MEGHAN Markle's pals and family aren't surprised she is moving to Canada as she "flees when things get heavy".
Friends have told how she "is always the centre of the relationship", in the fallout of the bombshell royal split announcement.
A pal : "I saw this coming — it was just a matter of time. With Meghan, it has always been her way or the highway.
"She is always the centre of the relationship, regardless of Harry’s title. She wants to be in the limelight, but under her own terms.
"Now she will get to make her own rules. It’s perfect for her. Meghan likes to flee when things get heavy, and observe from afar what she has done.
"I’m sure she wanted to get back to her inner circle (in Canada); her new creative team who are behind these plans.
"She has been able to move fast because this has been planned for months. She is running a campaign.
"This is not just an exit. It is a long-game strategy that has been set in motion for some time."
It comes days after they announced they are stepping back and plan to become financially independent.
They want to split their time between North America and the UK - with their future roles still being hammered out.
Now she will get to make her own rules. It’s perfect for her. Meghan likes to flee when things get heavy, and observe from afar what she has done.
Former pal
The former pal added: "She was cut off from her usual channels — her Twitter account or Instagram — which meant she couldn’t speak out on causes the way she wanted. In that silence,
"I’m sure she convinced Harry to pick a “side” (either her chosen path or that which the Palace establishment had laid out for them). For her it was never about modernising the Royal Family."
The former actress gave up her life in Toronto after she got engaged to Prince Harry, where she had a host of A-list pals and enjoyed lavish private members clubs.
There she became close to Jessica and Ben Mulroney, who were dubbed the city’s “most polished power couple”, by Toronto Life magazine.
And after reportedly leaving behind former friends, she gained other celeb pals in her inner circle - such as tennis legend Serena Williams after meeting her in 2014, and actress Priyanka Chopra, who she bonded with at an ELLE Women in Television dinner.
CRISIS TALKS
As royals are locked in crisis talks the pair are "hopeful" workable solutions can be found "sooner rather than later", a source has said.
They added said: "It is in everyone's interest for this to be figured out, and figured out quickly, but not at the expense of the outcome."
Harry and Meghan will be able to earn money, and speculation is growing about what they will do.
Prince Harry reportedly defied instructions from the Queen not to announce their plans, after she requested he hold off until he talked it over with his father.
And Prince Charles told his son he needed more time after he was sent a draft proposal about his future role, particularly on the issue of funding.
But it was revealed the Queen reportedly learned she had been ignored when the news broke on TV, and Charles and William only got a statement copy ten minutes before it went live.
MOST READ IN NEWS
British taxpayers could still front the £600,000 security bill for the family despite their bombshell pledge to be "financially independent".
They also get about another £2million annually from Prince Charles' Duchy Of Lancaster estate - which may not continue if Charles chooses to cut off his son.
The Sussexes also hope to keep their Frogmore Cottage home, which was refurbished last year at a cost of £2.4million to the taxpayer.