The royal family has had more than its share of scandalous romances, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have really taken the cake thanks to their explosive decision to give up their senior roles and willingness to speak out about their alleged mistreatment.
As NBC News pointed out at the time, by opening up to Oprah Winfrey about the mental and emotional abuse she'd suffered at the hands of the monarchy, Meghan proved she wasn't the threat they perceived her to be — until the royals mistreated her.
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One of the biggest bombshells to come out of the groundbreaking chat involved an unnamed, senior member of the family having "concerns about how dark [her son Archie's] skin might be when he's born."
There was a troubling implication that the unborn child would be stripped of his royal title, and the associated protections, as a result of being biracial. Winfrey subsequently clarified it was neither the queen nor the late Prince Philip who had made the racist comment, per The Guardian.
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However, the patriarch didn't mince words when discussing Meghan elsewhere, even comparing her to another royal disruptor from history in the process.
Marie Claire reports Prince Philip once unfavorably compared Meghan Markle to Wallis Simspon, whom King Edward VIII infamously gave up his title to marry.
The outlet quoted royal expert Ingrid Seward, who shared the anecdote in "Prince Philip Revealed," explaining, "For Philip, whose entire existence has been based on a devotion to duty, it appeared that his grandson had abdicated his for the sake of his marriage to an American divorcee in much the same way as Edward VIII gave up his crown to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936." After abdicating, Edward spent the remainder of his days in France with Simpson.
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Moreover, in "American Duchess: The Real Wallis Simpson," royal biographer Anna Pasternak noted (via People), "Being blamed in perpetuity for stealing a beloved, popular king from his throne and almost destroying the British monarchy would prove to be a lifelong annihilating burden that Wallis was forced to bear," which will undoubtedly call Meghan's struggles to mind.
The former actor was blamed for stealing Prince Harry away from his family, despite the fact he told Oprah Winfrey that they defected due to a "lack of support and lack of understanding" from the monarchy.
Funnily enough, the New York Post notes there was another American actor deemed inappropriate for a royal relationship.
Koo Stark was essentially the '80s equivalent of the Duchess of Sussex, but her dalliance with Prince Andrew was short-lived due to intense press intrusion. Luckily Harry, like Edward before him, wasn't so easily swayed.