For centuries, the English monarchy has been no stranger to drama, scandal, and grudges. There was the love triangle between Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Princess Diana; Edward Vlll’s marriage to Wallis Simpson and his abdication; and even Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert. So, really, the current bad blood between Prince Harry, Prince William, and each of their wives is nothing new. With the recent death of Prince Phillip and Oprah’s all-telling interview with Harry and Meghan Markle, the interest in royal family drama has been resurfacing. However, it is alright to feel lost and unknowledgeable in the world of such drama, as the news surrounding it feels never-ending; tabloids also collude the actual facts of the drama by printing fake news about the royal family in order to make a quick penny. This article will lay out the facts, the theories, and the public reactions to create an official timeline to answer the question: what exactly has happened in this rollercoaster of a family?

In full honesty, the drama did not begin just a few months ago—rather, the tension had been brewing for years before that. One must go back to 2017 when reports began surfacing that the royal brothers were fighting after William claimed that Harry and Meghan were “moving too fast.” That following November, Harry and Meghan got engaged, and in May  2019, they got married. Almost immediately after the wedding, stories began circulating in the media outlets that Meghan made Kate Middleton, Prince William’s wife, cry during a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s (Kate and William’s daughter) flower girl dress. Since that moment, the media created a fake narrative surrounding Kate and Meghan’s relationship, reporting on fights that never happened, or words that were never said; they were not painted as friends, but rather as enemies. 

In March 2019, Harry and Meghan split their royal household from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which raised some eyebrows at the time. Less than three months later,  Meghan and Harry then decided to separate themselves from Kate’s and Williams’s charity The Royal Foundation to form another organization of their own. Soon, Harry and Megan hinted at their unhappiness in an interview with Tom Bradby. Meghan said, “I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip.’ I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.” 

Then, in early 2020 Meghan and Harry decided to step back as “senior royals,” meaning they would resign from official duties to become financially independent, and split their time between the United Kingdom and the United States. Reports claimed that the family was not happy about their decision, but the Queen publicly showed her support while she formally stripped the couple of their royal titles, His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, as was tradition. Later, a source claimed that things were extremely tense between the two brothers. 

Fast forward to February of this year, the Duke and Duchess released a formal statement revealing that their royal exit was permanent, and their honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the Duke and Duchess would therefore be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family. A month later, Meghan and Harry sat down to do an interview with Oprah on CBS; they held back nothing and told their full side of the story. They claimed that relationships were strained and said that they did not mind doing the interview because “there is a lot that has been lost already.” In April, Prince Phillip died, and the family was heartbroken. Harry attended the funeral, and Harry and William were pictured a number of times having serious private conversations. 

There is a lot to unpack from the past three years, but it seems that everyone has a different opinion on the story. News has shown travel across country lines and generations, as teenagers, adults, Americans, and Brits alike have heard this infamous story. Sophomore Ava Fong states, “I’m not surprised the Duchess had a hard time adjusting to the family, and it’s understandable why she moved out.” Sophomore Ava Daniel shares an important message by saying, “It’s interesting to see how shocked people were when they found out the royal family was racist. Have they not seen the correlation between power and racism?” Whatever one’s beliefs are, there is one thing that is for certain: this story has a sad ending because a family is now broken up. Prince Phillip never again got to see his family––sons, grandsons, and granddaughters––reunited on good terms. This is largely in part because these people could not put aside their personal issues, as well as the media’s relentlessness. 

Let the monarchy serve as a cautionary take to teach the most basic rules of morality; rumors are bad, treat people with kindness, and treat people the way you would want to be treated. Perhaps, they would be happy now, if they had followed these simple rules.