The article has been changed since its original publication.
Meghan Markle is truly living up to her title of “The American Princess,” being that she allegedly compelled her husband, Prince Harry, into pulling out of a 40-year-old Christmas tradition because it offended her sensibilities.
According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry will be skipping the “traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot with his brother Prince William at Sandringham to avoid upsetting his animal-loving wife Meghan.”
Prince Charles and Prince William will be attending the traditional shoot. Prince George, William’s son, may also be in attendance. Prince Harry has participated in the event for more than 20 years; he will be missing this because his wife opposes it on the grounds of animal cruelty. His absence will undoubtedly create tension between the brothers and their wives.
“Harry and Prince William have enjoyed hunting together over the years and it has provided them with the opportunity to strengthen their brotherly bond,” reports the Daily Mail. “Now Royal watchers fear that Harry’s absence will only serve to deepen the reported tensions between the siblings and their wives.”
A royal source told the Sunday Mirror that Prince William is increasingly growing concerned that Meghan is pulling Harry away from the family.
“William sees this as another concerning example of his brother being pulled away from his family by his new wife,” the source reportedly said. “Harry’s always loved hunting and it has provided them with a great chance to bond as brothers.”
“But now it looks like Harry’s shooting days are over,” the source continued. “It’s the latest point of contention between the Princes.”
Prince Harry has reportedly changed a great deal since having met Meghan Markle and began showing aversions toward hunting after she expressed disappointment with a wild boar hunt in Germany while they were dating. He declined the Boxing Day last year and skipped the grouse hunt at Balmoral three months ago.
“Since then, he has also become more distant from the group of friends he grew up with,” reports the Daily Mail. “Fashion-conscious Meghan has influenced his dress sense – with Harry copying the brands she wears and becoming increasingly eco-conscious. Onlookers have remarked that Harry is looking much slimmer, claiming that he has adopted elements of her healthy and often vegan diet.”
Being that Meghan Markle hails from Hollywood, she has also been shown to be quite liberal on certain social issues. In July, after Ireland legalized abortion, she reportedly expressed that she was “pleased” by the decision.
“A pleasure to meet Prince Harry & the Duchess of Sussex at the British Ambassador’s Residence this evening,” Irish political leader Catherine Noone wrote on Twitter at the time. “The Duchess & I had a chat about the recent referendum result. She watched with interest & was pleased to see the result.”
The vote that legalized abortion in Ireland had the backing of virtually every major Irish celebrity, from the band U2 to actor Liam Neeson, not to mention immense backing from George Soros. No surprise then that royal elites like Markle would endorse such a referendum.
Since the British royal protocol bars the family from sharing their political opinions both privately and publicly, people on Twitter began expressing concern regarding Noone’s tweet, which then prompted her to delete the post.
“I deleted it because it was unintentionally misleading – the Duchess was not in any way political,” Noone told The Irish Independent.
Though Noone has a bias, given that she supports abortion on demand, other attendees of the summer party confirmed that Markle had expressed her support for abortion to them, according to the Daily Beast.
UPDATE: Prince Harry reportedly partook in the “Boxing Day” pheasant shoot as scheduled. The royal palace also denied rumors of Meghan Markle’s disapproval.