Harry & Meghan Reportedly Might Use Kids as a ‘Weapon’ for Family Reunion Though She Does Not Want to Return

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are not new to controversy. Their family ties got severed after the couple left the UK to settle in North America. Reports now claim that the couple might use their children as a "weapon" for a family reunion.

Despite being famous in their respective aspects — with Meghan Markle being a movie star and Prince Harry hailing from a royal family — neither knew much about the other. They were first introduced to each other by a mutual friend, and after their first date, they both wanted to see each other again.

Before meeting Markle, Harry "did not know which way to turn," and people described him as having been "an angry young man." Princess Diana's biographer Andrew Morton said the prince struggled with the loss of his mother and with trying to find himself.

He finally found direction in his life when he left the army and helped launch the "Invictus Games" for wounded, sick, and injured army personnel and veterans.

Markle, on the other hand, was taking the entertainment industry by storm with her appearances in films such as "Random Encounters," "When Sparks Fly," "Dysfunctional Friends," and "Suits."

After they decided they wanted to meet again after their first date, Markle and Harry then went on two London dates before jetting off to Botswana for a magical week-long vacation under the African stars.

THE ROYAL INTRODUCTION

Things moved pretty fast, and Harry would then introduce Markle to his father, Prince Charles. An engagement seemed forthcoming, and a pal of the couple would say of the prince:

"Harry is pretty serious about her, and she is pretty serious about him."

And while meeting Harry's father was a walk in the park, Markle soon realized that meeting The Queen would not be so easy. She had to learn how to curtsy, and on the big day, she had to do several run-throughs in front of the house to ensure she had the perfect curtsy.

But once she had met her, Markle says the rest was easy. The Queen liked her and even gave her a set of pearl earrings and a matching necklace. A source at the palace told US Weekly that The Queen fully supported her grandson and was happy to see him in a loving relationship.

Despite the warm welcome to royalty, not everyone was happy about the union. Months into their relationship, Markle started getting harassed because of the relationship, which prompted Harry to act.

He reportedly spoke to his older brother Prince William, after which the brothers made a public plea for those harassing Markle to stop. Soon after, other reports claimed that William had been unhappy with Harry's decision to open up about his relationship.

Consequently, at William's request, Kensington Palace gave a statement saying the opposite was true and that he agreed with Harry's need to support those closest to him.

Since she began dating Harry, Markle has always had the support of her mother, Doria. However, it was different from the rest of her family. Her father and step-siblings say Markle "froze them out" after she married Harry, but a People source shared that they had never been close to Markle.

A TRUE PRINCESS WEDDING

After Harry's November 2017 proposal, a wedding was soon in the pipeline. The world waited with bated breaths, and finally, the announcement came that the lovebirds would be marrying at the St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

On their big day, Markle came out looking gorgeous in a Givenchy wedding dress, while Harry had to get permission from his grandmother to don his single-breasted uniform made of doeskin.

The wedding had 600 guests and included several A-list celebrities and other royals and the whole lineup of good food, a mouth-watering wedding confection, and performers.

A year after their grand wedding, the couple welcomed their first baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019.

WHAT WENT WRONG BETWEEN THE SUSSEX AND THE ROYAL FAMILY?

Initially, everyone got along well at the palace, but things changed soon after. The couple soon began feeling unhappy about how other royals and staff treated Markle.

Rumors of conflict between William and Harry also became rife, with reports saying that there was also misunderstanding between their wives. While the rift was only speculation at first, Harry confirmed it when he spoke to ITV's Tom Bradby, saying, as CNN reports:

"We will always be brothers. We are certainly on different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him, and as I know, he will always be there for me."

However, the rift only seemed to worsen. Soon after, Harry and Markle formally split from the Royal Foundation, which co-ordinated their charitable work with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

In 2020, the couple announced that they would be stepping back as "senior" royals and wanted to become financially independent. They shared that they would be spending their time between the UK and the USA.

The announcement shocked the world, as nothing like that had ever happened before, but more distraught were members of the royal family, who said that Harry had not consulted with the palace before putting out the statement.

In a follow-up statement, Harry said that the decision had not been easy and that despite the "great sadness" that came with leaving home, he was happy to get away and start life afresh with his family.

KEEPING BUSY IN THE USA

The couple eventually moved to the USA in March 2020, and after stints in Canada and Beverly Hills, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex settled in Santa Barbara. Life has been busy for the couple since settling in.

They first founded a non-profit organization, Archewell, which aims to "unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change." In September 2020, they signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix.

Harry became an executive producer on "Heart of Invictus," while Markle worked on her animated series "Pearl." She has also since published her first book "The Bench." It has, however, not been all work. The couple also added to the family when they welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana, on June 4, 2021.

They also gave a tell-all interview with Oprah, where they spoke about the challenges they faced as working royals. The sit-down revealed that the unnamed parties in the palace were concerned about Archie's skin color before he was born.

The explosive interview also touched on several other topics, including Markle's fall-out with Kate Middleton, her begging "The Firm" for mental health support, and how they denied her. Asked if Middleton helped her adjust to her new life as a royal, Markle replied, as The Sun reports:

"My understanding and my experience for the past four years is that it's nothing like what it looks like."

The royal family appeared shocked by the revelations and stated that the interview had caught them off-guard. Us Weekly wrote that The Cambridges knew what Harry and Markle dealt with all along but did not do anything about it.

WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE?

Following their departure from the palace and the consequent tell-all interviews they've had, it was inevitable that the Sussex would stain some of their relationships with royal family members.

Harry and his father's relationship has remained sour, and while everyone hoped they would mend fences during Prince Philip's burial, that did not happen. But recently, Charles praised Harry's work on climate change in an essay for Newsweek, a gesture interpreted as Charles offering an olive branch to his son.

Omid Scobie, who co-authored Harry and Markle's biography "Finding Freedom," shared that the relations between Harry and William are still severed, and no effort to change that has borne any fruit.

However, Mirror reports that their relationship with The Queen appears intact and sturdy, even though she is yet to meet her great-granddaughter. Brand and reputation management expert Eric Schiffer says the meeting will eventually happen.

He claims the Sussex know that their children are the key to bringing peace between them and the family. He said, as Express reports:

"Harry and Meghan know that their children are their secret weapon, ultimately make things happen to bring their family back together."

Even though Harry has since made several jet-ins to his home country since they left the UK in 2020, Markle has yet to, with Tom Bower telling The Sun that Markle has no intention of returning to the UK.

On the other hand, Harry is reportedly "desperate" to go back. In January, Harry's spokesperson released a statement revealing that Harry is petitioning the UK government to secure protection for his children.

Ken Wharfe, who guarded Princess Diana and the boys as children, believes Harry is ready to return home. Wharfe says, as Marie Claire reports:

"The fact he has gone down this legal route to secure protection suggests to me that he is desperate, and there is a real reason for him to come to the UK. He has two children that the Queen hasn't effectively seen yet."

Naming their daughter Lilibet Diana has also been interpreted as a sign that the couple is ready to mend fences with the family. Lilibet is The Queen's nickname, while Diana pays tribute to Harry's mother. As it stands, only time will tell.