After their fairytale wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent less than two years as active members of the Royal Family before stepping down from their roles.
Despite the relatively short time they spent carrying out royal duties, the Sussexes managed to make a significant impact, including their first major tour, just months after they were married.
This tour took them to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, where they were met with widespread enthusiasm and adoration.
However, despite the warm reception, a royal expert suggests that this very trip may have sown the seeds of discontent that eventually led to their exit from royal life.
According to Ingrid Seward, a royal biographer and editor of Majesty Magazine, the experience was an eye-opener for Meghan, as she realised the limitations of her role.
In an interview with The Sun, Seward explained: “I think it was a bit of a shock [that] she was being told what to do, she was being told where to go, and she was being told how to do it. She was taking a starring role at that moment in Australia, but in the grand scheme of the monarchy, she was just a small part of it.”
Seward added: “I think it was an eye-opener for her that she was always going to be a cog in the wheel because she was married to the number two man [Prince Harry], not the number one, which would have been [Prince] William. That was definitely when the rot began to fester a little bit.”
These comments come as King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently on their own tour of Australia—six years after Harry and Meghan’s visit—where they too received an enthusiastic reception at the Sydney Opera House.
