‘Megxit’ a game-changer for all involved

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family will be profoundly changed by the ramifications of ‘Megxit’ – but Meghan herself may be the big casualty, writes Stephen Drill.

The Queen remembered the 50th anniversary of man walking on the moon in her Christmas speech last month.

For the royal family, today’s announcement that the Queen has accepted Prince Harry’s resignation letter is almost as significant.

This day, January 13, 2020, will be the moment that royal watchers look back on and say that it changed everything.

It’s a case of before Prince Harry, and after, well, potentially, just plain old Harry.

He’s out of the royal family’s rota; now they are just quibbling over the price.

The Queen’s warm tone in her statement was a sign that she will not kick the prince in the pants on his way out the door.

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She has tried to make it a soft landing, like any grandmother would, for a wayward grandson.

Prince Harry’s supporters say they have fears for his mental health and that keeping him would be a crime.

Clearly, Meghan should have gone to Specsavers.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose for a group photo, June 2018. The Queen adopted a warm tone in today’s statement. Picture: John Stillwell/Pool Photo via AP

She said she was prepared for the increased attention that came with being a royal, but it looks like she had her eyes wide shut.

The Megxit headlines have become hashtags that have gone viral, prompting some to complain that it was unfair to blame Meghan when Harry had his own mind.

However, her influence cannot be underestimated and some well placed sources say that problems increased when she came on the scene.

Harry’s ex Chelsea Davy now looks like the smartest person in the room.

She was a guest at the couple’s royal wedding in Windsor in 2018, but she walked away because of the huge media attention that came with being Prince Harry’s partner.

Chelsea never spoke to the press, but she still struggled.

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However, that’s where Meghan and the royal’s world collides.

The Duchess of Sussex – we can still call her that for now – was a star in her own right and thrived on being a celebrity in America where she could have her say on progressive causes with little scrutiny.

Prince Harry and his then girlfriend Chelsea Davy at a rugby match, November 2008. Some say she was smart to get out. Picture: AFP/Chris Ratcliffe

It was thought she could handle it.

There is a key difference between Americans and the Brits when it comes to chatting.

When a storm hits, show an American a TV camera and they won’t shut up about what they saw.

A Brit is more likely to scurry away to the pub for a pint at the sight of a camera crew.

Much of Meghan’s problem was self inflicted. The media really dug the boot in when she edited the September edition of British Vogue.

The editor in chief Edward Enninful had asked her to be on the cover; she wanted to run the whole show.

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That edition gave critics so much ammunition as the royal couple told everyone off for having too many kids and ruining the planet one month, then caught private jets the next.

Even Greta Thunberg would have been disappointed.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and the edition of Vogue she guest-edited. Was that when the tide started turning against her?

Prince Harry and Meghan might have won the battle, but they will lose the war.

Unless they want to close their Instagram, move to the country and volunteer as Willing Workers on Organic Farms, or perhaps even join a monastery, people will still be interested in what they are doing.

In trying to control everything, they may end up controlling nothing.

Stephen Drill is News Corp’s UK correspondent.

@steveheraldsun

Originally published as ‘Megxit’ a game-changer for all involved