Three years ago, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Germany and England. They went to Germany for the “one year to go” Invictus Games event, and they went to England for Meghan’s appearance at the One Young World event in Manchester, plus they planned to appear at the WellChild Awards together. They scheduled everything for a week-long block. While they were in Frogmore Cottage, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Which meant that instead of a streamlined week away from their kids, they ended up spending about three weeks away from California and their children. All so the new king could treat them like sh-t for a whole ten-day funeral extravaganza. It was insane. Well, Meghan discussed this time period, in a roundabout way, in a new episode of With Love, Meghan.
Meghan Markle is reflecting on a difficult moment when she was away from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In season 2 of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared an emotional memory with Queer Eye star Tan France, recalling a time when she was “not well” apart from her kids — a remark that seemed to reference her 2022 trip to the U.K., which was extended due to Queen Elizabeth’s death.
While chatting with France in Episode 3 about the ups and downs of parenthood, Meghan reflects on how motherhood has exceeded her expectations. “It’s better than I ever expected,” she says. She and Prince Harry are parents to Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, while France and his husband Rob share two sons, Ismail, 4, and Isaac, 2.
During their conversation, France speaks about holding on tightly to his little ones. “You know what’s funny? When parents are like, ‘Oh, I just can’t wait for them to go to college and be out,’ I’m like, I never want my children to leave,” he says. “They’re not allowed to get married. Not allowed to leave my house.”
Agreeing, Meghan reflects on her own children, saying, “I’ll miss them so much. You want to be the parent who’s like yes, go do it. Go do your thing. Go live that life. But I’m going to miss you so much.”
France, 41, echoes the sentiment with a heartfelt admission, “I might die without my kids. I need my boys. If I don’t see them for a couple of days, I feel like my heart is broken.”
Meghan then reveals just how difficult time apart has been for her as a mom.
“Oh I know. The longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks,” she says. “I was…not well.”
Harry wrote about this in Spare as well, that those weeks in England were extremely difficult and once they got home to California, they couldn’t stop hugging their children and would barely let Archie and Lili out of their sight. I always found it interesting that Harry and Meghan didn’t arrange for Archie and Lili to be brought to the UK during that time. The kids were too little to take part in the funeral events, but Harry and Meghan obviously would have been able to spend time with them. I always assumed that they didn’t make those arrangements because they were concerned about safety, especially given Charles’s unhinged behavior towards Harry and Meghan in those weeks. Never Forget that Charles’s first act as king was to disparage and denigrate Meghan and tell Harry that he couldn’t bring Meghan to Balmoral.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix.
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658457, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658533, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721659516, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex seen inside the Palace of Westminster during the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.,Image: 722677301, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Christopher Furlong / Avalon
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex follow the bearer party with the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it is taken from Westminster Abbey, London at the end of service during the State Funeral of the late monarch,Image: 724165274, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Gareth Fuller / Avalon
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- Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Camilla Queen Consort The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Service, Westminster Abbey, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724168860, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is driven down The Mall after the funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London, United Kingdom. 19 September 2022.,Image: 724176085, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian / P / Avalon
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- 19/09/2022. London, United Kingdom. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex watches the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaving Westminster Abbey in London at the end of the State Funeral Service.,Image: 724203950, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon
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- Duchess of Sussex Meghan at the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,Image: 724230837, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Camera Press Rota, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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- Duchess of Sussex, Queen Consort Camilla, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Countess of Wessex At the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,Image: 724230983, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Camera Press Rota, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
Worst case scenario, Chuck would have done something to those kids. And if something had happened to the Sussexes, at least their kids would be safe. Their outright hostility to the Sussexes was, and continues to be, appalling.
Totally agree with you, @Blogger. I put nothing past that cowardly ghoul chuckyTheTURD.
Totally agree. The kids were safe in CA. They would not have been in the UK.
There was way too much chaos to bring kids into that—even if The Firm and BM didn’t have knives out for M&H already. Anything could have happened.
So true, and I would not have trusted any of the leftovers with the safety of the children if I was them either.. I think it was a smart decision not to bring the children over and expose them to that kind of abuse it was hard enough to watch what they were doing to Harry and Meghan especially when WanK we’re openly hostile and K looked like she was going to assault Meghan during the “walk about”.
Not just the Leftovers, but I would be more afraid of the Gutter Media stalking them, calling out to them to get a reaction, trying to break into wherever they stayed to get a pic (that would sell for an OUTRAGEOUS sum). I would never have a moment’s peace, even if the children were right by my side. Who’s going to jump out from a crowd, snipe from a rooftop (yeah, I know, paranoid lol,,, but I honestly wouldn’t put ANYTHING past racists whose whole existence is hatred, esp for people they’ve never met!).
They did well to never have brought back the kids back. Major security issues. I too would have preferred them with my mom at home.
I think they didn’t bring them for security reasons, and they may have thought it was better for the kids to stay in California with their routines etc. I’m sure the three week separation was hard in large part because it was so unexpected. It wasn’t like H&M left California expecting to be gone for three weeks and made appropriate plans for the children – they thought they’d be gone a week. Even if Doria was with them (as I assume she was), that’s still a lot to handle – adjustments to the schedule, to school events, etc. And kids that little don’t understand why their parents are gone three weeks when they were supposed to be gone a week.
Yes, they initially planned to be a few days here and a few days there – very disruptive for young children. But, there were more reasons for Meghan to be “not well” during that time. She was treated abominably.
What? No thoughts about the abominable treatment that poor, precancerous Kitty suffered by being forced to do a walk about with H-M? Precancerous Kitty told britmedia it was absolutely the hardest day of her life! 😿
@kirk right. She should have been careful what she said about the hardest moment of her life because not even months later she is supposedly diagnosed with cancer.
Sorry but that’s karma.
All these bitter haters better be careful. God don’t like ugly
He said you want hard I’ll show you hard. (If it’s actually true).
Just a thought – think who and how would have profited from the kids being there. It was to protect them on all layers, for sure.
What a nightmare that was for them! But as difficult as it was, at least the kids were safe.
It sounds so medieval that the grandchildren of the king wouldn’t be safe…
Actually Meghan said the longest time she was away from her children was 3 weeks and she was not well.
She didn’t say when or where she was….
When else was she away from them for that long?
We have no idea when it could have been and that’s the point. It’s none of our business.
@Tuesday. In all fairness, she brought it up, Perfectly okay for us to fill in the blanks.
I can understand the Sussexes not bringing the kids over. They were so little then and the atmosphere was so poisonous around Meghan and Harry. It wasn’t like a fun vacation where everyone was relaxed and they had activities planned. I don’t think it will be any better when Charles goes so I would not be surprised if the kids don’t come and if Harry just flies in for the funeral only.
Chuck has never made it safe for the grandchildren to visit England and if he dies I personally see no reason why grandchildren he has never met and actively made it impossible for them to visit should be expected to show up at his funeral. They are children and Chuck is just a stranger they are unfortunately related to.
Poor Meghan and Harry — dealing with all of that bullshit that the Left Behind’s put them through. It was best that the children were home in the states. Charles was acting ridiculous, from disrespecting Meghan, not allowing Harry him to wear his military uniform, to bearing his teeth at one of the aides when he needed the pens from the desk at the signing ceremony after QIl’s death.
Who knows, he may have tried to keep the children.
Charles ignores those children. No way would he want to keep them
He also has no right to.
Charles really is the acme of the man who feigns charm, who fairly oozes it, until he’s inconvenienced for one nanosecond. I mean. That last comment really spells it out: disrespecting Meghan (and Harry) by instructing her *not* to accompany her husband to Balmoral, where the whole family was gathering, and where there are about 1,000 rooms, so no one would have been cramped. Stripping Harry of the uniform that he earned for one event, disfiguring the uniform that he was allowed to wear for another, ripping off the epaulettes, Kate not allowing her children to speak to Meghan even to say hello, that image of Kate gripping the back of Charlotte’s dress coat, and manhandling her furiously away from her aunt, whilst gritting her teeth? I mean. Talk about how *not* to behave. And these are all the people who lined up to lecture Meghan on her manners and her multiple violations of “protocol”…???? Meghan had more dignity and composure than the entire family put together, who came across as mean-spirited, petty, sharp-elbowed, crass, and gauche. Especially that walkabout with WanK that the two of them treated like a victory lap, or a homecoming parade. I mean. What total lack of tone or pitch. It was a spectacular show of seething sniping ill-mannered self-indulgence. Like, if Gosford Park were upon us. QEII might have fit easily into Downton Abbey, the whole vibe. Charles is not that type. I keep recollecting that line in “The Age of Innocence,” when the Van der Leydens observe, “if a member of a prominent family is backed by that family, then that should be the end of it.” ….Gore Vidal said there was always a touch of Vito Corleone about QEII, she would have understood breaking ranks was ill advised.
>>WanK that the two of them treated like a victory lap””
I always remember Can’t and Camzilla gawping and neighing when they first got to wear the upgraded jewels at a reception just a week after the funeral.
More disturbing than that is that they did it prior to the Queen’s funeral.
Yes, simply awful memories–and that’s only what we could see. Who knows how terrible WanK were in the car and other events.
And speaking of undignified victory laps, who can forget the pictures of Camilla and Kate grinning from ear to ear as they wore QEII’s jewelry so soon after her death.
Who says Kate is ” royal” or an aristocrat or even vaguely upper class . Of course you dont have to be born into nobility , the simplest villager is more naturally honourable and has more class than these middle of the road, grasping, climbing ,ugly inside and out Middletons . William horrible as he turned out, really scraped the bottom of the barrel when he threw in his lot with that family . Maybe it would have been different if he married someone like Jenna or similar to his own mother , with a heart and a brain ..who would influence him for the better . Harry found a partner who helped him heal and grow and has more culture and grace than disgusting Kate . If they treat her like an outsider its because of unadulterated jealousy with a touch of racism . Let the so called royals crash and burn..I am glad the Sussexes keep their babies away from all this toxicity
To this day, I have a visceral reaction any time I see pictures from that walkabout. Meghan was so visibly nervous and vulnerable that day, and it was beyond upsetting to watch how cruelly Kate treated her.
When that American woman asked her if she could give her a hug, you could see how Meghan needed normal human contact.
Was the girl who asked her for a hug American? I thought she was British? Either way, that was SUCH a lovely and human moment.
And don’t forget the very public dis-invite from the “family” reception.
Chuckles, I wish you misery, bitter regret and physical pain every day for all the rest of your days. And then when your time comes, may the prevailing news be shouted from the rooftops that thousands more mourners showed up for Ozzy than for you.
” I mean. Talk about how *not* to behave.” Whew, you summed that up well. The behavior and manners were atrocious from the Windsors.
For Meghan to say she was…not well. That was a rough time. Being away from the kids. And having their grandfather treat the mom of those kids so poorly. And the dad really.
Some thing/s must have happened during these three weeks which made her decide, “Nah, I’m not attending your coronation you awful man.”
Aside from the tabloid onslaught by Chuck’s minions, I bet she was constantly undermined and belittled behind closed doors. No wonder why she wasn’t well.
I’m sure they were both alternatively pressured, ignored, ordered, given no advance notice of expectations, ostracized, etc. Isolated, separated. Probably little idea every time he left the room of where exactly he was going and with whom. Probably being told what to do by Jason no less.
Speaking of no advance notice of expectations. Iirc there were varying reports on who decided to invite Harry and Meghan on that walkabout. Either way, it was apparently very last minute. Meghan was probably having to rush to get ready. Looking back, why did they invite the sussexes fr? I can only imagine they were hoping Meghan would get egged or something. When in reality, she was grace, albeit nervous, while the other Duchess was one of the most ill-mannered things I’ve ever seen. Rushing out of a car to make a show that she wasn’t having a thing to do with Meghan. And then later lunging towards her. Seriously, wth was that?
I can imagine how badly WanK would have been snarling and shouting at them about everything, especially Meghan. Like a couple of vicious attack dogs.
Yes I read this yesterday. She was pretty vague but she did get her point across and the gutter rats will probably pick her two sentences apart and make it sound like something it’s not. We could see she wasn’t well because she missed her children and she also had to ride in the car with the two psychos one who walked up to her with a nasty menacing look on her mean girl face.
💯 it was a very difficult time for them, no wonder she was ill. Separated from their children and surrounded by hostile “family” who behaved appallingly and briefed the BM through out so they could gloat over how badly the late Queen ‘s grandson and his wife were being treated/punished. I had no respect for Charles as a new King, father and father in law and head of CE in his unrelenting nastiness towards them. How could anyone revel in Harry and Meghan being ostracized was beyond me. Will and Kate were equally aggressive towards them both in private and public. Still that is the last time Meghan will ever visit the UK so she never has to see them again which must be a relief.
@LadyDigby, and it was like that from the very beginning— Harry finding out from the news that his grandmother had passed, KFC disallowing Meghan to go with him to Balmoral (which was beyond offensive), and then William refusing to let him ride in the same helicopter with him to get there.
The whole sh!tshow started off SO negatively from the jump, and it set the tone for the entirety of H&M’s time there. There was absolutely no reprieve for Harry.
It’s difficult to take someone else’s kids overseas. When my kids traveled outside the country with singing or language groups, we had to sign special forms and get them notarized. I don’t know whether a notary in Britain would satisfy the requirements.
I thought of that also. Even if they’d sent for the kids and Doria was taking them, assisted by nannies, it would’ve been so disruptive and probably a huge legal paperwork quagmire. Even with lawyers doing it, there’s too much that can go wrong with a customs official having a bad day, or deciding to get at the Sussexes through their children. All it would take was saying there was a problem with documents and their children would be separated from their grandma for hours while it’s “worked out.” Not something I’d want to take a chance on ever.
Sigh…I’m glad Meghan doesn’t have to be around those people anymore. The court cases have shown they weren’t giving them security. Fortunately Frogmore Cottage was within the royal security apparatus so Harry and Meghan could be safe at home but I understand not bringing the kids and exposing them to people who would put them in harm’s way out of petty spite.
Fortunately the Sussex family is now in full control of their lives and calendars and there will no longer be any long separations.
Didn’t Harry need his grandmother’s permission to take Archie out of the country per the Netflix doc? Even if it would be unlikely to happen maybe there was a fear Charles wouldn’t let Archie and Lilibet leave if they came back for QEII funeral. Add in all of the security fears Harry and Meghan didn’t want to risk bringing the kids into the UK once QEII died.
No, you obviously haven’t watched the doc. The monarch has no say over Harry’s children.
Both of those children are US citizens. The RF, no matter how shitty they are, would not have wanted to risk a diplomatic indicent. Remember there was an honorable POTUS at the time.
Of course Harry didn’t bring over the kids, it would have been a feeding frenzy like he experienced with his mother’s funeral. Moreover, I doubt Charles would have allowed it… overshadowing…you know.
Why would anyone expect or want parents to bring their children to such an emotionally exhausting and stressful environment where their parents are being abused unrelentingly by family and the media? It was an extremely difficult time for Harry and Meghan because they lost a loved one and because of how the family and media were intentionally trying to hurt and destroy them. Children are very intuitive, is what we saw Harry and Meghan experienced at the hands of the royal family and media really something we want their children to feel or experience also? What good would come from their children being there in that hostile environment? We as people on the outside saw how it was draining Harry and Meghan, why would anyone want their kids to be there to see that in person? The role of a parent is to protect their children and bringing them into a space where there are already credible treats against them and their children isn’t how that is done. I hate that they had to experience being in that dreadful and hateful situation and as parents they did the absolute right thing protecting their children by not having them brought to the UK.
But I am sure to remember that during the security process there was evidence Harry and Meghan wanted to bring the children to England and they were denied security.
Just wrote the same thing. Of course they wanted their children there, Charles did not which is why when that was revealed people knew Charles was lying about wanting to see them.
Thanks for letting us all know – I genuinely did not know that and missed that from the security hearing. What a disgrace.
Yea the security case revealed that h&m wanted to bring the kids to
Uk that September 2023 & they got their lawyers involved with RAVEC saying that what RAVEC proposed was illegal (?). So they left them when they went to the uk for WellChild awards, one young world & IG one year to go events.
Now we know that security is only provided when in vicinity of eg Charles I wouldn’t have brought the kids to be at Frogmore with limited protection either
The queen died in September 2022. And the kids had just been to the UK that spring for the Jubbly. So it wouldn’t make sense to bring them over again for a week long trip. If the Sussexes and the kids were denied security in September 2023 that was all Charles. My thoughts are because Meghan and the kids didn’t come to his Big Hat party, he wasn’t going to give them security for anything else. I believe he wants them to beg and plead for security, Hes just that petty and evil!.
The way the trip to balmoral went down, there was no way Harry and Meghan were going to bring over their kids with his father, now king and his brother, next in line being total scumbags.
Yeah I think they decided against bringing Archie and Lili to protect from the toxic atmosphere at the time.
I can really relate to this … my kids are now grown, but my husband and I still love their company more than anyone else’s.
And given Harry’s and Meghan’s deep love for their kids, there was no way they were going to bring them to the viper den. It was unsafe for them now, and remains unsafe, thanks to Harry’s dogshit father.
She was not well because she was away from her kids, and probably because of the series of indignities they subjected Harry and Meghan to during that time. The outright meanness and disrespect they received from the royals and the media during that time was staggering, so much so that people who didn’t pay attention to the royal family up to that point were like, “Did Meghan shoot somebody? Why else are they treating her like this”? After being forced to stay in that environment for such an extended period of time (from death to burial seemed to last for weeks), I’m not surprised that she would be “unwell” during that visit and for some time afterward.
Kate has no shame the way she treated Meghan. Kate let the lie about Meghan stayed in the media and keen played victim. Meghan set the record straight.