From day one, Prince Charles was a man of firsts and would often break the royal mold. In November 1948, a young Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Charles, with newspapers reporting at the time that he was a “lovely boy, a really splendid baby.”

Amazingly, the newborn prince was the first royal baby to be born at Buckingham Palace in the 20th century. While he didn’t have to grow up during the first or second world war, Charles would have his own battles as the years progressed…

6 February, 1952, marked a bittersweet time in the history of the British monarchy. King George VI, Charles’s grandfather, was diagnosed with coronary thrombosis and ultimately passed away. This meant two important things. Firstly, George’s daughter, Elizabeth, immediately became the Queen of England.

Subsequentially, at just three years and three months of age, Charles was now the first in line for the throne. This would begin one of the longest periods that any royal has had as heir…

As the years went on, Charles was given and more and more titles. However, one of his most important titles came in July 1958, when his mother Queen Elizabeth II named him Charles Prince of Wales. It made sense, seeing that the nine-year-old was a male heir to the throne.

Over a decade later, Charles was officially crowned as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. Despite his royal duties building up, Prince Charles was still determined to have some sort of normality in his life…

As he grew into his adolescence, Prince Charles continued to break royal norms, determined to have some sort of “normal” life, whatever that might mean. In October 1967, he became the very first royal heir to attend university.

He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge until finally graduating in 1970 with a 2:2 in anthropology, archaeology, and history. Many casual fans wondered why a member of the British royal family wasn’t able to graduate with a first. Some speculate that it was for the following reason…

While Prince Charles’s personal life spiraled out of control later on in life, it seems like the royal family was unforgiving towards him long before he ever tied the knot with anyone. Relatives portrayed him as a bit of a rebel, with some members of the family telling the press that he was something of a “ladies’ man.”

However, Charles was quick to deny such claims and was deeply hurt by such accusations. While future relationships didn’t help his case, Charles has since spoken up…

1971 was the year when Prince Charles’s personal life started to take some significant twists and turns. It was the year that he first met Camilla Shand and it wouldn’t take long before the two started dating. By all accounts, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

However, the couple ended up breaking things off when Camilla started to see Andrew Parker Bowles. They tied the knot in 1973 and Charles was back to square one. He turned his attentions elsewhere…

Around the same time that Prince Charles was entangled with Camilla, he started a six-month training program as a jet pilot with the Royal Air Force. With time, the young prince moved on to the Royal Navy, where he would serve on a number of ships and even train as a helicopter pilot.

During the last ten months of his service in the navy, Charles took command of the HMS Bronington. Many years later, his flying days would come to an end after crashing a BAe 146 in the Hebrides.

In 1976, Charles put his navy days behind him and started to map out what he was going to do next with his life. Shortly after his service came to an end, the Prince of Wales used the $8000 he accumulated from his military pension to establish The Prince’s Trust.

This charity aims to help young people who are struggling. The Prince’s Trust was the first of over 25 charities that Prince Charles has either established or had a part to play in over the years.

It is common knowledge that Prince Charles was once married to the late Princess Diana. However, many aren’t aware that the Prince of Wales reportedly dated her older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, despite already meeting her sister.

In 1977, it is believed that the two saw each other for about nine months. However, the relationship didn’t last and this was in part due to an embarrassing interview Sarah gave about Charles. She allegedly claimed that she wouldn’t marry him “if he were the dustman or the King of England.”

As previously mentioned, Charles had already met Diana Spencer in 1977. However, it wasn’t until 1980 that the Prince of Wales would consider dating her. According to biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, Diana had been supportive of Charles after he lost his uncle Lord Mountbatten.

“Without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride”, he wrote. As the media was skeptical about whether or not Charles actually had feelings for Diana, Prince Phillip pressured Charles into making a decision about their future, sooner rather than later…

When Prince Charles did propose to Diana, it was right before she embarked on a trip to Australia. He wanted to give her that time away to think about this big decision – one that would come with so many changes to her everyday life, for the rest of her life.

But she surprised him, and the world, by saying “yes” right away. In 1981, their engagement was announced; he was 31, she 19. But when asked if they are in love, his reply was, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”

His answer concerned many people, including both Diana and the reporter present. Those close to him explained that it had to do with the pressure put on him to pick a “smart match” to both spend his life with and bring into the Royal family, rather than a mere reflection of his love.

But even today, many believe it was foreshadowing of what was to come. Nonetheless, the couple was married at St Paul’s cathedral on the 29th of July, 1981.

One of the many priorities of the Royal family is to have many little Royal children, so it wasn’t long before the new couple became new parents as well. By June 21st of 1982, just a year later, Charles and Diana welcome Prince William of Wales into the family.

The early years of their marriage saw more good times, and their first child was followed by a second: Prince Harry, born on September 15th, 1984. But it wasn’t long before difficulties in their relationship became apparent.

Whether it was merely clashing personalities or their 13-year age difference, the world may never know. But just five years after their marriage, the relationship was in jeopardy.

Diana, for one, had barely entered the most formative years of her life; years when the average person changes drastically, and quickly. Years later, a video surfaced of Diana saying on record that she had been “deeply in love” with someone who worked close to the family by 1986.

Coincidentally – or not – royal family policeman Barry Mannakee was transferred that year to another position (the Diplomatic Protection Squad) that would keep him farther away from Diana. It was that very same year when Charles reunited with an old flame: Camilla Parker Bowles.

They had briefly dated before his relationship with Diana began, but in order to pursue Diana with commitment, he cut off contact with her. When asked in the years to come what sparked their reconnection, Prince Charles admitted that his marriage was all but broken by that time.

Meanwhile, Diana seemed more interested in protecting her own heart than protecting her reputation. It seemed like no secret to her that the Prince’s rekindled friendship with his old flame Camilla was far from just friendly. A transcript from a conversation between her and her horseback riding teacher, James Gilbey, occurred around the same time that was only released years later in 1992; when Charles and Diana were still married, but far from together.

In it, Gilbey professes his love to Diana and calls her by a pet name, “Squidgy,” 53 times – which gave their scandal the nickname, “Squidgygate.”

Shortly following Diana’s leaked phone call, another transcript was leaked – this time, of a conversation between Prince Charles and his “friend” Camilla, who herself was unhappily married. Rumors had already been widely circulating, but this conversation was proof enough for the masses.

One particularly convincing point was a comment Charles made to Camilla about turning into a tampon. Well, it’s no surprise that he and Diana announced their separation just a few months later.

In the years to come, author Jonathan Dimbleby was given full access to the Prince along with his papers and diaries while working on a book about him, which was finally published in the 1994 publication The Prince of Wales.

In it, details are revealed of the Prince’s infidelity, along with personal accounts that present Diana as mentally unstable. Either way, the strains of their relationship became much clearer to the public. In Charles’ own words, he was “faithful and honorable” during the marriage, “until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.”

It was only a matter of time before Princess Diana was given a voice in this, or perhaps gave herself one. On November 20th of 1995, Diana hosted Panorama for an interview in which she blamed Bowles for the demise of her own relationship with Prince Charles, describing her marriage as ‘crowded’.

“Well there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded,” she said very publicly to the 23 million people who watched the program.

Although they’d been separated for years, the widespread knowledge of the state of their relationship led Prince Charles and Princess Diana to take the next step in separating, and make their divorce official. In 1996 it was finalized.

It was the first time in history that an heir apparent and descendent to the throne was allowed to divorce, which would be followed by another major first: his permission to remarry, and even more shockingly, to another divorcee.

Their English subjects were bewildered, to say the least. Three consecutively broken rules left them asking, do the rules actually matter anymore?

But before long, their concerns over time and tradition were put aside by a tragedy no one saw coming that shook not only England but the entire world: just one year after their divorce, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash while in Paris on the 31st of August, 1997. Despite their differences and separation, this would be very bad news for Prince Charles.

On top of its widespread sadness and a resurgence of affection for the young Princess, the public turned a critical eye to Prince Charles. Many suspected his involvement in the tragedy which took her life, and villainized him for it. For a while, he kept a low profile – especially keeping his budding romance with Camilla out of the spotlight, even though everyone knew they were together.

But in time, he decided it was finally time to begin living his truth transparently. In 1999 he made his first public appearance with Camilla at a party at the Ritz.

To say that the Queen approved of their relationship would be a far cry from the truth, but she did not ultimately get in the way of Charles and Camilla’s love. The couple spent years enjoying their relationship despite many odds against them, and took their time getting to the altar, even though she had been part of his intimate life and family for some time.

On April 9th, 2005, 30 years after their acquaintance was made, Prince Charles and Camilla were officially married at a register office in Windsor. Prince Harry later said, “We are very grateful for her. She’s made our father very happy.”

There’s no denying that Prince Charles’ relationship with the media hasn’t always been smooth sailing. During a gathering at St. Bride’s Fleet Street in 2002, the Royal member noted that at times, the press has been “awkward, cantankerous, cynical, at times intrusive, at times inaccurate, and at times deeply unfair and harmful to individuals and to institutions.”

Still, Prince Charles also made a reasonable point in addressing the fact that “from time to time, we are probably both a bit hard on each other, exaggerating the downsides and ignoring the good points in each.”

Not only is Charles a reasonable guy but he’s also one with the Earth. In fact, he’s been promoting environmental awareness since the ’80s and has even received an award from the Harvard Medical School for his work in the natural world.

With that being said, it makes sense as to why Charles enjoys the occasional conversation with nature. During an interview with BBC, the Royal member admitted that “I happily talk to the plants and trees, and listen to them. I think it’s absolutely crucial.” Despite the backlash his comments received, Charles still stands by them.

Believe it or not, Prince Charles is a man of many talents. As a child, Charles learned how to play the piano, trumpet, and cello. In the end, Charles stuck with cello and would go on to play in the Trinity College Orchestra during his undergraduate years.

Aside from music, Prince Charles writes books and even paints! In fact, Charles is an honorary member of the Royal Watercolor Society and the Royal Academy. Using watercolors, the Prince pulls inspiration for his art from nature and scenery.

There’s no doubt that Prince Charles and Princess Diana had a rocky marriage from the very beginning. Now, with rumors flying around that Prince William had cheated on Kate with their friend — Rose Hanbury — Royal fans fear that history will repeat itself with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Though the post has since been deleted, speculations intensified when British food writer and TV presenter Giles Coren clarified via Twitter that “Yes. It is an affair.” Whether or not these claims are true, one thing’s for sure — William and Kate have a ton of support in their corner!

Let’s be real here, people — becoming a parent or grandparent is a magical experience. We’re sure Prince Charles would agree considering that his grandchildren are the apple of his eye. In July of 2013, at the age of 64, Charles became a grandfather for the first time when Prince George was born.

Although Charles himself admits that keeping up with his grandchildren “wear me out,” there’s absolutely no doubt that they have him wrapped around their tiny fingers. Take this photo, for instance. Charles looks like he’s having the time of his life while Prince Louis grabs onto his face.

We think it’s safe to say that Prince Charles was completely on board and supportive of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the very beginning of their relationship. Not only did Charles walk Meghan down the aisle on her wedding day — as her own father couldn’t be there — but he also helped the newlyweds “soldier on” during their first year of marriage despite the controversy and gossip that surrounded them as Royals.

With all of this being said, it’s clear that Prince Charles shares a close relationship with his sons as well as his daughters-in-law.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines after issuing a statement that as of March 31st, they will officially transition out of their roles as “senior members” of Britain’s Royal family. Although Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement stating that she and her family “are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” Charles is reportedly “livid” about his son and daughter-in-law’s announcement.

He also allegedly blames Meghan for pushing Harry to leave the Royal spotlight. While Harry and Meghan received a $6 million yearly stipend from Charles prior to their exit, sources say that the Prince of Wales is still mulling over how much he’ll give the couple now that they’re stepping down.

Throughout history, the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her heir has been a subject of much debate. The fact that the Queen’s official royal duties began while Charles was still quite young has led to suggestions that Charles may have not formed as strong a bond with his mother as he had with nannies and especially his beloved grandmother.

According to Charles himself, it was “inevitably the nursery staff” and his grandmother who taught him to play, witnessed his first steps, and disciplined him. During an emotional tribute at the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, Charles explained that “she meant everything and I had dreaded this moment along with, I know, countless others… I adored her.”

For those that don’t know, there have been rumors circulating online and in tabloids that Queen Elizabeth wants to disregard the line of succession and make Prince William along with Kate Middleton the next King and Queen of England, instead of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

While we can admit that Prince Charles has caused quite a bit of controversy over the years, this speculation just isn’t true. Even if Queen Elizabeth wanted to change her successor, she doesn’t actually have the power to do that. Aside from that fact, Prince Charles is simply the most qualified Royal member to become King.

Amid the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, Prince Charles found it difficult to avoid shaking hands when greeting people at the Prince’s Trust Awards held at the London Palladium. Upon stepping on the red carpet, Charles extended his hand to Sir Kenneth Olisa — the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London — before remembering the precautions in place to limit the spread of germs.

When he realized, he quickly retracted his hand only to place his palms together in the Hindu greeting “Namaste” instead and he continued to greet each person in that manner for the remainder of the event.

It turns out that Charles’ method to greet people with a “Namaste” didn’t work out as planned. On March 18th, Charles’ office at Clarence House issued a statement announcing that Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now in self-isolation. He began showing symptoms over the weekend and was tested shortly after.

Charles is currently staying at his Scottish residence on the Queen’s Balmoral estate with a small number of staff keeping separate from him. According to a source, the Prince is only displaying mild symptoms and is otherwise in good health.

We’re not exactly sure where the Prince of Wales caught the virus from. According to the statement his office made, “it is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks.”

Following a public event that he attended on March 12th, Prince Charles has had a number of private meetings with individuals, all of whom have been made aware of the situation.

Ever since it was revealed Meghan Markle was dating the British Royal, Prince Harry, all eyes were on the Hollywood actress. However, despite being followed 24/7, there is still a lot we don’t know about her. Here are the many secrets of Meghan Markle.

An old friend of Meghan’s, Ninaki Priddy, branded her as “calculated” in the way she handles people and relationships. She also revealed Meghan always dreamt of being famous, recalling, “she just loved to be the center of attention.”

It was revealed last minute that Markle’s dad would not be attending her Royal wedding. Confirming the news, she said, “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.” Meanwhile, her reaction behind closed doors was much less matter-of-fact. Apparently, the shocking news of his absence “reduced both Meghan and Harry to tears.”

Markle’s dad staged his own paparazzi shots days before the wedding. Despite many requests for photographers to stay away from Thomas Markle, he apparently worked with members of paparazzi to stage photos showing him preparing for his daughter’s Royal wedding. It was alleged that he made a healthy profit from this too. While there was much speculation on this, it was reported Thomas decided not to attend the nuptials to avoid embarrassing the Royal family. Only days later, he changed his mind.

According to Meghan’s sister, Samantha, Meghan is not paying enough attention to her father. After making numerous attempts to speak to Meghan about the health of their 74-year-old dad, Kensington Palace refused to respond. Unsure whether Meghan was even aware of this, her publicist took to Twitter as the “only option we have left.” He claimed, “This DOESN’T need to be public, we would prefer to keep this private. Samantha is coming to the UK this week, like it or not.”

Meghan has allegedly hidden her half-sister’s disability. Samantha, who was diagnosed with MS back in 2008 and is in a wheelchair, believes her sister has avoided speaking about it publicly. She has even spoken out that Meghan has abandoned the family. In addition, she said that the two sisters have not been close, especially since her diagnosis. Born 17 years apart to different mothers, the two did not have much of a relationship, and despite Samantha’s claims, we doubt this is due to her disability.

While Samantha’s outbursts are not much of a concern to Meghan, a source revealed she was truly devastated by her brother Thomas’ comments when he said, “She’s capable of doing anything, she’s just got to want to do it. If she wants to make amends, by all means, she can do that.” However, Meghan finds it hard to trust her dad. A source explained, “She lives in fear that he’ll leak their communication. If he’s spoken this much already, why wouldn’t he leak their conversation?”

Meghan’s older half-brother is certainly not royal family material. Just like his father, he is on his second divorce and similarly declared his own bankruptcy in 2013. However, the real topper is that Thomas Markle Jr. was taken into custody after allegedly holding a weapon to his girlfriend’s head. He was charged with unlawful use of a dangerous weapon, menacing, and domestic violence. This does not sound like ideal behavior for a brother-in-law of Prince Harry.

When Markle revealed to her co-stars that she was dating Prince Harry, you can only imagine the excitement and delight. But one star, Rick Hoffman, decided to look out for his friend and colleague. “And then I was just like take it slow, be careful, don’t let him hurt you,” he warned the Royal-to-be. Despite their incredible shock, they all hoped nothing but the best for Meghan. This came after she told them all excitedly that the prince was “great.” Maybe they were just worried based on Harry’s past mischievous ways?

One of the biggest controversies in Harry and Meghan’s engagement was the fact she was previously divorced. Before meeting Harry, Meghan was married to producer Trevor Engelson for two years. They split citing “irreconcilable differences.” Meanwhile, a former friend of Meghan, Ninaki Priddy, revealed her career ultimately led to their splitting. Another source said the stress of a long-distance relationship likely played a part, as Meghan lived in Canada filming Suits and her husband was in Los Angeles.

Before becoming a Royal, Meghan made an appearance as the case model on Deal or No Deal, hosted by Howie Mandel. Meghan was one of those beautiful women who would open cases to reveal a winning amount. Her time on the show lasted from 2006 to 2007 and she once said in an interview that the only reason she did the show was to make ends meet. “Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing,” she said.

While we can imagine the Queen wasn’t very pleased about this, back in 2013, Meghan Markle took part in a seductive photo shoot for the Canadian magazine, Sharp. Of course, becoming a Royal means anything and everything from your past can creep up to haunt you, and if it’s on the internet there is no hiding. Although some outfits are sheer and revealing, she is fortunately not naked in any of the pictures, much to the Royals’ delight.

After turning up to Kensington Palace unannounced, Samantha was overcome with online abuse. However, she hit back in support of her shared father with Meghan saying that the “Duchess should bow to the daddy.” Accusing her half-sister of giving “fake waves and smiles,” and not giving time to “the one who was always there for her,” Samantha simply wanted Meghan to reach out to her father so he could know she is well, happy, and to touch base.

Samantha has denied claims that her tweets are “slams” against her sister. Instead, she states that she wrote “honest, open, most diplomatic opinions.” However, to many, it is not obvious how calling Meghan “arrogant and ignorant” or suggesting “Harry is a ‘wuss’ to allow the Duchess of Nonsense to mistreat everyone who has been close to her, especially her family,” is not a dig. While many are disgraced by Samantha’s outbursts towards the Duchess, it makes us question whether there is another side to Meghan.

Interestingly, Meghan is not the real name of Prince Harry’s Hollywood wife. She was born as Rachel Meghan Markle, the same name as her character on Suits. It is not known when or why Meghan decided to drop Rachel, but all of her acting credits are under Meghan Markle. Perhaps, like some of her former acquaintances have mentioned, she had always aspired to get to where she is today and Meghan was more suited for a Royal title.

Although she became part of British history when marrying Prince Harry, Meghan also needed to know it inside out before she became a citizen of the UK. As Prince Harry’s communication secretary Jason Knauf said, the Duchess of Sussex will go through the process of becoming a British citizen “properly and officially.” This means Meghan will have to take the ‘Life in the UK’ test. The test costs £50 and is compiled with roughly 3,000 facts. She has to answer 18 out of 24 questions correctly. Good luck, Meghan!

After meeting at a charity football game in 2014, Meghan and tennis star Serena Williams became great friends. After beginning to date the Prince and being bombarded by paparazzi and press, her friend gave her some friendly advice, “I told her, ‘You’ve got to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide,’” Williams said. Meghan’s best friend, however, is said to be fashion stylist Jessica Mulroney. The girls became close after Meghan moved to Canada to film Suits and her three children even served as bridal attendants at the wedding.

Revealing in an interview they were set up by a mutual friend, Markle claimed she knew who Harry was but not much about him or his family. She asked her friend if he was a good guy, “[I] didn’t know much about him–I just asked, ‘Is he nice?’ Because if he wasn’t kind I didn’t really see there was any point,” the actress shared. Meanwhile, ex-friend begs to differ, “I know the Royal Family was something she found fascinating,” said Priddy, “She had one of Princess Diana’s books on her bookshelf.”

Meghan is a sucker for breaking Royal rules. Whether it is due to ignorance or she wants to break the traditional mold, she has created much controversy. When appearing with Harry at Kensington Palace following the news of their engagement, Meghan committed a Royal fashion no-no. Rather than wearing pantyhose with her dress, she appeared in the public eye bare-legged, something the Royals do not do. While her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, has caught on well, Meghan has some way to go.

When Meghan met Prince Harry, she had two rescue dogs, Guy and Bogart. However, when things began to get serious and she moved to London, she only brought one dog, Guy, with her. Bogart remained in Canada with unnamed friends, given his age. A spokesperson revealed, “It’s in the best interest of the animal’s well-being to stay.” In December 2017, it was reported that Guy broke two legs. Meghan was apparently “distraught,” although circumstances surrounding the injury are unknown.

Meghan has been referred to by her estranged half-sister as a “social climber.” Allegedly, since the fame and fortune, Meghan chose to distance herself from her family (or at least tried to). Her sister, Samantha Grant, believed that Meghan tactfully made her way to become a princess, rather than it being due to romance. “Hollywood has changed her. I think her ambition is to become a princess,” said Grant when Markle and Prince Harry started dating. But can her sister be trusted?

No one in the Markle family seems to get along. Both half-sister, Samantha, and half-brother, Thomas Jr., have made allegations in the public media that the other sibling has been cut out of the family. Furthermore, despite Prince Harry making a comment that the Royals are like the family she never had, one family member suggested this was not the case. “She’s had a really good family,” said Thomas Markle Jr, “We were as close as we could be, as tight as we could be, that’s what we were.”

It has been said that Meghan was actually in a relationship with another man when she went on her first date with Prince Harry. From 2014 to 2016, Meghan was dating Canadian chef Cory Vitiello and they became serious, even living in a townhouse together. Meanwhile, we know Meghan met Harry in 2016, potentially causing their sudden breakup in May that year. So was Harry the cause of the end of Vitiello and Meghan, or was it something else? When questioned, he reported, “I can’t comment on that.”

Although her brother’s run-in with the law was for other reasons, Thomas Jr. also seems to suffer from problems relating to substance abuse too. His sister, Samantha, very publically accused him of being an addict via Twitter. She used this as a way to discredit anything Thomas Jr. had said about Meghan or their father in the media. However, he was not the only Markle to dabble in these substances. Meghan’s father also admitted to taking substances while raising his daughter.

Addiction and substance abuse is not the only thing that runs in the Markle family. While it still remains rather rare to see a divorce in the royal family, the Markles are no strangers to it. Thomas Markle started the pattern after divorcing twice. This was then followed by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., who has been divorced twice too. Samantha then followed in their footsteps and also divorced twice. As we know, Meghan is a one-time divorcee – let’s hope the family curse won’t strike again.

Once a successful lighting director, Meghan’s dad used to work on shows such as General Hospital and Married With Children. But while his daughter may be living the life as a Royal, her dad is far from this. In 2016, Thomas Markle filed for bankruptcy with very little in his account, credit card debts, and unpaid tax debts for almost two decades. While his salary may not have been on the top end of the spectrum, his possible struggles started after his divorce from Doria, Meghan’s mom.

Not many know, but Prince Harry and Meghan are strangely related! Yep, you heard right! While we shouldn’t go too crazy, as we all share the odd gene here and there, Meghan and Harry have proved it. In October 2017 the couple performed a “genealogical investigation” revealing that they are cousins dating back to the 15th century. The pair is related through High Sheriff of County Durham Ralph Bowes, whose grandson Christopher Hussey moved to America in 1632. Therefore, they are actually 17th cousins!

In March of 2021, Meghan and Harry sat down with Oprah in a tell-all interview. During this time, many details were revealed about what went on with the royal family behind closed doors. Now, while the media love to pin Markle and Kate Middleton against each other, that’s not the case in reality. Tabloids claimed that Meghan had made Kate cry a few hours before she was set to wed Prince Harry.

Well, it turns out that you shouldn’t believe everything you read or hear. While there were tears shed on Meghan and Harry’s big day, they weren’t coming from the Duchess of Cambridge. In actuality, the opposite had actually happened, with Kate leaving Markle in hysterics. Even so, the two ladies resolved their tiff and Meghan set the record straight. According to the Duchess of Sussex herself, “she [Kate] owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing and she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone.”

Just days before CBS was set to air Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry, The Times of London published a report claiming that the Duchess of Sussex bullied her staff at Kensington Palace during her time as a royal member. Now, this is a little hard to believe considering that Meghan has been “the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.” Markle’s spokesman also called the report a “smear campaign.” After all, the world had been anxiously waiting for the interview to drop, so perhaps the monarch wanted to ruffle some feathers in the process.

In January of 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan announced via Instagram that they jointly decided to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family,” and that they’d be splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America. Naturally, this post had the whole world in shock. But despite popular belief, Her Majesty The Queen wasn’t blindsided by this decision, as was reported. According to their interview with Oprah, Harry and Meghan had thoroughly discussed this move with the royal family for two years before announcing it to the rest of the world.

Now, in their post, Harry and Meghan claimed that they were stepping down to become financially independent. Since the Oprah interview aired, though, it’s clear that there were other things that contributed to the decision as well. As is with any tell-all interview, many personal details were shared. Meghan revealed that she had been struggling with her mental health and how she had been suffering. Unfortunately, she and Harry weren’t getting the help they needed and so, they needed to make a change. According to the couple, they wouldn’t have stepped down had it not been for “lack of support.”

After Archie’s birth in May 2019, it was announced that his parents — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — had chosen not to give their little one a royal title. During the Oprah interview, however, Meghan didn’t hold back in telling the truth. In fact, it wasn’t even the parents’ choice as to whether or not the baby would be getting a royal title. “While I was pregnant,” she told Oprah, “the royal family said they want to change the convention for Archie.”

Now, as if it weren’t enough that the monarch chose not to give Archie a title, we also learned another shocking detail during this interview. After Harry and Meghan stepped down from the royal duties, the monarch decided to take away any and all security protection from the family. Meghan pleaded with the institution — she had already accepted the fact that neither she nor Archie would receive protection, but she didn’t understand why they would take Harry’s security away.

Although Harry and Meghan had made the decision to step down, they were hardly expecting to be pushed away by the royal family altogether. Not only had they taken away the couple’s security but they also cut them off financially. Unsure of what to do, Harry and Meghan turned to friend and US entertainment mogul Tyler Perry for help. The 51-year-old provided Harry and Meghan with a home and security in California during 2020.