The Sussexes moved away from the UK and Royal Family five years ago for a new life abroad and they have now had a stinging article highlighting 10 ways their move went wrong

Prince Harry and Meghan’s life in the US has been blasted with 10 revelations by Vanity Fair. The magazine has delved into the past five years since they took the step to walk away from the Royal Family and start a new life abroad. Since then Harry has been critical of his life as a royal and been keen to open up about his experiences for interviews and documentaries.

The Sussexes signed major deals with Netflix and Spotify but many have been left asking what they will do to make money once their tales about the Royal Family run out. Especially contentious was Harry’s memoir Spare where he told of William attacking him physically and Meghan left crying after a run-in with the Princess of Wales. The Spotify deal only led to one podcast, called Meghan’s Archetypes where she discussed female stereotypes, before it was cancelled by mutual consent. And here are 10 key moments where the Sussexes were blasted for their behaviour and decision making.

The Sussexes left the UK five years ago ( 
Image:
PA)

Staff working with Meghan ended up in therapy

Allegations of bullying by Meghan towards staff, which she strenuously has denied, were brought up again by the magazine. It referred to two unnamed sources and said that a colleague took a leave of absence after working on Archetypes – before leaving altogether from Gimlet.

Others were said to have taken “extended breaks from work to escape scrutiny, exiting their job, or undergoing long-term therapy after working with Meghan”.

Local villains

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex bought their mansion in Montecito in Santa Barbara County back in 2020, after announcing they would step down from official royal duties. But it doesn’t appear as though they have won over all the residents with one local saying that they are known as “the prince and the starlet”

They have also reportedly become known as ‘local villains’ who have enticed people who are not from the area to visit. Apparently it is also now very difficult to get a walk in booking at Lucky’s, a steakhouse that the Sussexes have visited.

It is claimed that Harry underestimated the impact of Spare ( 
Image:
Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Archetypes was not Meghan’s idea

The Sussexes’ creation Archetypes did not originally come from them and was the idea of an employee, a source has also claimed. But it was also pointed out that the person didn’t have any of the intellectual property. It is also alleged that Archewell Audio took so long to handle production that Spotify’s studio Gimlet had to be brought in.

Harry is ‘reparented’

Meghan has a “caregiver and facilitator” role where she is the one who “makes things happen”, claimed a source who also told how Harry had changed during his relationship with Meghan. It was claimed that he used to be more keen and would look to engage with the media, with the insider adding: “I don’t want to be like, oh, it’s an Oedipus thing or whatever, but it kind of feels like she’s reparenting him in a way.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son Archie ( 
Image:
PA)

Impact of Spare underestimated by Harry

Harry was unaware of the impact his memoir Spare would have, a source told Vanity Fair. Its publication came right at the middle of the Sussexes’ crisis with the Royal Family and yet he didn’t see what would happen after his book was published, it was claimed, and especially the “power of the written word”.

‘Disingenuous’

Another local did not hold back as they said the Sussexes were the “most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet”. And like many other critics they said how the couple claimed they left the UK to avoid media scrutiny but appear to constantly court the media in the US.

Harry and Meghan were slammed for being ‘disingenuous’ ( 
Image:
Netflix)

Curtseying for the Queen

Fashion commentator Tom Fitzgerald told Vanity Fair he did not believe that Meghan would not know about curtseying for the Queen. He said he didn’t find it “particularly believable” that she “went into meeting the royal family completely cold, with no research whatsoever”. And he based this on Meghan’s personality and the way that she plans ahead.

Meghan’s brand American Riviera Orchard was also criticised in the article which said it is in fact Santa Barbara which is known as the American Riviera and it referred to people in Montecito as saying they had never heard their area known as it. A resident said: ‘It’s such a kind of hucksterism,” and another stated: “It’s just finding every way she can to monetise something.”

Meghan Markle’s brand American Riviera Orchard was seen by one local as just a way to monetise something

‘Lacking ideas’

The Sussexes appeared to have plenty of options when they arrived in the United States to make money with Netflix and Spotify but they failed to make successful content, it is claimed in the article. A former employee said the couple “wanted a big theme that would explain the world, but they had no ideas”.

Harry’s disinterest with Spotify project

A former Spotify staffer said Harry was “challenging to engage with” and on an occasion when the couple were interviewing someone for a job he gave off the air of “why should I do this”. It led the employee to think: “Didn’t Spotify pay you a lot of money to do this?” It was also suggested that Harry would prefer not to have to make money and leave it to Meghan.