Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'haunted by divorce' and 'determined' not to repeat past mistakes

Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary sent a powerful message about their thoughts on divorce - they have a strong ambition not to “repeat the same mistakes” their parents made.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced in 1996 when Harry was eight years old, while Meghan’s parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle, split in 1987 when she was six. But now, as Charles Spencer - Harry's uncle and brother to his late mum, Princess Diana - prepares to divorce his wife of 13 years, Karen Gordon, it is said to be dragging up pain for the couple, especially Harry.

Uncle Charles and Karen tied the knot in June 2011 in the grounds of Althorp, which is where his sister Diana is buried, after meeting on a blind date but the 60 year old Earl revealed the heartbreaking reason behind the split.

Citing it as "immensely sad", he said: "I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future."

Charles also shares a 12 year old daughter with Karen - the same age Harry, now 39, was when his mum sadly passed away in 1997 - so it comes as no surprise, according to a source, the news is a huge blow to the Duke of Sussex, who has grown even closer to his uncle ever since he turned his back on royal duties.

“Harry has always been very close to his Uncle Charles and they have grown even closer since he decided to walk away from royal life. Charles backed him completely and he is the one person Harry feels he can truly be honest with about how hard it is being a royal as he knows his uncle’s views on them," the source claimed.

"Harry feels like the Spencer family is the only true family he has left in the UK, so he naturally felt shocked and upset when he heard about Charles’ plans to divorce for a third time.

"Whenever divorce is mentioned it always takes Harry back to those awful days when his mum and dad split. It’s something that took him years to get over."

Charles - who has four children himself - has always remained close to his nephew.

In fact, during Harry's most recent Invictus Games in London, the Earl was one of the few family members in attendance to show support and hugged the 39-year-old as his dad King Charles reportedly hosted Buckingham Palace's first garden party of the year just two miles away.

Harry's memoir Spare also spoke about his two aunts - Jane and Sarah - and his uncle being there when he and Meghan visited Diana's grave. Recalling the emotional experience in 2022, Harry said Charles - who also walked alongside him at Diana's funeral - supported him and gave the "little shove" that he needed.

So when the news broke that divorce was on the cards, it's natural for Harry to think of his past and memories that he'd once blocked out. It's also been reported that Charles has hired the same high-profile divorce lawyer who represented his dad Charles during his divorce to Diana.

"It was heartbreaking for Harry watching his parents start to hate each other and he blames their split for so many of his issues, especially the way his dad handled it and treated his mum," the source claimed.

"It’s hard for Harry to see his uncle use the same lawyer that his dad used against Diana, he feels that he could’ve used somebody else out of respect and he just doesn’t want another divorce in the family. Both he and Meghan have been haunted by divorces while growing up and it made them both so determined to have a successful marriage."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been open in the past about being children of divorced parents.

In their documentary, Harry & Meghan, the couple - who tied the knot in 2011 and share two children Archie, five, and three year old Lilibet - made it clear how much it impacted not on their childhood but their relationships as adults.

“There’s so much I think from anyone’s childhood that you bring with you into the present, especially when you’re the product of divorce,” Meghan, 42, told Netflix viewers.

Harry added: “I think most kids who are the product of divorced parents have a lot in common, no matter what your background is.

“Being pulled from one place to another, or maybe your parents are competitive, or you’re in one place longer than you want to be, or another place less than you want to be. There’s all sorts of pieces to that.”

In episode two of the Netflix series, Meghan even recalled a poem that she wrote about her family when she was 12, which she still remembers word for word today. It begins: “Two houses, two homes, Two kitchens, two phones."

Even though Meghan has been divorced herself, from first husband and American film producer Trevor Engelson in 2011, this sad news within their family has opened up deep emotions for the couple.

"Meghan and Harry hated having separate parents as it wasn’t on good terms and they both felt pulled in different directions. Obviously Meghan has been divorced before but she sees her marriage to Harry as her first proper marriage and they know what it takes to make a successful marriage," the source claimed.

"They would never want to put Archie and Lili through any of that and they want them to have as idyllic and innocent childhood as possible. There is always constant speculation about the state of their relationship but they accept that comes with the territory and only they know how strong their marriage is.

"They also know that they will go through rough times and may want to walk away but they have vowed that divorce is not an option, especially when they have such young children and they are responsible for shaping their lives.”