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Before rising in the royal ranks, Prince Edward made a costly mistake that nearly made him and Duchess Sophie royal outcasts until Prince Harry’s exit changed their fate. Harry and Meghan Markle’s controversial exit from the royal family back in 2020 left a vacuum in the royal fold that needed filling, forcing the royals to take other measures to make up for any lapses. While the couple has since settled in California with their family of four, the echoes of their scandalous farewell continue to reverberate, mostly thanks to their move to commercialize their palace “survivors’ story” post-royal life with contractual documentaries, interviews, and the 2023 bestselling book, Spare.
However, things may have turned out notably differently but for a major royal controversy that took place nearly two decades prior. At the time of their royal exit, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their desire to step back from their duties as senior royals. The statement described their intention to become financially independent from the crown, while still taking up some royal duties, ultimately splitting their time between their non-royal career pursuits in the United States and their royal lives in the United Kingdom.
This proposal to become part-time working royals did not sit well with the monarchy, and hence, was rejected, ousting the Sussexes from the royal fold completely. Interestingly, the proposal to balance their royal lives with their commercial pursuits just may have passed had it come two decades earlier.
How Prince Edward’s Mistake Cost Harry His Place in the Royal Fold
Prince Harry’s uncle, Prince Edward, dipped his hands in similar joint pursuits back in the noughties. That resulted in an embarrassing scandal that prompted a review of the royal rules, impacting the course of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal journey. Recounting the embarrassing incident, royal author Katie Nicholl described how the media took advantage of the situation, and the then-Prince Charles’ angry outburst at his brother afterward.
It happened in 2001, following Prince William’s admission into St Andrew’s University. Given the vast interest in the young Prince, the royals reached an agreement with the media to desist from trailing him on campus, thereby allowing him some privacy as he obtained his college degree. At the time, Prince Edward owned and managed the production company, Ardent, which focused on producing royal-themed content. His company became the first to breach this embargo when a crew from Ardent was caught filming at St Andrews as part of an American TV series called The A-Z of Royalty. The press exploited this loophole, under the justification that a member of the British royal family violated the embargo first.
Ultimately, Prince Edward’s mistake left the royal family outraged. Nicholl claimed that an angry Charles lashed out at Edward, calling him a “f–king idiot” and casting him out of his sight. Although Edward eventually quit his role at Ardent in the aftermath, and even had the company deviate from its royal-themed content, it never compensated for that mistake. Contrariwise, it served as proof that balancing personal careers alongside royal duties was impossible for royal family members. That lesson became a catalyst years later in the fallout between the Sussexes and the monarchy.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Shine In Harry and Meghan’s Absence
In a surprising twist, the party that ended up reaping the most benefits from this scandalous royal exit, termed Megxit, was Prince Edward, albeit in terms of royal graces years after his mistake. Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family, the monarchy has noticeably offered Edward a chance to redeem himself, delegating him and his wife, Duchess Sophie, more royal roles in recent years.
The public has recognized this shift, even acknowledging the Duchess of Edinburgh as one of the hardest-working royals. Royal observers believe this recognition is duly deserved, given the couple’s quiet devotion to the crown since dropping their commercial ventures and becoming full-time working royals. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond once said of Edward and Sophie,
“They have always been quietly devoted to their various causes, but their work has been overshadowed by other royals. I suppose every cloud has a silver lining… and as the King calls on them to take a more prominent role, Edward and Sophie are showing they are very much up to the task.”
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity continues to drop both in the US and the UK, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie have continued to undertake royal duties that would have otherwise been reserved for the Sussexes had they remained working royals. This has led to their rise in royal ranks and popularity, also leading to constant comparisons between them and the Sussex royals. While this brewing rivalry can be traced to its roots, one can’t help but wonder what might have been had Prince Edward not made his misguided mistake all those years ago.
