The new year has not gotten off to a great start for Meghan Markle. In the month that marks five years since she and husband Prince Harry left the royal family for a new life in California, the couple were accused of being ‘disaster tourists’ after volunteering to help people impacted by the LA wildfires – something that, as heat told you last week, ‘cut them extremely deep’. Amid the tragedy, Meghan also made the decision to postpone her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, which was originally due to premiere on 15 January.
And now, Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, have found themselves the subjects of a damning Vanity Fair story – a publication that once had close relations to the Sussexes, with Meghan even appearing on the cover in 2017, as she opened up about her love for Harry. The article, titled ‘American Hustle’, included accusations they were the 'most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet’ and, most shockingly, it addressed rumours that Meghan’s team had been shopping around for a deal for her to write a ‘post-divorce book’.
The bombshell allegation was quickly shut down by a source close to Meghan, with the article itself going on to say, ‘No offer was ever made, and no manuscript was produced. After all, there was no divorce’. But an insider tells heat the couple have been left furious, and they fear the false speculation could ruin everything for them – especially as Meghan had been gearing up for her big comeback.’ This article was horrific in so many ways, and of course Meghan feels completely degraded and betrayed. Harry is also shell-shocked – it’s a full-blown assault on both their characters, like someone’s taken a sledgehammer to almost every aspect of their lives,’ we’re told. ‘It can’t be ignored, either. Vanity Fair has so much weight and credibility in high-society circles on both sides of the pond, and the scale of the allegations is incredibly wide-ranging and damaging.’
It was reported last January that Meghan was in talks to write her own memoir following the success of Harry’s book Spare in January 2023, which was written as part of a deal worth a reported £16million. But this is the first time a 'post-divorce book’ has been mentioned. Our source says, ‘Meghan insists the rumour about her shopping a tell-all book is being taken totally out of context. Of all the claims and rumours in the Vanity Fair article, this is the one that’s caused the most alarm within her circle.’
Elsewhere in the article, Meghan is accused of being ‘cold and withholding’ towards staff, taking the idea of her Archetypes podcast from another employee, and acting like a ‘Mean Girls teenager’, while it’s claimed that Harry had failed to make friends in the half a decade since moving Stateside. Despite the scathing write-up about the couple – who tied the knot in 2018, and share children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three – the article does go on to say how deeply in love they are. One source told the publication, ‘They are so hot for each other. Like, you know how you meet those couples where you’re like, “the way they’re looking at each other, I should probably not be here right now?”’
Now, our insider says Harry – who last week settled his UK privacy invasion case – and Meghan are weighing up their options when it comes to their next move, and may even be ready to take action after the damning exposé. ‘Right now, they’re sitting down with their team to figure out a strategy and how to fight back. Meghan is understandably infuriated by the unnamed staffer who’s accusing her of bullying, yet again, and that’s probably the most touchy area of all,’ the source continues. ‘But this narrative that Harry is a lost, henpecked wimp with no friends in America is also hideously offensive, as is the claim that Meghan’s been looking to cash in with a tell-all book – something they’ve consistently denied for years now.’
And Meghan is believed to be particularly annoyed at the timing of the article, as she’s finally set to launch her lifestyle brand American Rivera Orchard – which was originally announced last year but has been hit by delays – alongside her Netflix show in March. ‘This exposé has caused so much chaos for Meghan and Harry, and they’re right to be worried about a domino effect that could ultimately take a wrecking ball to their entire world,’ the source says. ‘For Meghan, it’s hugely worrisome and the timing could not be worse – this has the potential to totally ruin all the hard work she’s been putting into her brand and her new show.’
