Meghan Markle always had a fierce fighting spirit. The former actress turned royal turned businesswoman has been known from a young age to push relentlessly to accomplish her goals, famously writing to Hillary Clinton as a child to successfully protest a sexist television advertisement.
Indeed, the Duchess of Sussex knows exactly how to get her point across, frequently sending clear, direct messages whenever she hopes to change an outcome or alter a narrative.
However, royal observers argue that over the years, her approach has shifted from making impactful structural changes to simply angling for attention and picking at the Royal Family.
Example: her recent calculated social media activity on her wedding anniversary. The Netflix star uploaded several unseen photos from her spectacular royal wedding day in 2018 to her official Instagram account.
It was undeniably a historic day for both Markle and the institution for many reasons. The nostalgic gallery showcased her stunning wedding gown, intimate moments of her and Prince Harry hitting the dance floor, cutting and eating their cake, and the couple sharing passionate kisses during their private reception.
On the surface, the photos radiated fun, laughter, and pure happiness.
Hidden Signals: The Selective Royal Inclusion in Meghan’s Anniversary Post
Yet, beneath the joyful exterior, the Duchess of Sussex’s unseen wedding photos also reveal a deeper, secret pain.
Following the messy implosion of the family dynamic post-Megxit — which triggered their move to California and a relentless stream of public revelations, bitter accusations, and media leaks hinting at racism, abandonment, mental health struggles, PR coups, and physical assaults — Markle notably edited her memories.
She did not post any pictures featuring Princess Kate, Prince William, or their children, deliberately freezing them out of the digital retrospective.
Instead, Megahn markle made sure that King Charles III was the only other member of the Royal Family to feature prominently in the collection.
According to a veteran royal biographer, this strategic inclusion was a deliberate signal fired straight at the reigning Monarch.
“Meghan doesn’t do anything without purpose, so she’s sending a message, isn’t she?” claims royal expert Ingrid Seward. “The message is, “We’re still very much part of your family.’ That’s what Harry and Meghan need because I don’t think they knew when they cut themselves off – with Harry’s book and the Oprah interview – just how alienated they were going to be.”
The nostalgic images hark back to a time when Meghan and Charles shared a genuinely close bond, epitomized by the moment he stepped in to walk her partway down the aisle at St George’s Chapel in place of her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, who was caught in a paparazzi scandal and health crises.
“The relationship Meghan and Charles had at the beginning meant a lot to Meghan,” Seward continues. “Charles was very caring towards her, and although he is said to have nicknamed her ‘Tungsten’, I think he saw through that and saw her as quite vulnerable. He also thought that if he brought her closer rather than pushed her away, he would be more in control of anything she might potentially do.”
Seward further claims: “Like everybody, Charles had such high hopes for the marriage and, in a way, was quite honoured to be part of it because he’s quite a humble man. He would have been very touched by the fact she wanted him to walk her down the aisle.”
Poking the Bear: Why the King Wants Distance From the Sussex Brand
Despite Meghan’s public display of sentimentality, other royal authors argue that she keeps poking the bear with these hidden clues and secret signals, entirely failing to understand that King Charles simply does not want her at the moment.
While the palace gates may open slightly at a later date, insiders reveal that as of right now, King Charles has very little space in his life for his grandchildren, absolutely no room for Harry, and no air at all for Meghan.
The lingering tension remains tied to the couple’s continuous commercialization of their titles, a boundary the palace feels has been repeatedly violated.
One royal staff members told the i Newspaper: “King Charles would dearly like to see his grandchildren, friends say, but quite how enthused he is about seeing Harry is unclear amid unease about the Sussex’s efforts to make money out of their royal status while portraying themselves as global humanitarians.”
Ultimately, King Charles appears to be on the exact same page as Meghan regarding their shared history, viewing their brief moments together as deeply complicated.
The reality of their former relationship was so painful and structurally damaging to the Firm that the palace prefers to act as if it never happened.
As much as Harry and Meghan want to forget their traumatic final months in London, the King wants the exact same thing: no reminders of the constant headaches. It was not a great time for either party, and critics suggest it is time for Meghan to finally let the past go.
