If there’s ever a time of year for thankfulness, giving and, well, explosive family rows, it’s the holidays. And the royals are no different. With Thanksgiving being celebrated in the US at the end of November, insiders reveal that – following months of rumours that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are leading increasingly separate lives – their marital grievances are set to be aired over the celebratory turkey.
Last week, heat reported that Meghan had been left feeling seriously put out after Harry upped the amount of solo trips he was taking, with the Duke looking pretty content as he threw himself back into his charitable work and caught up with friends. And despite Meghan going it alone herself – wowing in a red gown at a recent Children’s Hospital gala – a source reveals the 43 year old is planning to demand Harry, 40, is by her side in Montecito for the next couple of months.
‘Harry wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but with Meghan and the kids for Thanksgiving,’ we’re told. ‘However, with his packed schedule, he’ll be off straight afterwards. The chances of them actually sitting down to enjoy some proper quality time together during the holidays are slim. Meghan’s very concerned about the amount of engagements he’s agreed to – she feels like they’ve been leading separate lives, so she sees the holidays as the time to press pause, have some important face-to-face conversations, and work through any issues.’
The source continues, ‘Meghan wants him with her in the US, especially with all the holiday events she has to attend. She doesn’t want to go to them alone – she wants to show the world they’re united, not to mention it’s a chance to reconnect with her husband.’
The couple’s show of unity – complete with loving smiles, hand-holding and dancing –during their ‘faux royal tour’ of Columbia in August came to an abrupt end the following month, when it was revealed that Harry had spent the night of his 40th birthday on 15 September with friends rather than his wife. Just days later, he continued to forge his own path away from Meghan as he flew to New York to embark on a series of charity appearances, before heading to London for the WellChild Awards and then to South Africa to represent his Sentebale charity.
While he’s always been unfairly dubbed the ‘spare’ heir – both within the royal family, and seemingly next to Meghan as she appeared to thrive in their new Hollywood lifestyle in her native California – the past two months have seen Harry shine. But his new-found sense of purpose would likely have a been shock to Meghan, especially after they were voted as two of the least popular royals in a public poll last December.
Now, a year on, a recent poll by Ipsos last month found that 34% of those surveyed were in favour of Harry returning to official duties. And while no plans of that nature have been announced, it has been reported that the royals’ frostiness towards the wayward prince is beginning to thaw, especially Kate’s, who is said to be keen to facilitate a family reconciliation in the next few months.
But, our source insists, Harry – who shares Archie, five, and three-year-old Lilibet with Meghan – is going to have to compromise to keep the peace. We’re told, ‘This issue is bound to dominate their Thanksgiving discussions, and for Meghan, that’s unacceptable. To her, the holiday should be about celebrating American traditions, not pining for the life they left behind or briefly reuniting like passing ships. Spending less time apart is something Harry will have to accept, but only to a certain extent, because he still has business the UK.’
Leading separate lives on other sides of the Atlantic has certainly been plan B for the couple, who have struggled for years to establish themselves as the new golden couple of Hollywood. The initial fanfare surrounding their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey and subsequent Netflix documentary in 2021 quickly evaporated as their A-list pals began to increasingly distance themselves from the couple, amid their ongoing toxic feud with the royals.
And while the blow from the loss of their £15.6million Spotify deal in May 2023 was mitigated by the pair’s announcement of new projects with Netflix, the release of Meghan’s own cookery show has been delayed until at least next year due to copyright issues. Meanwhile, her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, has also stalled following its soft launch in March. Last month, Meghan received yet another setback when officials denied a trademark application on the grounds that businesses cannot patent a geographic location – such as ‘American Riviera’, the nickname for their hometown of Montecito.
And now the source says that, as far as Meghan is concerned, she feels it’s more important than ever for her and Harry to put on a united front and prove that it is still very much them against the world.
The source says, ‘Meghan is putting her foot down and there is no doubt she’ll confront him about it. In her view, it’s crucial to have Harry at home, even more so after the strain they’ve been under lately. She’s hoping that Thanksgiving will be an opportunity for them to reconnect after the long periods of separation they’ve had to endure.’
The insider adds, ‘She strongly believes this is a time when they should be strengthening their relationship, not doing things separately. She wants to show their critics that their marriage is strong and they’re happier than ever.’