Catherine Mayer said Harry and Meghan caused very serious damage to the monarchy, and she framed that judgment around Meghan Markle’s 45th birthday on Aug. 4. Mayer said the break with royal life still carries through the family, the institution and Harry’s unresolved effort to get taxpayer-funded security back.
“I believe that the rupture in the family that saw Meghan and Harry go to the United States has done very serious damage to the monarchy,” Mayer said. She added, “But to say that is not to say that I blame them for what happened,” and pointed to polling that she said shows the monarchy is losing ground.
Catherine Mayer on the Sussexes
Mayer, who wrote Divide & Rule, said the Sussexes’ departure mattered because they had a reach that the rest of the family lacks. She said their connection with younger populations was “undoubtedly” stronger and that it is “not really there with the rest of the family.”
She said, “The only ones who can potentially do it are Kate and William, and they’re more of a small ‘c’ conservative in their approach,” placing that challenge squarely on the next generation of senior royals.
Meghan Markle’s July visit
The comments landed as Meghan Markle marked her 45th birthday and after she had a brief return to England in July. In July, Meghan had planned to accompany Harry during several engagements on his return to the U.K., but security concerns kept Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, from making the full trip.
Meghan and Harry also had a private meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla on July 10, the first time since 2022 that Meghan had returned to England. Meghan did not make any public appearances during the July trip, leaving the visit centered on private family contact rather than a public reset.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor factor
Mayer also said the monarchy’s popularity problem is driven primarily by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. That complicates the cleaner blame line often attached to the Sussexes, because Mayer put the sharper damage on the split with Harry and Meghan while saying the broader loss of support belongs first to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The practical issue for Harry remains the security fight. The couple lost their taxpayer-funded protection when they stepped back as working royals in 2020, and Harry has long sought to have that security reinstated.
For readers following the family’s public standing, the immediate takeaway is that the story is not just about a birthday interview. It is about a monarchy under pressure from two different directions: a rupture Mayer says hurt it badly, and a separate scandal she says has done the larger damage to its popularity.
