Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the UK is set to bring renewed scrutiny of the explosive claims they have made about the Royal Family since their dramatic departure.
From allegations about concerns over Archie's skin tone to Prince Harry's extraordinary account of a physical clash with Prince William, the Sussexes have made a series of bombshell revelations in interviews, their Netflix documentary and Harry's memoir Spare.
Royal Family concerns over Archie's skin tone
During their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan revealed that while she was pregnant with Archie, there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born". While they refused to name the individuals involved, the claim prompted a rare public statement from Queen Elizabeth II, famously noting that "recollections may vary".
William's physical altercation with Harry
In Spare, Harry detailed a 2019 confrontation at Nottingham Cottage. He claimed Prince William called Meghan "difficult," "rude," and "abrasive". The argument escalated until William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and… knocked me to the floor," causing Harry to land on and break a dog bowl.
Meghan's suicidal ideation and lack of institutional support
Meghan confessed to Oprah that the intense media scrutiny and isolation left her feeling like she "just didn't want to be alive anymore". She alleged that she went to the palace's Human Resources department to seek inpatient mental health treatment but was told it would look bad for the institution and was denied help.
Media collaboration and leaking inside the Palace
In their Netflix series, Harry accused royal communications offices of actively planting and leaking stories against each other. He alleged that William's office traded negative stories about the Sussexes to suppress bad press about the then-Cambridges. Harry also claimed that William's communications team had leaked negative stories about the Sussexes following the Sandringham Summit.
Pleading with Charles not to marry Camilla
Harry wrote that both he and William begged their father not to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, fearing she would become a "wicked stepmother". While they ultimately wanted Charles to be happy, they asked him to simply live with her rather than make her Queen.
The bridesmaid dress reversal
While the British tabloids originally ran headlines claiming Meghan made Catherine cry before the 2018 wedding, Meghan used the Oprah interview to state that the reverse actually happened. She claimed Catherine was upset about the dresses and made her cry, though Catherine later apologised with flowers. Harry also described the dispute in Spare, saying Catherine visited the couple with flowers and a card to make amends.
William's screaming match at the Sandringham Summit
Harry described the tense January 2020 family meeting where the terms of their departure were decided. He claimed it was terrifying to have his brother "scream and shout" at him while his father said things that were untrue, and his grandmother quietly took it all in.
