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From the moment that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping down from the roles as senior members of the royal family, fans, critics, and media outlets all over the world have been speculating about the final straw that led to that momentous decision.

Even after the couple told their side of the story in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, rumors about the exact cause of their irreparable rift with Harry’s family remained somewhat mysterious.

Meghan revealed that Kate Middleton made her cry ahead of her wedding, and she shocked viewers with the revelation that a member of the royal family had expressed concerns about baby Archie’s skin tone.

Still, these events remained shrouded in mystery, as they seemed to be the consequences of some falling out, not the causes.

Meghan Markle with a Very Large Hat
(Getty)

Many have theorized that Meghan never had a chance, that the royals had made up their minds about her before they even made her acquaintance.

Over the years many reports from anonymous insiders have confirmed those suspicions.

Now, an American-born viscountess is offering new insights into the prejudice Meghan faced upon her arrival in the UK.

Meghan Markle: A Photograph
(Getty)

And the bizarre part is that Chicago native Julie Montagu — now married to Luke Timothy Charles Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke — seems to believe that she’s defending the Queen and company.

Montagu’s comments appear in the upcoming documentary Meghan at 40: The Climb to Power, the caustic title a reference to Markle’s milestone birthday on August 4.

Montagu says that Meghan was doomed from the start, as she was simply too American to fall in line with the expectations she would face as a member of the world’s most famous family.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018
(Getty)

"You can’t really be anything you want to be or do anything you want to do or say anything you want to say," Montagu says in the film, as reported by the Daily Mirror.

"Your duty is to the Queen and that’s very difficult for someone like Meghan," she continued.

"To switch off that American dream off and accept ‘now you have to do what we say’ is difficult."

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Now, "Meghan was too attached to the American dream" sounds a lot nicer — albeit a lot less likely — than the explanation that she was a victim of the royals’ callous racism.

So we can see how Montagu might have thought she was helping the cause.

But if the goal of the royals is to smear the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ahead of Harry’s upcoming memoir, then this was a colossal misstep.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry: A Photo
(Getty)

After all, the idea that the family alienated a young woman of color simply because she was too ambitious is beyond repugnant.

"It’s difficult to have love and duty work simultaneously and together and that’s what Harry and Meghan wanted in negations with the Queen, this synergy, that they can make work, but the Queen said no," Montagu stated.

Again, since the work on which Meghan and Harry were planning to collaborate was purely humanitarian, this revelation is unlikely to sway anyone to the Queen’s side.

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As for the Meghan’s interview with Oprah, Montagu says the royals remain baffled by Meghan’s motives, but most believe it was an act or revenge.

"I think she felt it was an opportunity for her to not only share it with the world, but she hoped the royal family was actually listening," the viscountess claims.

"It’s difficult to pinpoint why she did it, but I think it’s clear they were angry."

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Yes, the royals watched as a young, pregnant woman of color shared her tale of trauma with the entire world, and they could imagine no other motive but revenge.

This, as the royal version of events was being plastered across tabloids the world over.

Hopefully, the royals are no longer curious about Meghan and Harry’s reaons for fleeing the country.

If they are, then they’re even more lacking in self-awareness than we thought.