Meghan and Prince Harry have already started on their quest to be financially independent of the crown, after announcing their decision to step down as senior royals in January. The couple will be supported by Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall estate for the next year before their new status is reviewed in 12 months’ time. Both have already started working. Harry has spoken at a private event with JP Morgan while Meghan is believed to have done some voiceover work with Disney.

However, an article from The Cut released just before the couples’ wedding in May 2018 points out how another actress who married into a European royal family struggled to balance her duties to the crown and her own career.

Grace Kelly was a highly successful film star until she had to renounce her career to marry Rainier III, the Prince of Monaco.

Royal author Craig Brown described in The Cut in January 2018 how Grace tried to return to her acting lifestyle in 1962.

He explained: “Stifled by the clammy, claustrophobic atmosphere of the court of Monaco, Grace had begun to pine for her Hollywood days.”

She had already been directed by Alfred Hitchcock during 1955 film ‘To Catch a Thief’ so she was keen when he offered to cast her as the lead role in Marnie.

However, her plan to break away from royal life and film in the US for just one summer proved unsustainable.

Mr Brown recalled: “Alfred Hitchcock was asked by a reporter if there would be any love scenes.

“‘Passionate and unusual love scenes,’ he replied. He added that the sex appeal of the princess was ‘the finest in the world’.”

The writer continued: “Monaco went into meltdown. The Monégasques did not like the idea of their princess being filmed kissing another man.

“Grace’s mother-in-law led the outcry, scoffing, disdainfully, ‘c’est une américaine!’”

The article explained that Grace stopped eating and struggled to sleep well due to the backlash.

She even tried to donate her salary from the film to Monaco charities, but that did not help her cause and she was forced to drop out of the film.

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The actress-turned-princess wrote to Mr Hitchcock in June 1962: “It was heartbreaking for me to have to leave the picture.”

He responded: “Yes, it was sad, wasn’t it?”

Yet, the director concluded that it was probably the best decision as “it was only a movie”.

Mr Brown then asked: “Five years from now will Meghan Markle feel the same sort of tug? Or will life as the Duchess of Somewhere-or-Other hold sufficient appeal?”

Nearly two years later, Mr Brown’s prediction came true – Meghan and Harry announced their decision to leave the demands of the royal frontline behind.

As the BBC’s royal correspondent Jonny Dymond explained in January: “Though Meghan was often the consummate professional, at times her impatience with the everyday slog of the role sometimes broke through.

“She said she didn’t want to become a voiceless figurehead; but when she raised her voice, she found criticism waiting for her.”

Fans also discovered recently that Harry had been pitching to the CEO of Disney last summer on Meghan’s behalf.

Unearthed footage revealed a secret conversation between the two, where the Duke of Sussex enthusiastically told the media boss that his wife was skilled at voiceover work – and that was before either of them even declared their intention to leave the Royal Family.

There was major backlash to this unearthed conversation, with many believing senior royals such as Meghan and Harry were sullying the monarchy by requesting such work.

Yet, the footage came to light after the couples’ declaration of independence.

While Princess Grace intended to stay tied to the crown, Meghan’s newfound independence means she has far fewer obligations to the monarchy now.

The Queen has stripped the Sussexes of their use of their HRHs and the Sussex Royal brand – so they no longer represent the monarchy at all, giving Meghan more freedom to pursue her own acting ambitions once again.

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