Meghan Markle takes another swipe at Royal Family in The Cut interview

Meghan Markle today issued a new attack on the Royal Family, saying that she and Prince Harry were ‘happy’ to leave Britain and were ‘upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy… just by existing’ before they quit as senior royals.

The Duchess of Sussex has given a bombshell interview to The Cut – part of New York magazine – in which she claimed that what the couple asked for when they wanted financial freedom was not ‘reinventing the wheel’.

The article also heard from Harry who suggested some members of the Royal Family ‘aren’t able to work and live together’, while Meghan revealed that her husband told her that he had ‘lost’ his father Prince Charles.

Meghan also said: ‘I’m getting back … on Instagram’ – with Ms Davies describing ‘her eyes alight and devilish’. It comes after she closed all of her social media accounts ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018. But further down the article, it says: ‘Later, Meghan would relay she was no longer sure she would actually return to Instagram.’

And Meghan said she spoke to a Lion King cast member from South Africa in London in 2019 who told her: ‘When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.’

In addition, the interview saw Meghan:

• Say she has ‘really made an active effort’ to ‘forgive’ her royal in-laws and her own family;

• Refer to she and Harry as being ‘like salt and pepper’ because they ‘always move together’;

• Say she has ‘never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking’ but she is ‘still healing’;

• Claim she faced problems in the UK from being an American, not necessarily a black American;

The interview was released after it was claimed Harry and Meghan will not visit the Queen at Balmoral when they visit Britain next week amid an ongoing security row, and just days after Meghan used her new Spotify podcast to complain how she had to continue engagements on a royal tour in South Africa after a fire in Archie’s bedroom.

The Duchess of Sussex has given a bombshell interview to The Cut – part of New York magazine

‘Upsetting the dynamic of the Royal Family’

Meghan said that she and Prince Harry were ‘happy’ to leave Britain and were ‘upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy… just by existing’ before they stepped down as frontline royals and moved to North America.

The Cut reported today that 41-year-old Meghan listed a ‘handful of princes and princesses and dukes who have the very arrangement they wanted’, although none of these royals are named in the article.

Harry and Meghan’s visit to the UK and Germany 

  • Monday, September 5: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will travel to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries
  • Tuesday, September 6: Harry and Meghan will head to Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event
  • Thursday, September 8: The Sussexes then return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London

And Meghan, speaking to New York-based features writer Allison P Davis, said: ‘That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.’

Asked ‘Why do you think that is?’, she simply replied: ‘Why do you think that is?’, with the interviewer Ms Davis saying that she said this ‘right back with a side-eye that suggests I should understand without having to be told’.

The article states that Harry and Meghan suggested to ‘The Firm’ that they should be allowed to work on behalf of the monarchy but make their own money, with the Duchess saying: ‘Then maybe all the noise would stop.’

The article says: ‘They also thought it best to leave the U.K. (and the U.K. press) to do it. They were willing to go to basically any commonwealth, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, anywhere.

”Anything to just … because just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’ ‘ she says, putting her hands up in mock defeat.

‘Meghan asserts that what they were asking for wasn’t ‘reinventing the wheel’ and lists a handful of princes and princesses and dukes who have the very arrangement they wanted.

”That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.’

‘Why do you think that is? I ask. ‘Why do you think that is?’ she says right back with a side-eye that suggests I should understand without having to be told.’

Meghan says she has made an ‘active effort’ to ‘forgive’

The Duchess was asked during the interview whether forgiveness can exist between her and her own family as well as members of the Royal Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3, on their last visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3, on their last visit

She told The Cut: ‘I think forgiveness is really important. It takes a lot more energy to not forgive. But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. I’ve really made an active effort, especially knowing that I can say anything.’

The article also refers to Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle, a retired lighting director who now lives in Mexico.

The report said that Meghan discussed how two families had been ‘torn apart’.

And it quotes Meghan as saying: ‘Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process.’ It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision.’

Meghan says she can say what she wants but is ‘still healing’

The Duchess says towards the end of interview that she has ‘never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking’.

She also says: ‘I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.’

The interviewer then asks Meghan why she does not talk, and she replies: ‘Still healing,’.

Harry says ‘many’ of his family ‘can’t work together’

Harry and Meghan run Archewell from their shared home office at their mansion in Montecito, California.

The article in The Cut refers to them having ‘two plush club chairs placed side by side behind a single desk, facing into the room like thrones’.

And it quotes Harry as saying: ‘Most people that I know and many of my family, they aren’t able to work and live together,’

The article also refers to him enunciating the word family ‘with a vocal eye roll’.

Harry added: ‘It’s actually really weird because it’d seem like a lot of pressure. But it just feels natural and normal.’

It comes after a royal expert said today that Harry and Meghan are very unlikely to visit the Queen at Balmoral when they return to Britain for a trip next week, and warned that the ‘family rift is getting worse, not better’.

The Sussexes have an ongoing row about their security with the Home Office – and tensions with the Royal Family have been deepened by mounting concerns over what will be published in Harry’s upcoming biography.

These issues will no doubt worsen after Meghan’s latest comments published in The Cut today, in addition to her making veiled criticisms of the family in her new Spotify podcast released last week.

Royal expert Phil Dampier told MailOnline today that he would be ‘very surprised’ if the Sussexes visit the Queen at Balmoral, where she is likely to remain for the next few weeks as concerns grow over her mobility issues.

He added that there is little ‘goodwill on both sides’ and that the royals will be ‘wary’ of Harry amid what could be in his book. Mr Dampier also said that a ‘visit to Scotland would create awkward family tensions for everyone’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Archie and Lilibet in a Christmas card released on December 23, 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Archie and Lilibet in a Christmas card released on December 23, 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left) with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) at Westminster Abbey in March 2019

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left) with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) at Westminster Abbey in March 2019

The Sussexes, who last went to Balmoral in 2018, are not planning to visit the Highlands estate, according to the Daily Telegraph – which also reported that they are still waiting on decisions around their security in the UK before they decide whether to travel off schedule.

Queen ‘deeply saddened’ after more than 1,000 deaths in Pakistan floods 

The Queen has said she is ‘deeply saddened’ by widespread flooding that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in Pakistan this summer.

The country has seen exceptionally heavy monsoon rains which have triggered flash floods, affecting 33 million people and damaging nearly one million homes.

The death toll is reported to be at least 1,061 people.

In a message to the country’s president, Arif Alvi, the Queen said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the floods across Pakistan.

‘My thoughts are with all those who have been affected, as well as those working in difficult circumstances to support the recovery efforts.

‘The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Pakistan as you recover from these terrible events.’

The message, released by Buckingham Palace, was signed ‘Elizabeth R’.

Pakistani authorities said the devastation is worse than in 2010 when 1,700 people were killed by floods. 

A Home Office panel is also set to decide whether they qualify for protection by the Metropolitan Police.

On September 5, the Duke and Duchess will travel from their home in California to visit Manchester for the One Young World Summit, where Meghan will give the keynote address at the opening ceremony.

The couple will then head to Germany for an event to mark a year until the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf on September 6, before returning to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London on September 8 where Harry – a long-term patron of the charity – will give a speech. The Sussexes are expected to leave their children Archie and Lilibet at home in California.

There are no official engagements scheduled for September 7 – at least, none that have been announced at this stage – meaning they could go and visit family.

But Mr Dampier told MailOnline: ‘I would be very surprised if Harry and Meghan visit the Queen at Balmoral. They have ongoing issues about their security travelling around the country, though obviously they would be secure within the Castle grounds.

‘They have a tight schedule anyway so would find it hard to fit in. But above all, I just don’t get the impression at the moment that there is much goodwill on both sides. Prince Charles is up in Scotland at the moment, as are other royals, and under normal circumstances Harry would want to see his father as well as his grandmother.

‘But these are not normal times and I fear the family rift is getting worse, not better. Meghan didn’t help with her recent podcast in which she made veiled criticisms of the royal family. And of course Harry’s book is hanging over the family like a bad smell. All the time the royals don’t know what he will say in his book they will be wary of him.

It is believed that the couple will spend much of their time in the UK next week at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – much like when the California-based couple were in England in June, when they kept a low profile.

Harry, 37, last saw his 96-year-old grandmother during her Platinum Jubilee, where he reportedly only had around 15 minutes with her.

The Queen stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony in London in July 2018 along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The Queen stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony in London in July 2018 along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

A royal expert said he would be 'very surprised' if the Sussexes visit the Queen at Balmoral in Scotland (file picture)

A royal expert said he would be ‘very surprised’ if the Sussexes visit the Queen at Balmoral in Scotland (file picture) 

He and Meghan also visited in April, when they secretly met with Prince Charles and the Queen on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games at The Hague.

After this trip, the Duke spoke about ensuring his grandmother has ‘the right people around her’ when he appeared to make a swipe at royal household staff during an interview with NBC including the so-called ‘men in grey suits’ who advise the Queen.

This latest news comes as warring brothers Prince William and Harry will reportedly not mark the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death on Wednesday together – neither in public or private.

The Queen normally spends the months of August and September at her Highlands retreat, where she is joined by other family members at stages.

William, Kate and their children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, are among those who have already visited this year.

Balmoral has had a number of adaptations in recent years, including her Craigowan Lodge, which was fitted with a wheelchair-friendly lift in 2021.

The castle was bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852 for £32,000, and it has been the Scottish home of the royal family since. She usually arrives at the estate in mid-July.

Harry and William at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London on July 1, 2021

Harry and William at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London on July 1, 2021 

Diana with William (left) and Harry (right) at the Heads of State VE Remembrance Service in London's Hyde Park in May 1995

Diana with William (left) and Harry (right) at the Heads of State VE Remembrance Service in London’s Hyde Park in May 1995

The Queen is also ‘carefully considering’ whether she is fit enough to attend the Braemar Games next weekend as concerns grow over her mobility issues, The Mail on Sunday reported yesterday.

The Highland Games, which are often attended by the Queen and the Prime Minister of the day, are usually a highlight in the monarch’s calendar.

This year’s competition – which will see contestants battle it out in caber-tossing and tug-of-war in front of spectators – is the first to be held since the start of the pandemic.

A source revealed that the Queen is keen to attend if her health will allow it. She was last seen in public on July 21, when she flew to Aberdeen Airport to begin her annual holiday at Balmoral.

The source added that in the past fortnight, Her Majesty has been delighted to receive ‘family visitors’ at her Scottish estate with ‘lots of the great-grandchildren’. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte headed up last week, while the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children Lady Louise and Viscount James have also been to visit. It is also said that the Prince of Wales is visiting the Queen daily. 

Prince Andrew had also been in Balmoral, keen to speak to the Queen about whether it is possible for him to carve out a new working role within the Royal Family, according to the source.

Another source added that there had been ‘a change in the past few weeks’ in the Queen’s mobility, which meant that she was ‘resting’ a lot more.

The 96-year-old is likely to concede that she will no longer be able to fly down to London to appoint a new Prime Minister. It had been hoped the Queen would head to Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace to fulfil what is known as her ‘personal prerogative’ – to invite a new leader to form a government.

But her health on recent days ‘may make it unlikely’, according to a well-placed source. The decision will be announced this week. The nine-mile trip to Braemar for next weekend’s games, however, may yet be possible.

Her Majesty asked the couple and their two children, three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, one, to stay at her Scottish residence and told royal staff to prepare, it was reported in July. 

It was said that the Sussexes would not have to spend time with other royals such as Charles and William. 

A Balmoral insider previously told The Sun and Page Six: ‘Staff have been told to expect the full list of royals including Harry, Meghan and their children. They are preparing for the Sussexes.’

Another source is reported to have said: ‘I would be stunned if they did turn up.’

But since then, the Telegraph reported overnight that sources say a visit to the Queen is not anticipated but there may well be more unplanned engagements. 

Speaking of meeting his grandmother at Windsor Castle in April, Harry said: ‘It was great. It was really nice to see her in some element of privacy. Being with her it was great, it was just so nice to see her, she’s on great form.

‘She’s always got a great sense of humour with me and I’m just making sure that she’s protected and got the right people around her. Both Meghan and I had tea with her, so it was really nice to catch up with her. We have a really special relationship, we talk about things that she can’t talk about with anybody else.’

Royal author Tom Bower told MailOnline then that he believed the comment by Harry was directed at the Queen’s private secretary Sir Edward Young in addition to the Duke’s father Prince Charles and brother Prince William with whom he has an ongoing feud.

Meanwhile the Duke of Cambridge, 40, and the Duke of Sussex have agreed to end public commemorations over Diana and will instead remember their mother with their own families this week. 

The pair have not spoken face-to-face since they unveiled a statue of their late mother the Princess of Wales last summer.

They put their strained relationship aside briefly for the unveiling of the highly anticipated statue in her memory in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, her former London home.

In 2017, William and Harry marked the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death by creating a memorial garden at Kensington Palace, taking part in a documentary and loaning belongings to an exhibition.

Wednesday will be the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death, but the brothers will grieve privately to ark the poignant occasion, reported the Telegraph.

But Prince Harry said last week: ‘I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it.

‘I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I hope to do her proud.’

Meanwhile, the Duke of Cambridge and his family are moving from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage – just a ten-minute walk from Windsor Castle, later this month. 

If the Sussexes stay at their home, Frogmore Cottage, will only be a short five-minute walk from the Cambridges, who will be just 800m away when they relocate to Adelaide in the next few weeks.

It will be the first time the two couples have been neighbours since Prince Harry and Meghan moved out of Kensington Palace in 2019.

But a source reportedly said the Sussexes’s visit will be focused on ‘supporting several charities close to their hearts’, and they have no plans to see the Cambridges.

It comes as a French documentary has claimed Harry ‘slammed the phone down’ on Prince William after being confronted with witness statements portraying Meghan as a vicious bully of female staff.

In turn, William – ‘who already didn’t like his sister-in-law very much’ – became so angry at his brother’s insistence on protecting his wife from criticism that he jumped in a car ‘towards Kensington Palace to go and confront Prince Harry’.

The explosive claims are contained in a documentary by the most popular TV news outlet in France.

BFM TV displays emails – disclosed as part of the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy claim against the Mail on Sunday – in an investigative documentary series called ‘Red Line: William and Harry, the enemy brothers’.

It claims that traumatised staff resigned from the Royal Household and set up a WhatsApp group called ‘The Sussex Survivors’ Club’. The documentary is timed to come out next week.

Diana died in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36 – when William was 15 and Harry 12.

While both understand the historical significance of the anniversary, and the fact that many around the world are keen to mark the occasion, it is a much more personal landmark for them.

Friends say they both still feel intense sadness that their mother has been longer out of their lives than in them, and that she has missed seeing the birth of her first grandchildren.

In other royal news, US celebrity gossip website Page Six reported that Harry’s highly-anticipated memoir may not be published until next year.

The Duke of Sussex’s tell-all book had been due out in time for Christmas, but it is claimed the release date is now ‘up in the air’.

A source told Page Six that industry experts had expected a November publication date. They said: ‘I have heard that Harry has some truth bombs in his book that he is debating on whether to include or not. So this [delay] is no surprise if he needs more time to work on the book.’ 

Publisher Penguin Random House announced last year it would bring out Harry’s ‘literary memoir’ in late 2022.

It said he would be sharing for the first time the ‘definitive account’ of his life. It has been feared by Buckingham Palace that Harry will use the memoir to settle old scores.

Inside Harry and Meghan’s Montecito home: The Cut interview reveals how the Sussexes’ $14.65million mansion is decorated with Soho House candles, a piano from Tyler Perry – and two plush chairs ‘like thrones’ in the office

By Jessica Green for MailOnline 

Meghan Markle has given a glimpse into the $14.65million Montecito mansion she shares with Prince Harry and their two children Archie and Lilibet.

In a new interview published today with The Cut, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, shared how her home in Southern California makes her ‘feel free’ and is ‘calm and healing’.

The magazine revealed various features of the property – including the two connected palm trees in the garden, which the Duke of Sussex, 37, refers to as himself and Meghan – with even their son, three, calling ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa’ whenever he passes them.

Elsewhere, it detailed Harry and Meghan’s shared office and the ‘two plush club chairs placed side by side behind a single desk, facing into the room like thrones.’

The couple’s sitting room is home to a grand piano from actor-director Tyler Perry – whose Beverly Hills mansion they first stayed in following their move from Canada – as well as a Soho House rose-water candle and cosy chairs. 

Meghan Markle (thought to be pictured in her office) has given a glimpse into the $14.65million Montecito mansion she shares with Prince Harry and their two children Archie and Lilibet

Meghan Markle (thought to be pictured in her office) has given a glimpse into the $14.65million Montecito mansion she shares with Prince Harry and their two children Archie and Lilibet

In a new interview published today with The Cut, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, shared how her home in Southern California (pictured) makes her 'feel free' and is 'calm and healing'

In a new interview published today with The Cut, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, shared how her home in Southern California (pictured) makes her ‘feel free’ and is ‘calm and healing’

The magazine revealed various features of the property - including the two connected palm trees in the garden, which the Duke of Sussex (pictured right at his home), 37, refers to as himself and Meghan - with even their son, three, calling 'Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa' whenever he passes them

The magazine revealed various features of the property – including the two connected palm trees in the garden, which the Duke of Sussex (pictured right at his home), 37, refers to as himself and Meghan – with even their son, three, calling ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa’ whenever he passes them

Elsewhere, it detailed Harry and Meghan's shared office and the 'two plush club chairs placed side by side behind a single desk, facing into the room like thrones.' Pictured, Meghan at her home

Elsewhere, it detailed Harry and Meghan’s shared office and the ‘two plush club chairs placed side by side behind a single desk, facing into the room like thrones.’ Pictured, Meghan at her home

‘The Montecito house is the kind of big that startles you into remembering that unimaginable wealth is actually someone’s daily reality,’ wrote Allison P. Davis. 

The author compared it to a classic Tuscan villa, a Napa vineyard and a Beverly Hills country club.

Meghan revealed that both she and Prince Harry avoided visiting their current home at first – because affording it wasn’t possible since they didn’t have any jobs.

She explained that the couple didn’t want to ‘window shop’ the property – however, they eventually visited the home and fell in love with the grounds. 

They had only toured the outside – which includes a chicken coop, pool and pool house – when they told the real estate agent that they wanted the home, purchasing it for $14.65 million.

‘We did everything we could to get this house,’ said Meghan. ‘Because you walk in and go… Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.’ 

They have since secured Spotify and Netflix deals estimated to be worth £18million and £75million, respectively. 

One of the first features of the home that Meghan and Harry saw was two palm trees, connected together at the bottom, which the Duke claimed represented the loved-up couple.     

‘And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, “Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa,”‘ explained the Duchess. 

Harry also featured in the magazine interview, and briefly explained that he is in the middle of renovations for the home – fixing pipes, for example. 

Meanwhile, in the couple’s sitting room, a grand piano proudly sits after Tyler Perry gifted it the couple as a housewarming present, while Soho Houses candles also feature.

The couple's sitting room (thought to be pictured) is home to a grand piano from actor-director Tyler Perry - whose Beverly Hills mansion they first stayed in following their move from Canada - as well as a Soho House rose-water candle and cosy chairs

The couple’s sitting room (thought to be pictured) is home to a grand piano from actor-director Tyler Perry – whose Beverly Hills mansion they first stayed in following their move from Canada – as well as a Soho House rose-water candle and cosy chairs

Meghan explained that the founder, Nick Jones, is a friend. For their first meeting, the Duke and Duchess are said to have been set up on a blind date at Soho House’s Dean Street Townhouse.

It comes amid reports that the couple are very unlikely to visit the Queen at Balmoral when they return to Britain for a brief trip next week, a royal expert said today as he warned the ‘family rift is getting worse, not better’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have an ongoing row about their security with the Home Office – and tensions with the Royal Family have been deepened by mounting concerns over what will be published in Harry’s upcoming biography, and Meghan making veiled criticisms of the family in her new Spotify podcast released last week.

Royal expert Phil Dampier told MailOnline today that he would be ‘very surprised’ if the Sussexes visit the Queen at Balmoral, where she is likely to remain for the next few weeks as concerns grow over her mobility issues.

He added that there is little ‘goodwill on both sides’ and that the royals will be ‘wary’ of Harry amid what could be in his book. Mr Dampier also said that a ‘visit to Scotland would create awkward family tensions for everyone’.

Meghan Markle reveals extraordinary words from a South African performer at the Lion King film premiere who told her: ‘When you married into the royal family we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’ 

By Maria Chiorando for MailOnline 

Meghan Markle said a South African cast member of the Lion King film told her ‘they rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’ when she married Prince Harry. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the star-studded premiere of the Disney remake in July 2019, rubbing shoulders with A-listers including Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

‘I just had Archie. It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out,’ she said in an interview with The Cut magazine, published today. 

A cast member from South Africa pulled her aside. ‘He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, “I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.” 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the star-studded premiere of the Disney remake in July 2019, rubbing shoulders with A-listers including Beyoncé and Jay-Z

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the star-studded premiere of the Disney remake in July 2019, rubbing shoulders with A-listers including Beyoncé and Jay-Z 

The Duchess of Sussex did not name the cast member.  

The comments came as part of a wide-ranging bombshell interview to The Cut – part of New York magazine – in which she claimed that what the couple asked for when they wanted financial freedom was not ‘reinventing the wheel’.

The fashion publication reported today that 41-year-old Meghan listed a ‘handful of princes and princesses and dukes who have the very arrangement they wanted’, although none of these royals are named in the article.

And Meghan, speaking to New York-based features writer Allison P Davis, said: ‘That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.’

Asked ‘Why do you think that is?’, she simply replied: ‘Why do you think that is?’, with the interviewer Ms Davis saying that she said this ‘right back with a side-eye that suggests I should understand without having to be told’.

Meghan also said: ‘I’m getting back … on Instagram’ – with Ms Davies describing ‘her eyes alight and devilish’. It comes after she closed all of her social media accounts ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018. But further down the article, it says: ‘Later, Meghan would relay she was no longer sure she would actually return to Instagram.’

Nelson Mandela, accompanied by his wife Winnie, raises his hand in celebration as he walks out of the Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town, on February 11, 1990, after spending 27 years in apartheid jails

Nelson Mandela, accompanied by his wife Winnie, raises his hand in celebration as he walks out of the Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town, on February 11, 1990, after spending 27 years in apartheid jails 

The article states that Harry and Meghan suggested to ‘The Firm’ that they should be allowed to work on behalf of the monarchy but make their own money, with the Duchess saying: ‘Then maybe all the noise would stop.’

The Duchess, who celebrated her birthday earlier this month, is set to return to the UK with Prince Harry for a brief trip next week.

However, it is thought the couple is unlikely to visit the Queen at Balmoral, with a royal expert saying the ‘family rift is getting worse, not better’.

Tensions have reportedly been deepening by growing concerns over what will be published in Harry’s upcoming biography, and Meghan making veiled criticisms of the family in her new Spotify podcast released last week.

According to royal expert Phil Dampier, there is little ‘goodwill on both sides’ and that the royals will be ‘wary’ of Harry amid what could be in his book. Mr Dampier also said that a ‘visit to Scotland would create awkward family tensions for everyone’.

He told MailOnline today that he would be ‘very surprised’ if the Sussexes visit the Queen at Balmoral, where she is likely to remain for the next few weeks as concerns grow over her mobility issues.  

From Archie’s bouncy castle playdates to glamorous polo matches and dinners with Gloria Steinem, Meghan Markle offers a rare insight into her and Harry’s charmed life in California

By Jo Tweedy for MailOnline

Meghan Markle has offered a glimpse into the Sussexes’ seemingly charming family life in California, saying the couple are ‘building a community’ in the luxury enclave of Montecito. 

Speaking to The Cut – part of New York magazine, the duchess painted a near ambrosial picture of life in California incorporating dinners with ‘safe harbor’ friends, taking Archie to his friends’ birthday parties and polo matches with Harry – although the 41-year-old said the nursery run is impossible to do without being papped by an army of photographers. 

During the exclusive interview with the fashion publication, which took place at the couple’s luxury $14.7m home in the exclusive residential hills near Santa Barbara, Meghan revealed how she enjoys dinners with old ‘safe harbor’ friends, including feminist icon, Gloria Steinem and makeup entrepreneur Victoria Jackson. 

 

Meghan Markle spoke to The Cut magazine, revealing insights into the Sussexes new life in California, telling the magazine the family are 'building a community' in Montecito

Meghan Markle spoke to The Cut magazine, revealing insights into the Sussexes new life in California, telling the magazine the family are ‘building a community’ in Montecito

Little Archie, who’s described as having a mop of ginger curls, clearly dictates some of the couple’s schedule, with the Sussexes attending toddler parties. 

Meghan regaled during the interview how some residents are hesitant in the couple’s presence, and surprised when they even show up at birthday parties. 

She said: ‘I was in a bouncy castle, and I saw this 1-year-old inside. I was like, “Where’s your mom?” And this mom on the outside goes, “Oh, hi! I’m here. I wasn’t sure if I should come in.’ “

The 41-year-old reveals she told her: “Do you need your child? Of course you can come in.”

The fashion magazine also joins Meghan on a pre-school run to collect Archie, saying that the little boy shouts ‘Momma, Momma, Momma’ when he spots the duchess. 

Meghan told the publication that a legion of paparazzi await their son’s daily arrival, saying that being aggrieved by it ‘doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.’ 

'Safe harbor': Meghan revealed how she enjoys dinners with old friends, including feminist icon, Gloria Steinem (pictured in July in New York with Steinem) and entrepreneur Victoria Jackson, who the family visit on her Santa Barbara ranch

‘Safe harbor’: Meghan revealed how she enjoys dinners with old friends, including feminist icon, Gloria Steinem (pictured in July in New York with Steinem) and entrepreneur Victoria Jackson, who the family visit on her Santa Barbara ranch

Gloria Steinem, the political activist who has recruited Meghan in her fight to get Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment – a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex, also remains a close friend, and she introduced the couple to 80s makeup entrepreneur Victoria Jackson.

At the beginning of the month, Meghan celebrated her 41st birthday at Jackson’s ranch close to Santa Barbara, where Harry plays polo for Los Padres, and the couple’s children, Archie and Lilibet, have spent time petting the businesswoman’s mini pigs on her sprawling farm.

Jackson appears on an upcoming episode of Meghan’s podcast Archetypes and tells The Cut that the couple are ‘good people’, saying she wants to help them ‘get out of the house because it’s complicated for them to go anywhere’.

Harry has settled into the polo playing set, turning out at a round robin tournament in Aspen, Colorado last week

Harry has settled into the polo playing set, turning out at a round robin tournament in Aspen, Colorado last week

Last week, Prince Harry turned out to play polo in a round robin tournament in Aspen, Colorado, and the sport the prince has loved since being a child has clearly also been key to the couple establishing themselves across the Pond.

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras, 45, an Argentine actor, model, polo player, and longtime friend of Harry’s who competed alongside him at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Colorado on Thursday, is clearly a close confidant.  

Nacho first met the royal, 37, in 2007 at a charity match hosted by Sentebale and the couple decamping to California has only firmed up their friendship.  

Is THIS Meghan’s secret Netflix project? Duchess hints at a documentary about her and Harry’s ‘love story’ and says it’s a ‘piece of her life she hasn’t been able to share’

By Claire Toureille for MailOnline

Meghan Markle has hinted that the documentary she and Prince Harry are currently filming for Netflix could focus on their ‘love story’. 

Speaking in an interview with The Cut, published today, the Duchess of Sussex said her five-year-long romance with Prince Harry is one of the ‘pieces of her life’ that she has not yet been able to share with the public. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s production company, Archewell Productions, signed a reported $100million deal with the streaming giant in 2020 but there has yet to be a release. 

A documentary series about the Invictus Games has been confirmed. Meghan’s planned animated children’s series was scrapped as part of wider Netflix cutbacks.  

It had previously been rumoured that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, in the style of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. 

Meghan Markle has hinted that the documentary she and Prince Harry and currently filming for Netflix could focus on their love story. Pictured on their wedding day with Prince Harry on May 19 2018

Meghan Markle has hinted that the documentary she and Prince Harry and currently filming for Netflix could focus on their love story. Pictured on their wedding day with Prince Harry on May 19 2018

However it appears it might be closer to a look back on the royal romance.  

‘The couple has directly smashed rumors of a reality show, both in statements made to publications and in conversation with me,’ journalist Allison P. Davis notes in the article. 

‘But, Meghan explains, there’s a difference between a historical documentary and a reality docuseries.’

The Duchess continued: ‘The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been filming the Netflix documentary for more than a year after signing a widely reported $100million deal in 2021.

They have been spotted with a film crew at a number of engagements, including the Invictus Games earlier this year. The filming is believed to have taken place for their confirmed docu-series Heart of Invictus.

They have been spotted with a film crew at a number of engagements, including the Invictus Games earlier this year

They have been spotted with a film crew at a number of engagements, including the Invictus Games earlier this year 

Multiple sources told Page Six that the streaming platform is hoping to release the Sussex documentary around the same time as The Crown’s new series, which is set to be released in November.

The major streaming service doesn’t want to be ‘scooped’ by the Duke’s memoir, despite claims the Sussexes want the documentary to air next year, sources said. 

Harry’s book is set to be released sometime this fall, and Netflix will be keen to capitalize on the huge buzz that the tell-all tome will likely generate.

‘[Netflix executives] knew the book was coming out, which is why they wanted the series this year,’ a source told Page Six. ‘They don’t want to hold off any longer.’ 

The royal couple, however, reportedly wants the series to hit the small screen next year, according to Page Six. 

DailyMail.com contacted Netflix for comment at the time the reports first emerged.

Cameras were also following Meghan and Harry during a visit to New York in September 2021, pictured

Cameras were also following Meghan and Harry during a visit to New York in September 2021, pictured

Meghan Markle previously had an animated series, Pearl, in the works with Netflix but it was scrapped in May as part of a wave of cutbacks prompted by the streaming juggernaut’s drop in subscribers. 

The series, which had Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish on board as an executive producer, was set to see a young girl inspired by Meghan – whose name means ‘pearl’ in Welsh – take on various social injustices, while highlighting the work of feminist icons. 

A now-removed quote from Meghan about the series read: ‘Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges.

‘I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.’

Director Liz Garbus was involved in the project and is now attached to the Netflix documentary. 

It comes a week after Meghan Markle released the first episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes.   

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