Meghan Markle “wanted to be a superstar” after quitting the Royal Family with Prince Harry, according to a royal expert.

The Sussexes left their royal duties behind in 2020 and moved to the United States. But while the couple claimed to have wanted privacy, an expert believes the former Suits star was actually looking for more of the spotlight.

A royal commentator said Meghan was much more open to a life in the limelight, whereas the likes of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have opted for the “quiet” life.

Writing in the From Berkshire to Buckingham newsletter, Jane Barr said the idea of Harry and Meghan being “half in, half out” when it came to their royal duties simply wouldn’t have worked and insisted Harry wasn’t treated as a “spare” as such.

She suggested: “She [Meghan] would not have been happy with the ultimately quiet or truly independent/non-royal lives that William and Harry’s cousins actually live. Looking back to Megxit, Harry was not just the grandson of the Queen, the same relationship all his cousins had to the sovereign, he was the son of the future King.

“William and Harry were — from birth — preeminent royals, while their cousins, although celebrated, surely, began as secondary royals and only continued to fade as the years went by. Harry seems so bitter about being the spare, but he has always been quite senior to his cousins, and treated accordingly.”

She went on to say Harry and Meghan’s situation was different from others, claiming that the likes of Beatrice and Eugenie hold down regular jobs and don’t have glitzy high-dollar partnerships. “Meghan wanted to take her HRH and her title and be a superstar in her own sphere on the international stage,” Barr added, saying this would be “wholly separate from the control of the Crown.”

Both Meghan and Harry are currently working on projects as part of their huge Netflix contract. While Meghan is filming a lifestyle and cooking show, Harry is creating a documentary on his favourite sport, polo. Filming for Meghan’s show is said to have began in Montecito, while cameras have been spotted at polo events attended by the Duke in recent months.