Harry, Meghan crushed by 'unnecessarily cruel' Megxit, says expert: 'They were left to fend for themselves'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were "crushed" by their "unnecessarily cruel" exit from the royal family, which was forced after they were "left to fend for themselves against impossible circumstances," a royal expert close to the couple has claimed.
Omid Scobie, Harper's Bazaar's royal editor and a journalist in Harry's and Meghan's inner circle, has revealed what happened behind-the-scenes during the couple's emotional farewell to the royal family this past week and defended them for their decision of stepping down as senior royals.
"To say they were crushed is an understatement," Scobie said. "It’s a decision that the couple still feel wasn’t necessary, but also wasn’t a surprise, given the lack of support they received as they were relentlessly attacked by sections of the British press with almost daily mistruths and hateful commentary."
"While recent tabloid coverage has made it seem like the Sussexes’ half-in-half-out bid was about wanting it all, the reality was a couple who were left with no other choice but to create their own change after being left to fend for themselves against impossible circumstances — even during her pregnancy."
Scobie said the couple wanted something to change but did not want to stop supporting the Queen and that things may have turned out differently had "a family member or two stood up for them during the darkest times."
The royal expert also brought up how last week's Mountbatten Festival of Music was a particularly difficult moment for Harry, who had shown to the event wearing his Captain General Royal Marines uniform for the last time.
"Giving up his royal duties has resulted in his military honors coming to an end—a particularly tough pill to swallow and something that has been just as difficult for his wife to witness," Scobie said, adding that it was "a wound that will take time to heal for Harry."
Harry served in the Army for 10 years, rising to the rank of captain — something that veterans use to lovingly call him "Captain Wales" — and completed two tours in Afghanistan before founding the Invictus Games for wounded veterans.
Scobie said that while the couple smiled and posed for the cameras, behind it, they have been a "vulnerable couple who are still very much hurting."
The royal expert was also at Buckingham Palace's distinguished and hallowed 1844 room for Meghan's final engagement as a senior working royal where she met 22 students who had received scholarships from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).
Meghan reportedly was filled with emotion as she bid goodbye to her team, which will be disbanded following Megxit, what seemed like an "unnecessarily cruel ending" to her royal life.
"Tears that the Duchess had been bravely holding back" were freely flowing, Scobie said, though Meghan is still said to excited about what's in store for her and Harry in the future.
"The couple genuinely feel a sense of excitement about what’s to come, which includes the freedom to work at a pace that suits them, no longer weighed down by protocol or threatened by toxic agendas," Scobie wrote. "The terrain may be a little different but their priorities are exactly the same as before."