Because, of course, she did. The story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s desire to shed their royal obligations and flee England for a life in North America (Megxit) has officially jumped the shark. Oprah Winfrey’s friendship with the royal couple has delivered a whole new layer to the story.

As Ed wrote about earlier this week, the two are not thrilled with their life in England. It’s not easy being royal, you know. What with royal duties and obligations, and unrelenting press coverage, how are the new parents supposed to cope? It really all boils down to that – they would now like to go their own way and no longer be under the thumb of Harry’s grandmother, the Queen of England.

As an Anglophile, I don’t even have a problem with the “stepping away” from the royal family story. To quote America’s queen bee, Hillary Clinton, “What difference, at this point, what difference does it make?” Let’s be honest, Harry is sixth in line to the throne and he only receives attention when he is messing up. Other than stories on his time in the Army and two tours of service in Afghanistan – all admirable – Harry really captured attention when he decided to settle down and marry an American actress. Also, the fact that Meghan Markle is biracial and how she fits into the royal family was British tabloid gold. Before Meghan, he was known as a party boy who drank a lot, dated a lot, and sometimes dressed in questionable fashion – like the time he donned an imitation uniform complete with a Nazi insignia.

Meghan Markle is used to the life of an American actress. She is a far-left feminist and liked to voice political opinions, especially during the 2016 election cycle. She was anti-Trump and pro-Hillary Clinton. Now that she is a member of the royal family, she is not at liberty to make political statements, as the royal family is supposed to be non-political. She even made a point of not taking part in a royal reception for the Trumps last summer. You may remember that President Trump described her as a “nasty woman”.

Most of her comments occurred during an appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. It was 2016 and Meghan Markle was supporting Hillary Clinton for president ahead of the election.

She said: “Of course Trump is divisive—think about female voters alone. I think it was in 2012, the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points. That’s a huge number and as misogynistic as Trump is—and so vocal about it—that’s a huge chunk of it.”

She went on: “You’re not just voting for a woman if it’s Hillary (Clinton). Yes, you’re voting because she’s a woman, but certainly, because Trump has made it easy to see that you don’t really want that kind of world that he’s painting.”

She also encouraged her Instagram followers to read Noam Chomsky’s book, “Who Rules the World”. The book includes an afterword urging a probe into the 2016 election results.

The timing of the announcement by Harry and Meghan was tone-deaf. This week has brought headlines of continuing Australian bushfires and the deaths of Canadians in the aircraft crash in Iran. It certainly looks like the two are more concerned about their own life than those whom they are supposed to serve.

Oprah is denying a report that she advised them to develop their own brand, but the couple “have trademarked “Sussex Royal” as a brand on more than 100 properties in the UK, including clothing, stationery, photographs and educational and charitable endeavors — with predicted revenue of over $500 million.” This plays into their claim that they wish to be financially independent of the royal family. If anyone knows about building a personal brand and reaping the benefits of that brand, it’s Oprah. When asked about the story, she denied it. What else was she to do? Take credit for encouraging a move that blindsided the Queen of England?

“Meghan and Harry do not need my help figuring out what’s best for them,” Winfrey, who famously attended the couple’s wedding in May 2018, tells PEOPLE.

“I care about them both and support whatever decisions they make for their family.”

Harry and Meghan have lots of celebrity and high-profile friends.

They’ve gathered a coterie of powerful US players, including the Obamas, George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams, James Corden and Meghan’s designer pal Misha Nonoo, whose new husband, oil heir Michael Hess, has offered them a place to stay in one of the family’s three homes in the gated Malibu Colony — dubbed “Billionaire’s Beach” — we are told.

A source said, “Oprah was the first person to talk to Harry and Meghan about breaking free and doing their own thing, building on their own brand. She made them realize it was really possible.” A rep for Oprah declined to comment.

Harry is also close to Barack Obama, and insiders say the prince could follow a similar after-presidency career path, involving philanthropy, speeches, book deals and documentaries.

Page Six can also reveal that Oprah’s BFF Gayle King is set to score the first interview with the Sussexes post-Megxit. King attended Meg’s NYC baby shower and visited them after the birth of baby Archie. A TV source said: “It’s hush-hush, but there’s no one else they would turn to.”

The point is this – they can go off and live a life of their own making without the drama of a formal split with the royals. No one will care. This story is all about them. The marketing of their royal brand is tacky, to say the least. Vendors work hard to acquire the official stamp of approval of the royal family in England. Meghan Markle knew the life she was getting into and frankly, I don’t blame Harry for trying to protect her from the British press. But, that’s a part of the job. Running away will not end attention from the press, at least not for a while. For now, they just look like whiny brats. This drama will continue for a while. Already Meghan has gone back to Canada to be with baby Archie and left Harry to deal with his family. All this publicity will be great for sales of branded products when they go to market, though, right? Unless it all backfires.

Good morning from Buckingham Palace. Breaking news this morning: Meghan Dutches of Sussex has already left the UK and returned to Canada, just 36 hours after the Sussexes bombshell announcement. Harry left to manage the considerable fall out #Megxit pic.twitter.com/T6WMFg977Y

— Helen-Ann Smith (@HelenAnnSmith0) January 10, 2020