Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit royal life in 2020, but the breaking point came almost 12 months earlier according to one biographer

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with newborn son Archie (Image: Getty Images)

A royal biographer has claimed they know the real reason royal life didn’t work out for Meghan Markle on a new TV programme about the Sussexes.

Prince Harry and his wife dramatically quit royal life in 2020 to plough their own furrow, but the breaking point came almost 12 months before that according to expert Anna Pasternak.

Speaking to Meghan & Harry: The Rise & Fall, Anna claimed it was the lack of privacy surrounding their son Archie’s birth in May 2019 kickstarted the Mexgit process.

She told the Channel 5 show: “I think that started to sour things (lack of privacy after Archie’s birth) and then of course it’s easy to add the moniker that they’re entitled, they’re going to do it their way, they’re difficult, they’re not playing the royal game.

“I think there was definitely the sense that the pressure is building, cracks were starting to show and that there was a friction.”

Royal biographer Anna Pasternak (Image: Channel 5)

Former royal butler Paul Burrell also had his say on why Prince Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family.

Talking about the couple’s reaction after Archie’s birth, Burrell – who had a close relationship with Princess Diana – said: “Why didn’t they want to show the world their joy? They’re retreating, they’re pulling back. That’s when I thought it was going wrong.”

Harry and Meghan sensationally announced their decision to quit as working royals in January 2020, just eight months after welcoming Archie into the world. In a move later dubbed ‘Megxit’, the couple said they wanted to become financially independent and split their time between the UK and USA.

Just a few months later they moved their family to California, which they have since expanded with daughter Lilibet, who was born in June 2021.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Colombia (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking about the decision to leave the Royal Family, CNN commentator Sandro Monetti said: “I never personally thought they would pull the plug. But when they did it was shocking.

“In this great soap opera that is the Royal Family, it was one of the most remarkable episodes of all time. In retrospect the clues were always there.”

Both episodes of Harry & Meghan: The Rise and Fall aired on Channel 5 last weekend (Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, Sugust 19). To view them visit Channel5.com.