Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘hand was forced’ by ‘bad blood’ in Royal Family, claims pal
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry felt they were forced out of the "toxic" Royal Family because of "bad blood", pals have claimed.
A friend of the couple say the sensational decision to step down as senior royals was "inevitable" as they felt excluded.
"There is so much bad blood in that family – it's toxic."
The source continued: "If relationships had been better, things would have been different."
The Duchess of Sussex had been lying low at the Vancouver mansion while Harry was locked in crisis talks with the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William over their future.
'NOT ENOUGH COMFORT'
Harry and his brother took the unusual step of releasing a joint statement on Monday to reveal they were “deeply, deeply unhappy” over “offensive” claims William’s “bullying” had forced the couple out.
According to repeated reports, Harry felt that William was insufficiently welcoming towards Meghan when they first started dating.
Their relationship has apparently not recovered since, but royal insiders have been quick to deny the claims.
And the friend of the couple has backed claims over William's warning and said both Meghan and Harry didn't feel they got "enough comfort or solace" from the royals.
The pal also said former actress Meghan was hurt by "negative press" and what she considered was her "outsider status as a bi-racial American".
'SMEAR CAMPAIGN'
People previously ran a story defending Meghan from five of her close "friends" - leading to her estranged dad Thomas Markle Snr to release parts of a handwritten letter sent to him by the Duchess.
It has since been reported the intimate details of her relationship with Thomas could only have come from her.
Court papers have now claimed she was behind a devastating smear campaign against her estranged father.
The documents have been filed at London's High Court by the Mail On Sunday as it fights a legal action brought by Meghan.
They have accused Meghan of scheming to use friends to pressure UK journalists into dropping stories about her.
COURT CASE
She is suing the newspaper for damages after it published a leaked letter she wrote to Thomas three months after her May 2018 wedding. Meghan claims it was misuse of her private information and breach of copyright.
She could be forced to hand over private text messages, emails and phone records as part of the legal disclosure process. And she is likely to be called as a witness if the case is not settled out of court.
Her dad is said to be prepared to take the stand and testify against his own daughter in the case.
During Meghan's brief stint back in Britain, she and Harry dropped their bombshell statement announcing they would be quitting full-time royal duties.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got their way at the Royal Family’s crisis summit — but the Queen made it plain she is deeply upset they are quitting.
After the Sandringham talks, Her Majesty released a statement saying the couple will be allowed to step down from their duties and spend time in Canada.
But she said: “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life.”