From the very first moment Meghan Markle appeared alongside Prince Harry, the world surrendered to a story worthy of a fairy tale. An American actress and Lady Di's youngest son seemed to embody modern romance: equality, diversity, and renewal for a royal family that seemed trapped in the past.
However, as often happens in poorly told tales, reality was very different behind palace walls. Royal expert Tom Quinn has just published new statements that offer a much more down-to-earth—and controversial—look at the beginning of this marriage. According to his book Yes, Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, Meghan reportedly entered the relationship with a very specific idea.
"She expected a billionaire and got a millionaire"
The phrase, attributed to a palace staff member, is as blunt as it is revealing. Meghan, raised in a culture where millionaires abound in Hollywood and luxuries are visible, assumed that Charles III's son and the future king's brother had to be astonishingly wealthy. But he was not.
Apparently, Harry had a personal fortune of just £20 million. A lot of money for anyone... except for someone who had imagined something else. Quinn reports that Harry was "deeply surprised" by Meghan's disappointment. Her reaction was not out of pure greed, but because of a difference in expectations: She imagined a life of absolute top-level.
Nottingham Cottage: the real reality check
For many, living in a royal house in London sounds like a dream. Not for Meghan Markle, who apparently experienced it as a humiliation. The property, which has just two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a modest garden, was insufficient for her. Quinn claims that Meghan felt it was a symbol: the size of the house represented how little Harry was valued within his own family.
"She couldn't understand how the son of a princess, of royal blood, could be confined to such a modest home," Quinn writes. The disappointment was not just material. It was emotional. Meghan believed that by marrying Harry she would enter royalty with the same rank and respect as Kate Middleton.
a marriage born with misunderstandings
The couple's beginnings were marked by passion, media attention, and a strong social commitment. In private, according to the author, Meghan had to "recalculate everything." The royal lifestyle was not as glamorous as that of a Hollywood star, nor as free, nor as comfortable.
The rules, the protocols, the lack of privacy, and the fact that she had to represent an institution she didn't fully understand gradually eroded her enthusiasm. The difference in vision between what Meghan thought the monarchy was and what she actually found became one of the major cracks in the marriage.
the most shocking part: the beginning of the exit plan
The most shocking thing is not the disappointment or the lack of millions. According to Quinn, Meghan reportedly began planning her exit from the royal family long before it became public. Not out of hatred, nor because of scandals, but due to pure incompatibility with a life that offered her neither autonomy, nor wealth, nor a clear purpose.
The love may have been genuine, but it was not enough. The modern fairy tale ended up being a quiet move and a carefully considered decision. A story that has no dragons, but does have disenchantment. An ending, as always, that no one dared to tell until now.