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Meghan Markle Claimed Her Passport Was Held By The Royals—Now Her Trips Are Scrutinized

Meghan Markle Claimed Her Passport Was Held By The Royals—Now Her Trips Are Scrutinized

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Controversy about Meghan Markle and her travels, amid claims she had her passport taken away by the British Royal Family, resurfaced and went viral earlier this week. As a result, Bored Panda has taken a closer look at the 13 alleged foreign holidays the Duchess of Sussex has supposedly taken while deprived of her official identifications.

Highlights
  • Controversy about Meghan Markle and her travels, amid claims she had her passport taken away, resurfaced and went viral.
  • A resurfaced 2021 report by The Sun criticized the 13 holidays Meghan has been on after starting to date Prince Harry.
  • Meghan revealed during an interview with Oprah that she couldn't just go out and didn’t see her passport, driver’s license, or keys.

A resurfaced 2021 report by The Sun criticized the 13 holidays Meghan has been on after starting to date Prince Harry.

At the time, all eyes were on the couple after they had left the UK, seeking financial independence and freedom from intense media scrutiny, as discussed in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the damning one-on-one with Oprah, the 42-year-old actress revealed: “You couldn’t just go. You couldn’t.”

Controversy about Meghan Markle and her travels, amid claims she had her passport taken away by the British Royal Family, resurfaced 

Image credits: Samir Hussein/WireImage

“I mean, you have to understand, as well, when I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver’s license, my keys. 

“All that gets turned over. I didn’t see any of that anymore.”

It was understood then from royal sources that Meghan’s passport had to be kept safe to ensure it did not fall into the wrong hands, The Sun reported. 

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Image credits: Andrew Esiebo/Getty Images

According to the Royal Family’s official website, all members of the Royal Family need to travel with passports when traveling abroad, except for the King.

Royal author Margaret Holder told the conservative British tabloid: “Of course, the Royal Family would want to keep Meghan’s passport safe.

“But it’s unthinkable she didn’t carry it for personal and private trips such as her New York baby shower, traveling to see friends in Canada, partying in Amsterdam, and going to Lake Como with George Clooney.”

Bored Panda took a closer look at the 13 alleged foreign holidays the Duchess of Sussex has supposedly taken while deprived of her passport

Image credits: Andrew Esiebo/Getty Images

Although The Sun referenced trips dating back to 2016, it is possible that Meghan only meant that her passport was withheld when she officially joined the Royal Family after she married Harry in 2018.

Prior to her tying the knot with the Duke of Sussex, the Suits star traveled to Botswana with her future husband, six weeks after their first date, in 2016. They also visited Zambia.

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After getting married on May 19, 2018, George Clooney and his wife, Amal, sent a private jet to pick up the royal couple for a bash at his 25-bed villa on Lake Como, Italy, The Sun reported.

Image credits: MsMojo

This trip occurred before Brexit (when the UK left the European Union on January 31, 2020). Prior to the political change, British tourists could travel to European countries within the Schengen Area with just their national ID card.

Despite certain passport controls occurring for travelers flying from the UK to European countries, minimal checks and entry were also frequently adopted within the Schengen Area.

As a result, Harry and Meghan likely did not have to use their passports to travel to Italy in 2018 and again in 2019 to attend fashion designer Misha Nonoo’s lavish wedding in Rome.

The resurfaced 2021 report by The Sun criticized the 13 holidays Meghan has been on after starting to date Prince Harry

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Image credits: TheEllenShow

In September 2018, the Amsterdam Soho House party in the Netherlands saw the lovebirds sipping cocktails with Brit actors Eddie Redmayne and Jenna Coleman for the launch of the posh members’ club and hotel, The Sun reported.

Moreover, between 2017 and 2019, the famous pair traveled to Norway, Spain, and France. These trips, again, occurred within Europe’s unrestricted traveling areas prior to Brexit.

Nevertheless, between 2017 and 2019, Meghan and Harry flew overseas to Jamaica, Canada, and the US, where rigorous passport controls are mandatory. It would’ve, therefore, not been possible to travel to these countries without official identifications.

The resurfaced report prompted many avid fans of the Royal Family to scrutinize Meghan

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Ugnė Lazauskaitė

Ugnė Lazauskaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

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I am employed as a Visual Editor in the news team. I make sure you have the best pictures near the most interesting text. In general all day I am looking at all you favourite celebrities facies and I am geting payed for it!

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Ugnė Lazauskaitė

Ugnė Lazauskaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

I am employed as a Visual Editor in the news team. I make sure you have the best pictures near the most interesting text. In general all day I am looking at all you favourite celebrities facies and I am geting payed for it!

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Sunny Day
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meg is American. The EU agreement for "no passport needed between EU member countries" wouldn't apply to her. She had to have her passport to travel around Europe.

Debby Keir
Community Member
4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And Brits had to show their passports when leaving the UK for ANY other country. Travel between nations on the European CONTINENT don't need to show passports crossing borders in the Shengen area, but Brit passport holders always have - and she's American anyway.

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greenideas
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meh, this is old news. That being said, there is something particularly nasty about twisting the truth to make yourself a victim at others' expense. This woman clearly has an ax to grind against a family that now wants nothing to do with her. I see she's not complaining about the $45 million wedding she received from said family and taxpayers?

Rachel Parker
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t know or care about Meghan Thing but this article is b******t. The UK was never in the Schengen Area. To enter any Schengen country from the UK anybody would have needed to show a passport, no matter which year, even before Brexit. And a ‘National ID’ does not exist in the UK. This is rubbish.

Donkeywheel
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s not true at all. The uk was not part of the Schengen Area but was part of the EU and therefore any EU citizen could freely travel with any valid official identification. Travelers from France, Belgium, Germany and so on could take a Eurostar and enter the UK without a passport, because they issue other types of travel documents. The Schengen Area is just the next step : no control, no id needed at all.

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Sunny Day
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meg is American. The EU agreement for "no passport needed between EU member countries" wouldn't apply to her. She had to have her passport to travel around Europe.

Debby Keir
Community Member
4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And Brits had to show their passports when leaving the UK for ANY other country. Travel between nations on the European CONTINENT don't need to show passports crossing borders in the Shengen area, but Brit passport holders always have - and she's American anyway.

Load More Replies...
greenideas
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meh, this is old news. That being said, there is something particularly nasty about twisting the truth to make yourself a victim at others' expense. This woman clearly has an ax to grind against a family that now wants nothing to do with her. I see she's not complaining about the $45 million wedding she received from said family and taxpayers?

Rachel Parker
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t know or care about Meghan Thing but this article is b******t. The UK was never in the Schengen Area. To enter any Schengen country from the UK anybody would have needed to show a passport, no matter which year, even before Brexit. And a ‘National ID’ does not exist in the UK. This is rubbish.

Donkeywheel
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s not true at all. The uk was not part of the Schengen Area but was part of the EU and therefore any EU citizen could freely travel with any valid official identification. Travelers from France, Belgium, Germany and so on could take a Eurostar and enter the UK without a passport, because they issue other types of travel documents. The Schengen Area is just the next step : no control, no id needed at all.

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Load More Comments
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