Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary sent a powerful message about their thoughts on divorce: They have a strong ambition to not “repeat the same mistakes” their parents made.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced in 1996, when Harry was eight, while Meghan’s parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle, separated in 1987, when she was six. But now, as Charles Spencer, Harry’s uncle and brother of his late mother Princess Diana, prepares to divorce his wife of 13 years, Karen Gordon, it is said to be causing pain for the couple, especially in Harry.
Uncle Charles and Karen married in June 2011 in the grounds of Althorp, where his sister Diana is buried, after meeting on a blind date, but Earl, 60, revealed the heartbreaking reason behind the split.
Calling it “immensely sad”, he said: “I just want to dedicate myself to all my children and my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.”
Charles also shares a 12-year-old daughter with Karen, the same age Harry, now 39, was when his mother sadly passed away in 1997, so it’s no surprise that, according to a source, the news comes as a huge blow to him. duke. of Sussex, who has become even closer to his uncle since he turned his back on royal duties.
“Harry has always been very close to his uncle Charles and they have become even closer since he decided to step away from royal life. “Charles fully supported him and he is the only person Harry feels he can be really honest with about how difficult it is to be a royal, as he knows his uncle’s views on them.” , stated the source.
“Harry feels that the Spencer family is the only real family he has left in the UK, so he was naturally shocked and upset when he learned of Charles’ plans to divorce for the third time.
“Whenever divorce is mentioned, Harry always remembers those horrible days when his mom and dad split up. It’s something that took him years to get over.”
Charles, who has four children, has always been close to his nephew.
In fact, during Harry’s most recent Invictus Games in London, the earl was one of the few family members in attendance to show their support and hugged the 39-year-old as his father, King Charles, reportedly hosted the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year. two miles away.
Harry’s memoir, Spare, also talks about his two aunts, Jane and Sarah, and his uncle being there when he and Meghan visited Diana’s grave. Recalling the emotional experience in 2022, Harry said Charles, who also walked alongside him at Diana’s funeral, supported him and gave him the “little push” he needed.
So when it became known that a divorce was on the cards, it’s only natural for Harry to think about his past and the memories he had once blocked out. It has also been reported that Charles hired the same high-profile divorce lawyer who represented his father Charles during his divorce from Diana.
“It was heartbreaking for Harry to see his parents start to hate each other and he blames their separation for many of his problems, especially the way his father handled him and his mother,” the source said.
“It is difficult for Harry to see his uncle use the same lawyer that his father used against Diana, he feels he could have used someone else out of respect and he simply does not want another divorce in the family. Both he and Meghan have been dogged by divorces growing up and that made them both so determined to have a successful marriage.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been open in the past about being the children of divorced parents.
In their documentary, Harry and Meghan, the couple, who married in 2011 and share two children, five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet, made clear how much it impacted not their childhood but their relationships as adults.
“I think there are a lot of things from anyone’s childhood that you bring with you into the present, especially when you’re the product of a divorce,” Meghan, 42, told Netflix viewers.
Harry added: “I think most children who are the product of divorced parents have a lot in common, no matter what their background.
“Being dragged from one place to another, or maybe your parents are competitive, or being in one place longer than you want to be, or somewhere less than you want to be. “There are all kinds of pieces to that.”
In episode two of the Netflix series, Meghan even recalled a poem she wrote about her family when she was 12 and still remembers word for word today. She begins: “Two houses, two homes, two kitchens, two telephones.”
Although Meghan divorced her first husband and American film producer Trevor Engelson in 2011, this sad news within her family has opened up deep emotions for the couple.
“Meghan and Harry hated having separated parents because they weren’t on good terms and they were both pulled in different directions. Obviously, Meghan has been divorced before, but she sees her marriage to Harry as her first proper marriage and they know what it takes to do.” a successful marriage,” the source said.
“They would never want to put Archie and Lili through any of that and want them to have as idyllic and innocent a childhood as possible. There is always constant speculation about the status of their relationship, but they accept that that comes with the territory and just them.” . Know how strong your marriage is.
“They also know that they will go through difficult times and may want to leave, but they have promised that divorce is not an option, especially when they have such young children and they are responsible for shaping their lives.”
