Meghan Markle's 'Hard Days' Remark Risks Reopening Old Royal Wounds: Source

Meghan Markle risks reopening old wounds with the Royal Family after referring publicly to "hard days" just as relations with her husband's relatives appear to be improving, a palace source has exclusively told OK!.

The 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex made the remark at a special Los Angeles screening of Cookie Queens in July, recalling advice Prince Harry, 41, once gave her about coping with difficult periods.

The couple executive produced the Girl Scouts documentary, and Meghan did not mention the Royal Family while discussing the advice.

Meghan's comments nevertheless came after the Sussexes reunited with King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79, at Highgrove last month.

A source said: "On the face of it, Meghan was sharing a positive story about something Harry once told her and there was no direct reference to the royals whatsoever. But phrases like 'hard days' inevitably carry additional baggage because of everything she and Harry have previously said about their experiences within the Royal Family. The concern is that people immediately start trying to work out which period of her life she means, even when Meghan hasn't actually connected the comment to her time as a working royal. That can drag all of those old arguments back into the conversation at precisely the moment when there finally appear to have been some positive developments behind the scenes."

"Relations have been through an incredibly difficult period, so nobody wants an innocent remark to become another source of tension. There has been progress recently and the hope would be that everyone can concentrate on that rather than reopening old wounds with the royal family, and disputes from several years ago."

Speaking at the screening, Meghan said: "I was thinking about something my husband told me ages ago, because we all go through experiences and life is full of surprises. But you know, he was a helicopter pilot in the British Army for 10 years. And sometimes on really hard days, he once said, 'Hey, but my love, you know, even if there's a storm happening above the storm, the sun's always shining.'"

Meghan and Harry have previously spoken extensively about difficulties they experienced while serving as working members of the Royal Family.

In their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, 72, and subsequent Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan, the couple made a series of claims about palace life and their relationships with members of Harry's family.

Harry subsequently explored those relationships in greater detail in his 2023 memoir Spare, including his strained relationship with his brother Prince William, 44, and his experiences following the death of their mother, Princess Diana.

The latest comments come against a markedly different backdrop following the Sussexes' recent reunion with Charles and Camilla.

Meghan, Harry and their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, recently spent time in the U.K., marking the first visit to Harry's home country for Meghan and the children since 2022.

Their trip also included a stay at Althorp House, Diana's ancestral family home in Northamptonshire.

Meghan and Harry stepped back as senior working royals in 2020 before relocating to California, where they now live with Archie and Lilibet and pursue media and charitable projects through their Archewell organization.

The Sussexes' relationship with the Royal Family has remained strained since they stepped back as working royals in 2020.

Tensions intensified following their Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix series Harry & Meghan and Harry's memoir Spare, which contained claims about palace life and difficult relationships with senior members of the family.