Meghan Markle claims no access to passport as royal

Duchess stated she didn't see her passport after joining the royal family, sparking debate over travel restrictions.

Meghan Markle claimed that she did not see her passport again after joining the royal family until she and Prince Harry relocated to California.

"You couldn't just go. You couldn't. 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 licence, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn't see any of that anymore," the Duchess claimed in a March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Critics quickly challenged this claim, noting that Meghan had travelled to at least 13 countries during her time as a royal. Her trips included visits to New York, Ibiza, Italy, and Botswana, and official royal tours to Morocco, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. Each trip would have required her to present her passport at border controls.

Palace sources clarified that while Meghan's passport was kept secure, it was always available for her use. Royal author Margaret Holder added, "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, travelling to see friends in Canada, partying in Amsterdam, and going to Lake Como with George Clooney." All royals, except the monarch, need their passport to travel abroad.