Meghan Markle Showed ‘Great Potential’ Within the Royal Family But Played ‘a Victim’

Meghan Markle was a working member of the royal family for less than two years before she stepped down with Prince Harry. One expert says the duchess’ “potential” was overshadowed by feeling like “a victim.”

By the time Meghan Markle joined the royal family back in May 2018, she had already lived a fulfilling, successful life. The Duchess of Sussex is a former actress, having starred in USA Network’s Suits prior to meeting Prince Harry. While she was mostly known for her role on the small screen, she was able to build quite a net worth and fan base.

When Meghan first began dating Harry and was introduced to the royal family, one expert said she showed them “great potential” — but that it was overshadowed by the duchess feeling like she didn’t belong.

Meghan was educated and dignified, and while she did have some things working against her from the royal perspective (she had been divorced and was an American actress), she presented herself in a sophisticated manner. Meghan immediately struck up a good relationship with the late queen, but according to one royal expert, Meghan’s “potential” was lost to the duchess feeling like a “victim.”

“For all the great potential she showed, if you talk to people on the inside, they believe rightly or wrongly that she was constantly casting herself as a victim,” former royal correspondent Valentine Low told The Sun. “Saying, ‘You don’t want me; you think I’m going to fail; I’m not welcome really.’”

Low continued, “It’s as if, they believe, she was looking for a way out from the very beginning.” Of course, as time passed, things between Meghan and the royal family only became more tense, and Harry and Meghan departed permanently in 2020. Initially, the two were looking for a part-time situation, but reports suggest the queen wouldn’t have it.

The Duchess of Sussex remained friendly with the queen up until the queen’s death in 2022. That year, Meghan returned to the UK twice: once to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee and again to mourn the queen at her funeral. But since then, Meghan has not set foot on UK soil.

It’s assumed that Meghan and King Charles do not have a strong relationship, which could explain why Meghan chose to stay behind instead of attending Charles’ coronation. The duchess is also caring for two young children, and it’s possible she didn’t want to leave them to fly across the UK at that time. Still, even through Charles’ cancer diagnosis, Meghan has yet to return. There are stories circulating that Harry could be looking to bring the whole family to the UK, though nothing has been confirmed. In addition, some are saying Harry and Meghan could someday return to royal duties, though most think there is no chance Prince William would ever allow that to happen.