Meghan Markle has told close friends that her farewell tour in the UK is ‘confirmation’ that she and Prince Harry ‘made the right choice in parting ways’ with the royal family, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Meghan told her inner circle of friends that her last trip as a senior royal has been ‘bittersweet’ but she was ‘eager to get back home to Archie’ before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially walk away from the monarchy on March 31.
‘She said [the trip] has been a confirmation that they made the right choice in parting ways. There’s no warmth between the family members and she wants to raise Archie in a household that is filled with laughter and joy and lots of hugs,’ a close friend of Meghan told DailyMail.com.
‘It’s still weird to her that no one hugs and that everyone is so uptight, especially Kate. She said it’s obvious that Kate and William do not approve of their choices and that you could cut the tension with a knife. Kate barely even looked at her and their interaction was kept to a bare minimum.’
Meghan Markle has told her inner circle of friends that her last trip to the UK as a senior royal has been ‘bittersweet’ but she was ‘eager to get back home to Archie’
Friends of Meghan tell DailyMail.com that the trip to the UK was ‘confirmation’ that she and Harry ‘made the right choice in parting ways’ with the royals. ‘It’s still weird to her that no one hugs and that everyone is so uptight, especially Kate,’ the source said
Harry and Meghan’s exchange with William and Kate was visibly awkward at Monday’s Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked in ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton – the first public meeting of the two brothers and their wives since Megxit was announced two months ago – before Prince Charles and Camilla also arrived and the Queen then made an entrance to trumpet fanfare and cheers from crowds outside.
Meghan has already flown straight to Canada to reunite with 10-month-old Archie, while Prince Harry has stayed in the UK and will return later
Harry and Meghan greeted William and Kate with an awkward ‘hello’ in their last public royal duty.
Kate appeared to give a blank look at them, while the two brothers exchanged only hellos. Although Harry greeted his brother William with a smile, there was little interaction between them.
Meghan was seen mouthing ‘hi’ and gave a small wave to William and Kate, followed by a ‘hello’, as the Cambridges took their seat in the High Altar.
The Duchess of Sussex told her friends that she is ‘relieved’ that she didn’t bring Archie to the UK but had been FaceTiming with him throughout the trip.
‘She said it’s not like she was intentionally keeping [Archie] away, but it made no sense to bring him and put him in harm’s way,’ the friend added.
Meghan also shed light on her fears of the coronavirus, admitting she ‘hasn’t had the time to fully educate herself’ on the disease plaguing the world.
‘Regardless, Meghan said the whole thing is alarming and that she’ll be glad to get home and be with Archie,’ the source added.
Meghan has already flown straight to Canada from the Commonwealth Day Service to reunite with 10-month-old Archie, while Prince Harry has stayed in the UK.
But the split has not been an easy one, as Meghan was said to have shed a tear in emotional farewells to staff.
Kate Middleton has also taken Harry and Meghan‘s departure from the royal family ‘badly’, a source told Vanity Fair.
‘Kate barely even looked at her and their interaction was kept to a bare minimum,’ they said referring to the awkward greeting at Monday’s Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey
Sources revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were both ‘pretty emotional’ during their farewell tour over the last week, but the couple have a lucrative future ahead
The Duchess of Cambridge is said to feel Megxit is ‘very sad’, particularly because she was once in such a ‘happy trio’ with Prince Harry and Prince William.
Meanwhile, other royal sources revealed that Harry and Meghan have also found the process difficult, despite their beaming smiles at their final official appearances during the farewell tour over the last week.
Speaking to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, a friend of the couple explained: ‘It’s not been easy for anyone. I think they’re both pretty emotional.’
But Harry and Meghan are poised to have a bright and lucrative future ahead.
The couple are predicted to make millions from public speaking, contracts, book deals – or perhaps for Meghan, a return to acting.
They already have a network of high-profile friends such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will return to Archie in Mille Fleurs, the $14.1 million waterfront mansion near Victoria, British Columbia
Harry will fly back to Vancouver Island soon, where the couple have been living in recent months with their son at a luxurious $14million waterside mansion.
He is expected to return to Britain for the London Marathon on April 26, in his capacity as patron, assuming the event is not canceled due to the coronavirus.
The couple will also attend the Invictus Games in The Hague in the Netherlands from May 9 to 16, with more than 500 competitors from 19 nations competing.
But on March 31, which has become known as ‘Megxit Day’, they will stop using their HRH styles.
No documents will be signed or laws passed and the decision will not be binding, but it marks a new phase in their life.