This past Sunday marked two years since Buckingham Palace Prince confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially stepped down from their roles as working members of the royal family.
“Working royal” might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s the term used to describe members of the Windsor clan who appear at royal engagements to toss coins at the peasants, or whatever.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to bow out of that life was blasted by critics who claimed that the couple wanted all of the advantages of the royal life with none of the “work.”
Never mind that the Sussexes were actually taking on a much more difficult existence in which they would be required to fend for themselves financially.
When Harry and Meghan made good on their promise to support themselves without any help from the Crown (the institution, not the Netflix show), they were criticized for that, as well.
And of course, when Harry published a memoir with the hope of explaining the couple’s reasoning behind their decision, the same haters worked themselves into a rage at the idea that these two are simply starved for attention.
Few of these trolls actually read the book, of course, which means they missed important revelations, such as the fact that King Charles never wanted Meghan to take on the role of a working royal in the first place.
In one widely overlooked passage from Spare, Charles tells Harry that Meghan should probably continue acting, as there’s no room for her on the royal payroll.
“Does she want to carry on working?” Prince Harry recalls Charles asking.
“Does she want to keep on acting?” asked the then-future king.
“Oh. I mean, I don’t know. I wouldn’t think so. I expect she’ll want to be with me, doing the job, you know, which would rule out Suits… since they film in… Toronto,” Harry replied.
“Hmm. I see. Well, darling boy, you know there’s not enough money to go around,” Harry quotes Charles as saying.
“What was he banging on about? He explained. Or tried to,” Harry continues.
“‘I can’t pay for anyone else,’” Charles allegedly said. “‘I’m already having to pay for your brother and Catherine.’”
Of course, there are no reports of Charles being equally hesitant about Kate Middleton, so this anecdote has been taken as further evidence that the King disliked Meghan from the start.
There are a number of theories for why he was so instantly disdainful of his future daughter-in-law, and they’re probably all equally valid.
These days, Charles has reportedly warmed to Meghan slightly, and insiders say he’s quite keen to have the Sussexes in attendance at his coronation in May.
But Harry and Meg might not be so taken with the idea.
“Harry has been very clear and his position hasn’t wavered – he isn’t going to come if he feels the atmosphere will be as toxic as it was during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral,” a source close to the situation tells The Mirror.
“He’s said he wants to reconcile with his family and it’s their call, but so far nothing has changed.”
Perhaps when they receive Charles’ invitation, Harry and Meghan should reply that they’re unable to attend because they’re too busy working.
