EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle's 'Furious, Bitter and Stroppy' Seven-Word Declaration During Her Final Ever Royal Solo Engagement Was 'Revenge Warning Shot' to The Firm
Meghan did not appreciate the sheer levels of royal rules she has to adhere to.
Sept. 9 2025, Published 7:20 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle is said to have delivered a furious and tearful seven-word declaration at her last-ever solo royal engagement, RadarOnline.com can reveal – which sources tell us were filled with fury, ego, bitterness... and designed to act as a warning she was about to unleash savage attacks on The Firm.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex allegedly made the remark in March 2020, during a meeting at Buckingham Palace with Association of Commonwealth Universities scholars.
Meghan's 2020 Palace Visit Described as Emotional
Insiders said Meghan’s words dripped with fury and frustration.
Markle's visit – part of her final round of solo royal duties before she and Prince Harry announced they were stepping back from public life – has now been described by insiders as a "fraught and emotional moment."
One aide present told us: "She was visibly upset, and those seven words summed up the bitterness she felt.
"To her, it was a mix of fury, frustration and heartbreak. Meghan believed things could have been handled differently, and that is why she said it in such a stroppy, tearful way."
'It Didn't Have To Be This Way'
Meghan Markle delivers tearful seven-word farewell at Buckingham Palace
Another source added: "The remark wasn't just emotional, it was pointed. Meghan wanted it known that she felt pushed out, that the situation had been forced on her. It was a bitter farewell, not a graceful exit."
Royal journalist Omid Scobie, who attended the engagement, later recalled in his book Finding Freedom that Meghan hugged him goodbye and allegedly whispered the seven words: "It didn't have to be this way."
According to Scobie, members of staff who had supported the couple from the beginning were mourning what was supposed to be "a happy story: two people fall in love, get married, have a baby, serve the Queen, the end."
Commonwealth Day Marked Last Official Duty
Commonwealth Day service marks Meghan’s final royal duty with Harry.
The event where Markle allegedly gave her "royal farewell statement" was part of a week of final duties that culminated in the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
The service marked the diva duchess' final official engagement alongside Harry, now 40, and the rest of the Royal Family, and observers told us it was marked by a "cool atmosphere between the Sussexes and other senior royals."
Harry spoke about his and Markle's experiences with the royals in their Netflix documentary series released in 2022.
"The first time that we saw the other members of the family was in Westminster Abbey," he said.
"We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience. It's like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment.
"I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like. And it looked cold. But it also felt cold."
Markle's Seven-Word Farewell Seen as Revenge Warning
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Palace aides viewed Meghan's remark as her ultimate royal warning.
An insider also told us Markle's seven-word private farewell line revealed her plans to rip them apart with allegations against the royals in the likes of the Netflix show.
They said: "Those words were not accidental – they were a warning revenge was on the way. And she wanted them to be remembered as warning.
"They were directed as much at the institution as at individuals. She was saying she never wanted it to end like this – but also that she blamed the royals for her exit."
The fallout from the couple's exit, dubbed 'Megxit,' has continued to reverberate across the monarchy.
But aides who heard her words that day believe they remain the most revealing window into Markle's state of mind at the time.
One said: "It was furious, bitter and stroppy all at once. And she meant every syllable."
