Since Meghan and Harry stepped down as royals in 2020, it looks as though they’ve been living their best lives in Montecito, California. But have they really?
They enjoyed benefits such as avoiding the invasive British tabloids and being free from Buckingham Palace’s restrictions on developing their personal brands, but do they have any regrets? They’ve experienced struggles with their Spotify deal, the American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand, and the flop that was “With Love, Meghan.” Besides Meghan’s mother, Meghan and Harry have also become estranged from their families due to the split. So do they regret stepping away from the royal family? Here are some signs that Meghan and Harry might regret their decision:
Meghan Markle continues to use her royal name
The most awkward and public moment that we learned this was that scene with Mindy Kaling in “With Love, Meghan” where she corrected the actress, saying, “It’s so funny that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now.” So why is she so intense about the name change? Apparently, she continues to go by the title Duchess of Sussex despite being told to relinquish the royal title. It’s even on her stationery. If she had such a bad time at Buckingham Palace, why does she insist on using her royal title?
She’s opened up about the difficulties of running a business
Starting a business is no easy feat. Meghan Markle has dealt with a failed podcast and has faced challenges with her lifestyle brand, especially regarding restocking issues. In “Confessions of a Female Founder,” she admitted to Spanx founder Sara Blakely that she found it lonely and isolating to launch her business. She might not have had as much trouble launching her own company if she had stayed in the royal family.
Finding her post-royal identity has been tough
On Meghan Markle’s podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” she discussed feeling lost and struggling with finding her personal identity, saying, “If I had to write a résumé, I don’t know what I would call myself.” Despite all her ventures, Meghan is still seen as part of the royal family rather than as an entrepreneur or podcaster on Google. If she had stuck with the royals, she would absolutely still face challenges, but may not have struggled so much with that sense of identity.
They still go on unofficial royal tours
While these trips aren’t technically royal duties, they have taken trips that simulate a royal tour. For instance, they visited Nigeria in May 2024 for Harry’s Invictus Games Foundation. In August 2024, they traveled to Colombia to promote charity work, and the Daily Mail called it a “faux royal tour.” Does this couple miss some perks of their royal lifestyle, such as the numerous trips they used to take?
She still sticks with wearing neutrals even though royal rules aren’t applicable
When she first adapted to being a royal, Meghan Markle often complained about the requirement of wearing neutrals. Although Meghan has made it sound like wearing neutrals negatively impacted her sense of style, since she left the royals, she’s worn so many neutrals that Vogue called them “50 Shades of Beige.” People are wondering if she really was so sartorially restricted and if she wears the same colors today, post-royal life.
She misses the support that came with being a royal
The full fleet of staff at Buckingham Palace supported Meghan Markle with whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. In Montecito, California, she and Harry also hired a full team to help them out, showing that they did appreciate and miss the support network of staff from their royal life. However, royal expert Tom Bower distinguished the difference between a royal court and “an extremely expensive staff tasked with the job of saving their brand.” Much of the staff has quit (18 employees, to be exact), including their chief of staff, production manager, and head of marketing.
Meghan no longer has a PR team to help her with bumps in the road
Everyone makes blunders and says the wrong thing once in a while. But when you’re in the public eye, those mistakes can cost you your career and have major consequences. That’s when a PR or crisis management team is helpful. Meghan admits to regretting certain statements she’s made that backfired, like out-of-touch statements about money. The royal family has an internal PR team called Royal Communications, who are designed to deal with awkward situations such as this. Without the support of this PR team, Meghan and Harry must navigate this challenging situation on their own, and we’re sure they feel the repercussions of those daily challenges.
