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Meghan Markle is often likened to Wallis Simpson, but according to one author, it\u2019s not the American divorcees who deserve scrutiny \u2014 it\u2019s the husbands who married them.<\/p>\n
Hugo Vickers has written a new book, \u201cBehind Closed Doors,\u201d<\/a> which examines the shocking final years of the Duchess of Windsor, who died in 1986 at the age of 89.<\/p>\n The royal historian told Fox News Digital that while writing his book, he uncovered striking and troubling parallels between Prince Harry and Edward, Duke of Windsor \u2014 the late Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s uncle \u2014 who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson.<\/p>\n PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAUSED \u2018UNFORGIVABLE\u2019 STRESS FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH IN FINAL YEARS: AUTHOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 The one thing in common is that the two husbands both look pretty miserable,\u201d Vickers claimed. \u201cIf you look at photographs of the Duke of Windsor in old age \u2026 I\u2019ve never seen such sad eyes on a man because of what happened. In both cases, they decided not to do the duty which they had been born to undertake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I give talks occasionally, usually at schools, I show a picture of the queen, our Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>, with sparkling eyes at the age of 90, having done her duty and feeling the calm, level gaze, conscious of duty fulfilled, as somebody put it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhereas the Duke of Windsor looked pathetic, and he looked very sad. And Prince Harry also looks very, very sad most of the time and rather angry.\u201d<\/p>\n Harry, 41, has been estranged from his family since he and his wife stepped back as senior royals in 2020. They cited unbearable intrusions by the British press and a lack of support from the palace for their decision to exit.<\/p>\n Since moving to California<\/a>, the couple have aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry\u2019s 2021 memoir \u201cSpare,\u201d which laid bare details about the House of Windsor, worsened tensions.<\/p>\n Today, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are still working to define their post-royal identities. Vickers said Meghan, the former American actress,<\/a> has had a far smoother ride than Harry.<\/p>\n \u201cMeghan Markle is much more in control of her destiny than Wallis was,\u201d said Vickers. \u201cWallis became a wife and, to be fair to her, she wrote a book of memoirs. She gave one or two interviews, but she was very discreet, to be quite honest. She was very much in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 Meghan Markle is completely different,\u201d he continued. \u201cShe is using her title and her name to market things. \u2026 She\u2019s been selling products and the like. \u2026 I just personally don\u2019t think Prince Harry looks happy. My theory is that he is terrified of losing her, which is a very understandable syndrome to get into.\u201d<\/p>\n British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say that both husbands wanted out of the institution,\u201d she explained to Fox News Digital. \u201cEdward VIII didn\u2019t want to be king, and Prince Harry wanted freedom from the royal family. Their \u2018get out of jail\u2019 cards were their strong partners. How can we forget Harry and Meghan\u2019s \u2018freedom flight\u2019 video shown in their Netflix documentary as they gleefully relinquished their royal duties?\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe tides have possibly changed,\u201d said Chard. \u201cHarry and Meghan built their exit. However, it doesn\u2019t guarantee safety or peace. Prince Harry<\/a> continuously worries about Meghan, his family, their safety and media backlash. He seems to be reverting to what he knows and enjoys, his previous royal life.\u201d<\/p>\n During an unannounced visit to Ukraine<\/a> on April 24, Harry was asked about being \u201cnot a working royal.\u201d He replied, \u201cI will always be part of the royal family. \u2026 I am here working, doing the things I was born to do.\u201d<\/p>\n That same month, Harry and Meghan spent four days in Australia, where Harry\u2019s father, King Charles, is the head of state.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking ahead, Meghan\u2019s trajectory seems firmly anchored in monetizing her proximity to the monarchy,\u201d Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube\u2019s \u201cKinsey Schofield Unfiltered,\u201d told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n \u201cI predict a long-term strategy focused on influence, media and commercial ventures, versus any form of royal reconciliation in traditional terms,\u201d Schofield said. \u201cFor Harry, his long-term positioning still feels less defined. He has leaned heavily into advocacy and legacy projects, but there\u2019s an ongoing tension between his royal identity and his post-royal reality<\/a>. That ambiguity can be difficult to sustain over time.\u201d<\/p>\n Majesty magazine\u2019s editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward previously claimed that Prince Philip, Harry\u2019s grandfather, gave Meghan the nickname \u201cDoW,\u201d shorthand for Duchess of Windsor, The Telegraph<\/a> reported. According to the outlet, the name came \u201cfrom the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis.\u201d<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Meghan\u2019s star power also may have worked against her inside the royal family.<\/p>\n