It seems like it was just yesterday when the world came to a standstill at the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from the British Royal Family. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to embark on their own path far from the palace walls, seeking a new life in the United States with their firstborn, Archie. Lilibeth hadn't been born yet.
A departure that had a deep impact on the family, especially on his grandmother. Queen Elizabeth II never really understood the decision made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Since then, rivers of ink have flowed over the real reasons behind this unprecedented decision. However, it was Harry himself who, with heartbreaking honesty, named the turning point that blew up his relationship with his father, now King Charles III.
The wound that marked a turning point wasn't forged in palace arguments or disagreements about the monarchy's future, but in silence. For Harry, that silence was deafening and centered on the harassment and takedown his wife suffered at the hands of the British tabloid press. During a recent appearance at the Nexus Global Summit in New York, the Duke of Sussex didn't beat around the bush. In front of an audience of influential figures, his speech on mental health became deeply personal, revealing what he considers his father's ultimate betrayal.
Harassment of Meghan and a father's indifference
Everything goes back to the official tour the Duke and Duchess took in South Africa in 2019. That trip, which was supposed to be a celebration of their work, turned into a media nightmare. Meghan, a first-time mother, found herself in the eye of the storm, becoming the target of fierce criticism and malicious headlines that attacked her mercilessly. Harry himself, in a statement of unusual harshness, even compared the situation to the persecution his mother, Princess Diana, suffered, stating that his "greatest fear was that history would repeat itself."
When they returned to the United Kingdom, the situation got worse. The harassment was so intense that the couple, feeling unprotected, took legal action. But while Meghan was falling apart emotionally, from the British Royal Household, and specifically from the office of the then Prince of Wales, the response was inaction. Charles not only didn't publicly defend his daughter-in-law, but he also didn't take any steps to stop the smear campaign.
For Harry, that lack of support was unforgivable. "My wife, at that time, was the most defamed person in the world," he declared in New York, making it clear that his father's indifference was the final blow to their relationship.
From disappointment to action: the Archewell Foundation
The deep disappointment and pain he experienced were, paradoxically, the driving force behind a new purpose. Harry admitted that the foundation he leads with Meghan, Archewell, was born directly from that traumatic experience. Its goal focused on fighting social isolation and promoting a safer digital environment, motivated after meeting parents who had lost their children because of harassment on social media. What many saw as a whim or an identity crisis, for the prince was a matter of survival.
In his words, there is a sadness that goes beyond anger. It is the disappointment of a son who expected his father's protection and found a wall of silence. The silence of Charles III, which many analysts of the British royal household interpret as a calculated strategy to avoid fueling the media fire, was for Harry the confirmation that he couldn't raise his family in an environment that allowed such brutal attacks on his wife with the tacit consent of his own.