Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s time in the royal family didn’t quite go as expected. It didn’t take long for the two to realize that the life they wanted was not attainable as long as they were behind palace walls, and a little less than two years after marrying, Harry and Meghan officially left their working royal roles.

But one longtime royal photographer says that Meghan wasn’t always the way she seems; actually, she was “fabulous” at first — until everything changed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meghan Markle was ‘fantastic’ at first, photographer says

When Meghan and Harry first began dating, she appeared to acclimate well to royal life. Meghan was somewhat used to being in the spotlight, having been an actress in the United States. Although she reached far greater levels of fame as a royal, she was not a stranger to handling the public.

However, over time, things shifted in Meghan’s attitude — at least, according to one photographer who worked closely with the royal family. “The first year with Meghan she was fantastic,” photographer Arthur Edwards told the Sun. “I travelled everywhere with them … She was a star, engaging with the public, doing everything you’d expect a lady married into the royal family to do.”

But Edwards said that “suddenly, everything changed.” And once it did, Edwards said that Harry and Meghan’s “impetuous” attitude led them to immediately decide to leave the family. “Meghan said ‘we are going’ and that was it … And as we say, he made that decision and disappeared. That was his choice.”

Although Edwards didn’t necessarily mind the couple’s decision — he said it was “fair enough” that the two made their own choice — he didn’t like the way they were so “nasty” about the royal family, which he claimed was only so they could make money.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle don’t have plans for a royal return

Harry and Meghan settled into their home in Montecito, California back in 2020. It’s where they brought their daughter, Princess Lilibet Diana, home from the hospital in 2021, and it seems to be the couple’s forever home.

Although rumors are always swirling that Meghan and Harry could make a royal return, there is no hard evidence pointing to that. Harry has spent little time with his family this year, even having chosen to stay with Princess Diana’s relatives during his last United Kingdom visit over the summer. There are rumors that Harry and Meghan could return to the UK for Christmas, but the invitation has reportedly been extended by Diana’s family, not King Charles.