Meghan Markle faces return to the UK marked by past tensions

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, at an event at Westminster Abbey, in the United Kingdom, in November 2019 Matt Dunham/AP/File With the announcement of Prince Harry's return to the United Kingdom, Meghan Markle, his wife, must expect a difficult return to the country, where the Duchess of Sussex was subjected to intense scrutiny from the press and never felt integrated into the royal family. ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp In revealing interviews and documentaries, the 45-year-old former American actress never hid the difficulties she faced in adapting to her new status after her fairytale wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. "I think there are more doubts about how she will readapt to life in the United Kingdom than about Harry", summarizes Ed Owens, royal expert. Very connected to his charitable organizations and eager to bring his children closer to their paternal family, Harry faces a lesser challenge upon returning to his country, while for Meghan the equation is more complex. 'Furious' prince and private residence: what is known about Harry and Meghan's return According to information from the British press, Meghan is negotiating to act in "Crime Tycoons", a Netflix series created by Guy Ritchie and recorded in the United Kingdom. The series, whose second season premieres in early September, tells the story of a duke who becomes a drug baron. On the other hand, experts consider that Meghan should dedicate herself mainly to her family — and especially to her children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, who will study in the United Kingdom — and support Harry in his work as patron of charitable organizations. Unpopular in the United Kingdom In the United States, her prospects appeared to have dried up after her contract with Netflix for the show "With Love, Meghan" ended, although in late 2025 she made a brief appearance in a film that has not yet been released. In the UK, she remains very unpopular. According to the latest survey by YouGov, a British opinion research institute, published in July, 61% of British people don't like her. And the tabloids, against whom the couple has filed several lawsuits, may not make it easy for them to return. After their rumored move to the United States in 2020, Harry and Meghan denounced the methods of this powerful press, which scrutinizes every gesture of the royal family and persecutes its members and those close to them. "No matter how hard I tried. If I behaved well, whatever I did, they always found a way to destroy me," Meghan said in 2022, in her Netflix documentary. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Dylan Martinez/Reuters The press, however, had initially welcomed her entry into the royal family, considering her a breath of fresh air in an institution with centuries-old traditions. But she quickly aroused hostility from the tabloids, who accused her of being capricious and rejecting the obligations associated with the privileges of her new position. Since leaving, Meghan has distanced herself from the United Kingdom and has only returned on a few occasions, such as in June 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee, and later for her funeral, in September of that same year. Visit to King Charles In July this year, Meghan and Prince Harry, accompanied by their two children, visited King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, in England, in a gesture interpreted as a sign of an attempt at reconciliation. But his return could again bring to the fore "the conflicts and issues that originally provoked his departure", such as accusations of racism or concerns over his safety, said Nathalie Weidhase, a professor at the University of Surrey who specializes in celebrity culture and the British monarchy. Added to this are family tensions aggravated by the publication, in 2023, of Harry's autobiography, "What's Left". In it, Harry accused, among other things, William and his wife, Kate, of having prejudices against Meghan, which made it difficult for her to integrate into the royal family. The interview given to American presenter Oprah Winfrey in 2021 also caused a stir in the United Kingdom. In it, Meghan accused a member of the royal family of racism. Expert Ed Owens, however, does not expect a new open war. Harry and Meghan seek "stability for their family" and "are not returning to create problems for the royals", he considers.