I Used To Be Meghan Markle’s Biggest Fan, But Now I’m Convinced She’s A Narcissist

The ideas expressed in this article are solely the opinion of the author and not to be construed as fact.

And how could I not be obsessed? An American actress (that just happened to share my first name and spelled it the same way) was marrying a prince, and it felt like something straight out of a fairytale. I’ve always been fascinated by the royal family and never truly outgrew my princess phase, so watching Meghan Markle marry Prince Harry felt like a dream come true.

I was shocked when they stepped down from royal duties in January 2020 and was heartbroken while watching Oprah interview Meghan and Harry in March 2021. However, when the shock of the interview began to fade, I realized that parts of the story didn’t add up. After my journalistic instinct kicked in and I did some digging, I’m convinced that Meghan Markle might be a narcissist.

What’s a Narcissist?

I want to make it very clear that I’m not using the word “narcissist” lightly, as I have seen firsthand the damage narcissists can cause. Narcissistic abuse isn’t something I’d wish on anyone, and I think it’s important to define what a narcissist is before diving into why I think Meghan Markle is one.

WebMD defines narcissism as “extreme self-involvement to the degree that it makes a person ignore the needs of those around them. While everyone may show occasional narcissistic behavior, true narcissists frequently disregard others or their feelings. They also do not understand the effect that their behavior has on other people.”

Symptoms of narcissism include:

• grandiose sense of self-importance

• preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

• the belief they’re special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions

• a need for excessive admiration

• a sense of entitlement

• interpersonally exploitative behavior

• a lack of empathy

• envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them

• demonstrating arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes

Meghan Markle Has a Narcissist’s Past

Though Meghan Markle starred as Rachel Zane on Suits before meeting and dating Prince Harry in 2016, she wasn’t exactly an A-list celebrity. Based on some of her past behavior, it’s clear that fame was her ultimate goal, as she strategically chose friends who would elevate her social status.

We all know about the drama with her father and half-siblings before the wedding, but they’re not the only people who have a drama-filled past with her. Markle allegedly blindsided her first husband, Hollywood producer Trevor Engelson, by telling him she wanted a divorce by mailing her ring back in the mail. The timing of the divorce is very suspicious – Trevor helped her launch her acting career, yet she divorced him when she started to have success on Suits. Engelson wasn’t the only person she dropped when she allegedly had no use for them anymore, including childhood best friend Ninaki Priddy. When she moved to Toronto for her role in Suits, she befriended people like socialite Jessica Mulroney to allegedly help elevate her social status. She allegedly dropped Mulroney as a friend after she married Harry.

This is a common behavior among narcissists: They discard friends when they have no use for them anymore or can no longer manipulate them. Fans believe that Markle is both a narcissist and a social climber, using other people to become famous. Though her past is full of red flags, the royal family welcomed her with open arms when she married Prince Harry in May 2018, only for them to leave less than two years later.

The Oprah Interview 

The world was shocked when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family in early January 2020. Everyone had questions, and the questions were seemingly answered when they sat down for an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Like many, I was very skeptical of what the interview would entail but felt sympathy for Markle after the explosive interview. It wasn’t until aspects of the interview began to unravel that I started to question whether or not she was telling the truth. Let’s take a look at some of the most shocking claims in the interview.

We all know the British tabloid press can be vicious because of how they hounded Princess Diana and the role they played in her death. It’s also fair to argue that the press was tough on Markle compared to how they treat Kate Middleton, so it’s understandable why Markle claims that this negatively affected her mental health. In the interview, Markle claimed that the pressure she faced during her first pregnancy led her to contemplate suicide. She confided in Harry and insisted that she wanted to let him know because she believed she would have done it if she hadn’t told him, and she didn’t want him to lose another prominent woman in his life since he tragically lost his mother (who Markle allegedly wants to emulate). 

When I first watched the interview, my heart broke for Markle because I know what it’s like to experience suicidal thoughts and to have someone you love experience suicidal thoughts. It’s a nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, making it difficult to see how Markle was manipulating Harry. I’m not suggesting that Markle was lying about being suicidal, but even if you give her the benefit of the doubt, the way she told Harry was extremely manipulative because she brought the death of his mother into it. No matter how you explain it, what she did can be considered emotional abuse, leading many fans to wonder what her true intentions were. When something is manipulative at best, there has to be more to the story.

Another red flag from the Oprah interview was Markle’s claim about how she and Harry were married in secret by the Archbishop of Canterbury a few days before the televised wedding. The Archbishop was quick to deny the claim, leading many fans to wonder why Markle would lie about something that could be easily refuted. One popular theory is that she wanted to make her and Harry seem more relatable but got sloppy by forgetting that the Archbishop of Canterbury would likely call her out. If this is why she did it, it’s a perfect example of how a narcissist behaves because narcissists are obsessed with the image they've created of themselves. The image she created of herself was humble and relatable, and what’s humbler than wanting to marry a prince without the fanfare?

Meghan and Harry’s Relationship with the Royals

Some of the more disturbing claims that Markle is a narcissist have to do with her and Harry’s relationship with the rest of the royal family, and Tom Bower’s new book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, claims that Markle planned to break Harry from his family from the start of their relationship.

One incident covered in both Bower’s book and the Oprah interview is when Markle claimed that she didn’t make Kate Middleton cry over Princess Charlotte’s dress for her wedding, but that "the reverse happened." Bower alleges that Markle not only lied about Kate making her cry, but that Markle bullied Princess Charlotte in the process by “[comparing]Princess Charlotte unfavourably to her best friend Jessica Mulroney's daughter.” It was this comparison that reportedly made Kate cry. While the accusation of bullying a child (Charlotte was only three years old at the time) is awful on its own, one has to wonder why Markle would say that Kate made her cry if the initial story were true. If Bower is correct, this could be another example of Markle trying to preserve her image.

One of the most upsetting elements of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from the royal family is watching Harry’s relationship with his family weaken, especially his relationship with his brother, Prince William. The two brothers were famous for having a close bond for years, and it makes sense when you think about everything they’ve been through together, making the rift between them difficult for fans (myself included) to watch. The feud allegedly began when Markle came into the picture. William was worried that Harry was rushing into the relationship, and William’s skepticism continued into their marriage.

Bower not only believes that Markle is the source of the rift between the brothers but that "it's too late for the royal brothers to reconcile." This is not only incredibly sad but further confirms the theory that Markle is a narcissist. Unfortunately, narcissists tend to isolate their victims from others, especially family members who are critical of the narcissist. Something similar happened with Harry’s friends early in his relationship with Markle – Bower alleges that Markle convinced him to break off close friendships because she thought their jokes were politically incorrect.

Though Bower’s claims reveal a darker portrait of who Markle really is, some are dismissing the book as salacious gossip. Regardless of how you feel about what Bower has to say, it’s hard to deny that some of Markle’s recent behavior aligns with that of a narcissist.

Recent Narcissistic Behavior

Meghan and Harry made headlines for their lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix worth a total of $125 million in 2020, but they have yet to release any content. Back in May, Netflix announced that the first series in the Netflix deal, an animated series about Markle’s childhood, Pearl, had been axed due to budget cuts. It has also been alleged that the pair clashed with Netflix during the Platinum Jubilee because they were unable to film official events for an upcoming documentary due to their demotion in the royal family. It’s also alleged that Netflix is pressuring the couple to explain why the crowd booed them at the Jubilee, but they don’t want to talk about it.

Though Markle had no control over Pearl falling through, her alleged refusal to speak of the Jubilee with Netflix can be interpreted as an inability to take criticism, something that narcissists are known for. Her inability to produce content for Spotify can be interpreted as a sign of a narcissist’s inability to follow through. 

YouTuber Baggage Claim believes that this is an example of a narcissist unable to realize that they’re not as popular as they used to be. She says, “Meghan saw that she and Harry were popular royals, but she made the mistake of thinking their popularity was about them and not about the roles they embodied in the royal family.”

She continues, “Unable to make this distinction, Meghan believed that she could nab this newfound global recognition and popularity and take it with her where she wanted, including to a house in Montecito, where she could carve out her own throne and rule like an American queen.”

Markle’s popularity has been waning for some time, and her recent actions haven’t done much to help her image. Though some might think it’s too much to call her a narcissist, the signs of her exhibiting narcissistic behavior are hard to deny.

Closing Thoughts

From her past (and recent) behavior and the explosive revelations in Tom Bower’s new book, it’s safe to say that Meghan Markle shows plenty of signs of being a narcissist. Though many see this story as gossip, it’s genuinely heartbreaking to watch a family get torn apart in the public eye. This proves that nobody is immune to falling for a narcissist and that we should always be wary of those who exhibit narcissistic behaviors.

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