Harry and Meghan risk repeating mistakes of exiled royals Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

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EXCLUSIVE: A royal author drew similarities between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as he warned the latter royals of the fate encountered by the former King.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit New Zealand - Day 1

Meghan and Prince Harry stepped down as senior royals at the end of March 2020 (Image: Getty)

He continued: “And when you’re not saying that anymore, and you can’t make any more films and interviews about how badly you’ve been treated, what then, what do you do?

“My fear is that Harry will become like Edward VIII and Meghan will become like Mrs Simpson.”

Edward VIII acceded to the throne in January 1936 following the death of King George V.

But, in December that year, when asked to choose between marrying twice-divorced socialite Mrs Simpson and remaining the UK’s head of state, the King stepped down.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

King Edward VIII abdicated for love in December 1936 (Image: GETTY)

Prince Harry and Meghan walking down the stairs

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no longer working royals (Image: GETTY)

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The pair married in France the following year and were created the Duke and Duchess of Windsor – although King George VI did not style Mrs Simpson as Her Royal Highness.

Mr Quinn said: “They lived in this beautiful house in France, but we know they were desperately unhappy – Edward VIII was a bit like King Lear, where he gives away all his power, but somehow thinks he can still exercise power through his children. And I think Edward VIII, when he abdicated and went to live in France, thought he would still be an important figure.

“And he was for a little while, in the same way that Meghan and Harry are kind of significant now because there’s so much coverage and commentary about them.

“But that will fade and, unless they can escape all this negative stuff and find something positive that people are interested in, they will become insignificant in the way that Edward VIII became insignificant and very unhappy.”

Britain's Prince Harry Delivers An Address At The U.N. General Assembly

Harry and Meghan have publicly spoken about their struggles as members of the Firm (Image: Getty)

Copies of the book Spare

Prince Harry’s book was released on January 10 (Image: Getty)

However, since they relocated to the US, they have only made a few trips back to England, first due to travel restrictions created by the coronavirus pandemic and then for the security concerns harboured by the fifth-in-line to the throne after he lost his taxpayer-funded security.

Meghan and Harry stepped down as full-time working members of the Firm in the spring of 2020, when they also moved to California with Prince Archie Harrison.

One year later, they sat down for their first tell-all interview, during which they spoke to Oprah Winfrey about their struggles as working royals, the mental health issues experienced by the Duchess while pregnant with her first child and what brought them to decide to leave the Firm.The Duke and Duchess of Windsor travelling on a train

The Duke of Windsor died in the early 1970s in France (Image: Getty)

But they decidedly lobbed grenades at the Firm and its members in December last year, with the release on Netflix of their biographical docu-series titled Harry & Meghan.

A few weeks later, Harry also released his tell-all biography, which included criticism of Queen Camilla and of the upbringing he received from King Charles, as well as details of the competitive and often difficult relationship with Prince William.

Source: EXPRESS CO UK

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