Megxit: Exactly why does the UK hate Harry and Meghan?

Have you been living under a rock or have you seen the drama following Prince Harry & Meghan Markle since they stepped out into the world as an item? The UK has had a love/hate relationship with the royal couple and it’s even more apparent in the media. Meghan Markle has been the target of thousands of smear campaigns set out to humiliate and crucify the actress over false claims and unusual narratives.

Megxit (Meghan’s exit) became a huge talking point and yet another reason why the UK media aren’t fans of Meghan. Harry & Meghan have stepped out to shed some light on their side of the story. So why does the UK hate them?

Royal romance

Meghan Markle found the spotlight when she starred in Suits as Rachel Zane. She wasn’t shy in front of the camera, but that didn’t prepare her for the chaos that followed years later. In 2016, Harry & Meghan were set up on a blind date at Soho House’s Dean Street Townhouse.

“Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. I didn’t know much about him, so the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] when she said that she wanted to set us up, was, ‘Well, is he nice?’ Cause if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t seem like it would make sense,” Meghan Markle stated in a 2017 interview with the BBC. 

In an interview with James Corden on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Prince Harry spoke about the early stages of dating Meghan. “Dating with me, or with any member of the royal family I guess, is kind of flipped upside down. All the dates become dinners or watching the TV or chatting at home. And then eventually, once you become a couple you venture out to dinners, to the cinema, and everything else. So, everything was done back to front with us.”

Later that year, Kensington Palace confirms the young couple’s relationship status while also calling out some hurtful comments made about Markle: 

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.”

What went wrong?

Following an engagement, a wedding, and the birth of a baby boy, Meghan Markle & Prince Harry announce their exit from royal duties. The term Megxit was adopted by the British media and spread like wildfire. In 2020, the couple decided to become financially independent and step away from their duties after years of abuse thrown at them by the media and the British public. Racism and sexism are amongst the few things thrown at Meghan after she joined the royal family and was thrown into the deep end. 

“It brings me great sadness that it has come to this,” Prince Harry said during a private dinner for his charity Sentebale. “I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.” After Megxit, the couple move to California and begin telling their story with the famous Oprah interview followed by a Netflix docuseries titled Harry & Meghan. 

It’s unclear why the British public holds such resentment towards the former actress since throughout her career and time as a royal she’s devoted hours to helping those who are less fortunate and spreading awareness for causes that needed a voice as loud as her own.

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Were you shocked by Megxit? Do you hate Meghan Markle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.