‘We cannot afford to lose her’: Royal Family shamed for how they treated Meghan Markle and urged to win her back

With Prince Harry fleeing his family for the U.S. just two years after he tied the knot, it’s always seemed like the Royal Family couldn’t wait to be rid of Meghan Markle and the feathers she ruffled at the palace. And yet King Charles and his ilk are now being warned that they might’ve made a grave error in ditching the duchess, one that may cost the monarchy dearly in the years ahead.

At a time when it seems like she’s being attacked from all corners, after scathing exposés in the press, backlash to her increased Instagram activity, and criticism of her recent company rebrand, Meghan Markle has received some rare support that puts the onus on the big family break-up on the Royals and not her. This is obviously how Harry and Meghan have been portraying it themselves for years, but now they’ve found some defense from an influential expert.

“She could have brought a new dimension to the monarchy”: Royal Family warned to bring Meghan back ASAP

In an impassioned piece written for Saga Magazine, venerable British journalist Sir Trevor McDonald has criticized the Royal Family and the British press for how Harry and Meghan were treated, urging the Royals to plead Meghan to return so that she can be an invaluable asset in the future.

“The less-than-kind way some newspapers reported the news of her new Netflix show With Love, Meghan (from 4 March) reminded me why the couple had run from their British home in the first place,” McDonald — arguably the most well-respected news anchor in the U.K., prior to his retirement some years ago — said. He went on to sympathize with claims Harry had made in his book, Spare, that “once their fairy-tale wedding had ended they were subjected to waves of abuse, racism and lies, and had no choice but to flee the country.”

The 85-year-old — who broke ground when he became the first Black reporter on British TV screens in 1973 — went on to stress that he believes Meghan could’ve increased the popularity and appeal of the Royal Family had she been embraced rather than ostracized. “Meghan, too, could have brought a new dimension to the monarchy,” McDonald continued. “By having a different background, perhaps she could have changed how the Royal Family is perceived by those who had never before felt a strong connection.”

McDonald clearly has no time for how Meghan was treated, sharing his damning take on why the duchess became so unpopular:

“Yet it seems to me that precisely because of those differences, she never stood a chance of being accepted,” he argued. “To be blunt, she is a foreigner: an American, a divorcee, a former actress – and black. She was never given a chance to prove herself.”

McDonald ended his defense by urging the Royals to find a way to bring both Harry and Meghan back into the fold, as he believes the crown “cannot afford to lose” all that she could offer.

“From where we are today, it looks almost impossible that someone could persuade Harry and his family to come back to Britain,” he concluded. “But I sincerely hope it can be done one day; we cannot afford to lose someone so young, so full of energy and so imbued with the charitable instincts that are at the core of our Royal Family.”

There aren’t many towering figures in the U.K. media who are on Meghan’s side like this, so the Sussexes would no doubt be grateful and touched by the show of support. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem like any real headway is being made on the front of Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K. That said, the U.S. press seems to be just as full of anti-Meghan sentiment these days, so maybe a sudden move back to Britain isn’t so impossible. Or maybe the Royal Family has blown its chance to have turned Markle into a useful ally forever.