Meghan Markle's 12 Months of Palace Tension: Hidden Drama That Drove Duchess of Sussex Away From Royal Life for Good Unveiled

Meghan Markle was fed up with both the British royal family and the British press long before 'Megxit' took off in January 2020, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Royal expert Anna Pasternak said: "I think that started to sour things (lack of privacy after Archie's birth) and then of course it's easy to add the moniker that they're entitled, they're going to do it their way, they're difficult, they're not playing the royal game.

"I think there was definitely the sense that the pressure was building, cracks were starting to show and that there was a friction."

Archie's birth on May 6, 2019, was expected to bring with it all the joy and splendor that enrapture the United Kingdom when a royal baby arrives – but this puzzled many when it became a more muted affair.

This led former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, Paul Burrell, to share: "Why didn't they want to show the world their joy? They're retreating, they're pulling back. That's when I thought it was going wrong."

This has led other analysts to look back for clues at the turmoil heading for the Crown as 2020 unfolded.

During the summer of 2019, the duo chose not to join the royal family's annual trip to Balmoral – instead opting for a secret holiday with their newborn son.

Royal author Tom Bower claims in his book Revenge Meghan felt Archie "was too young to travel to Scotland". Instead, the couple took him to Ibiza and later to Nice, staying at Elton John's villa.

If reports are to be believed, this would mean the duo "vehemently lied" to the late Queen Elizabeth II – who would have personally sent the new family an invite to vacation in the Highlands.

Instead, the royal rebels opted for the eastern coast of Spain as the months began to dwindle down before their royal departure. The pair would go on to snub the Queen again at Christmas by turning down an invite to spend the festive season with the royals at Sandringham.

More measured assessments of Megxit have been shared in the nearly five years since it became one of, if not the biggest, British royal scandal since Edward VIII's 1936 abdication.

CNN commentator Sandro Monetti said of the exit: "I never personally thought they would pull the plug. But when they did it was shocking.

"In this great soap opera that is the royal family, it was one of the most remarkable episodes of all time. In retrospect, the clues were always there."

Meghan has not returned to Britain since the late Queen's State Funeral in September 2022.

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Daily Express reported on the expert opinions.