They may be royals, but life is not always a fairy tale for the British royal family.
Queen Elizabeth II, who became the longest-reigning British monarch in September 2015, has had to deal with a lot of drama over the years. Back in the ‘80s, the marriage of her son Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer rocked England after it was revealed the prince still had feelings for his ex Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Fast-forward to 2018 — when Meghan Markle joined the family after she married Prince Harry — and multiple new family feuds were born. (Here’s looking at you, Thomas and Samantha Markle!)
Not long after Meghan and Harry announced their engagement in 2017, it became clear that the Suits alum didn’t have a close relationship with half-sister Samantha.
“Hopefully we can have a heart to heart,” Samantha told Us Weekly at the time. “I want her to know I’m wishing her well and there for her. At the end of the day, I want her to know that the love is there.”
Leading up to the royal wedding, however, things between Meghan and her dad’s side of the family got worse. In addition to Thomas getting caught staging photos with the paparazzi, Samantha announced plans to write a book titled The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister. Part 1 of the book was released in February 2021.
“Contrary to troll gossip and aggregate news rumors, my book has never been designed to attack my sister,” Samantha told Us at the time. “It’s relatable. There’s a lot to learn — the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ve been very forthcoming that I was never writing a hardbound tabloid. I said that two years ago, but nobody wanted to believe it.”
In the book, Samantha revealed that the last time the sisters had spoken was in December 2015. Their relationship had already been strained for two years, according to the Florida native.
“It seemed as though she was excited to hear from me,” Samantha wrote, citing their frequent missed communication of their “completely different schedules” at the time.
She went on to allege that Meghan “changed” after she met Harry.
The former actress isn’t the only one who has sibling drama, however. Harry and Prince William’s relationship has been strained in recent years too. The brothers’ rift deepened in January 2020 when Harry and Meghan announced plans to step back from their senior royal duties and relocate to the United States.
“William’s done everything in his power to help his brother over the years,” an insider told Us at the time. “Harry’s thrown all the good advice he gave him back in his face. When Harry was feeling low or had problems, William was always there for him, as was Kate. Kate’s incredibly hurt too. She acted as a mentor to Harry before Meghan came into the picture and hates seeing her husband so upset.”
Scroll through to revisit the most shocking royal feuds in history: