at a point, Harry made a shift "from party prince to going on trips with Princess Kate and Prince William to take part in their charities," said McDonnell.

"Everybody wanted Harry to settle down," Jephson recalled. "Falling in love with Meghan, marrying Meghan, was the really big change in his life."

A LOOK BACK AT THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX OVER THE YEARS

Prince Harry and Meghan were married on May 19, 2018, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, with the blessing of the queen and -- it seemed -- all of the United Kingdom, though there were concerns.

"I saw a lot of this firsthand with Princess Diana," said Jephson. "You're not just taking on a new family. You're taking on an institution... Some people thought this is maybe too quick for somebody who's about to occupy such a prominent place in British public life."

"Megan and Harry have 200 duties that they have to perform every year," said Devine. "That can get boring and you have to subsume your personality... And I think [Meghan] felt that she had this non-speaking role and she had so much to say. And she looked ahead and thought to herself, 'I can't stand this. Imagine what it's going to be like for another 50 years. I've got to get out of here.

"She obviously transmitted that to Harry, who's protective instinct just kicked in immediately, 'I have to make sure that what happened to my mother doesn't happen to my wife.' And I think from that moment on, she had him as her protector. She could just get him to do whatever she wanted."

CELEBRITIES REACT TO MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY 'STEPPING BACK' FROM ROYAL DUTIES

Finally, 10 days after Prince Harry and Meghan first announced that they planned to "step back" from their official duties in the royal family, Buckingham Palace put out a statement.

The queen revealed that the couple would keep their royal titles but that they would no longer be referred to as his and her royal highness.  Harry and Meghan will also no longer be "working members of the Royal Family."

"Harry, that once-young boy we watched at his mother's funeral 23 years ago finally obtained the degree of independence he wanted for his own budding family," McDonnell concluded. "Harry, Meghan and young Archie will now navigate post royal life with one foot in the House of Windsor and one foot out."

To watch all of "Harry and The Princess: A Megxit Saga" go to Fox Nation and sign up today.

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