When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, the atmosphere surrounding the Royal Family was filled with optimism.

Her arrival represented more than the marriage of an American actress into Britain’s monarchy. Many observers believed she brought new energy, international recognition, and an opportunity for the institution to evolve while remaining connected to modern audiences.

Years later, however, discussions about Meghan’s royal legacy continue to focus not on what happened, but on what might have happened.

According to a report by Express, royal author Simon Vigar believes Meghan was positioned to become one of the Royal Family’s most influential figures, yet a conflict of personalities prevented that future from becoming reality.

Rather than arguing that Meghan lacked ability or public appeal, Vigar presents a very different explanation.

In his view, the opportunity existed.

The problem was that it was never fully realized.

Expectations were unusually high

From the moment Harry and Meghan announced their engagement, expectations surrounding the couple were significant.

Their wedding at Windsor in 2018 symbolized a fresh chapter for the monarchy.

For many supporters, Meghan represented a modern voice who could broaden the Royal Family’s appeal while introducing new perspectives.

The enthusiasm surrounding the marriage made what followed even more surprising.

Less than two years after the wedding, Harry and Meghan announced that they would step away from their roles as working members of the Royal Family and leave the United Kingdom.

The couple explained that they wanted greater privacy and the opportunity to become financially independent.

Their decision shocked many royal watchers because it brought an abrupt end to a future that many believed had only just begun.

A “major player” who never became one

Simon Vigar’s assessment focuses on unrealized potential rather than failure.

Writing in his book The Four Wives of Windsor, he describes Meghan as someone who could have played a central role within the monarchy.

He writes that she was:

“obviously a massive asset”

and

“would have been a major player” in royal life.

Those comments suggest that Vigar saw Meghan not as someone struggling to fit into royal duties, but as someone uniquely positioned to strengthen the institution.

His conclusion, however, is that potential alone was not enough.

According to Vigar:

“She should have been, could have been, fantastic for the royal family but egos on both sides got in the way.”

That statement shifts responsibility away from a single individual.

Instead of placing blame exclusively on Meghan or on the Royal Family, he argues that personal pride and competing perspectives on both sides prevented a successful partnership from developing.

More than just another royal couple

Vigar goes even further by suggesting that Harry and Meghan could have transformed the monarchy itself.

He believes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex:

“should have been transformative” for the Royal Family.

The word “transformative” carries particular significance.

It implies not merely popularity but lasting institutional change.

Whether through public engagement, charitable work, or global influence, the couple were seen by some as having the ability to reshape how the monarchy connected with people around the world.

Instead, that possibility ended before it had much time to develop.

A relationship with growing pressures

The report also notes that Harry and Meghan experienced increasing difficulties before leaving royal life in 2020.

Among the challenges were intense media scrutiny and deteriorating relationships within the family itself.

Those internal tensions reportedly included their relationship with Prince William and Princess Catherine.

According to the report, signs of strain began emerging around the time Harry and Meghan married, gradually becoming more visible as the years progressed.

Although many details have remained private, those reported tensions became part of the broader context surrounding the couple’s eventual decision to step away from official royal duties.

A different life in California

Today, Harry and Meghan live in Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Their lives are now very different from the path many expected them to follow in 2018.

Instead of representing the monarchy from within, they have built careers and projects outside the Royal Family while raising their family in the United States.

Yet the story does not appear to be entirely closed.

Looking toward reconciliation

According to the report, Harry and Meghan are believed to be making efforts to repair some of their royal relationships.

That includes King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

During their recent July visit to the United Kingdom, the couple reportedly met privately with the King and Queen at Highgrove House.

While no details of that meeting were made public, its inclusion in the report suggests that communication between the Sussexes and senior members of the Royal Family continues despite years of public disagreements.

Whether those efforts eventually lead to stronger family ties remains unknown.

The legacy of unrealized expectations

Simon Vigar’s comments ultimately focus less on controversy than on missed opportunity.

His argument is not that Meghan lacked talent or public support.

Quite the opposite.

He describes her as someone with exceptional potential who entered the Royal Family at a moment when expectations were remarkably high.

His conclusion is that circumstances—and, in his words, “egos on both sides”—prevented that promise from becoming reality.

Years after Harry and Meghan left royal life, debate continues over what their place in the monarchy might have looked like had events unfolded differently.

Whether viewed as a story of conflict, ambition, or missed opportunity, one point remains clear from Vigar’s perspective: he believes Meghan Markle was never expected to be an ordinary working royal.

She was expected to become one of its defining figures.