In perhaps the most staggering example of their ‘separate lives’ yet, earlier this month, Prince Harry took what appeared to be an impromptu trip to war torn Ukraine, while his wife Meghan Markle attended a Broadway show in New York City – travelling amongst three SUVs and an unmarked police car.
And while the Duchess hit the red carpet in an outfit costing over £2000 (an that was before you count her delicate diamond accessories), in stark contrast Prince Harry was pictured meeting with dozens of wounded soldiers.
And this isn’t the first time their interests and passions appear to have clashed in recent months following what has been termed their ‘professional separation’ after many attempts to save their Sussex brand.
With Harry spending increasing amounts of time away from their home in the exclusive and cosseted enclave of Montecito, California, while he pursues his charity work across the globe, Meghan meanwhile, has very much thrown herself back into the bright lights of Hollywood as part of her wholesome Martha Stewart-esque rebrand.
Now a source reveals that the growing distance between the couple has ‘raised eyebrows’ amongst those close to them. The insider tells us, ‘Harry’s been riding tanks in Ukraine, doing his own thing, and looking to branch out – socially, professionally, everything.
‘Of course, they downplay it all and say they’re just working in separate lanes, toward the same goals. But people are noticing – he’s away a lot more than anyone realises and it’s raising a lot of eyebrows.’
Earlier this month, Harry also flew 5,000 miles to the UK to appear at the London High Court amidst his appeal for tax-payer funded security in the UK – despite not needing to be present.
Royal biographer Angela Levin described his choice as ‘grandstanding against Meghan’ and argued that Harry was ‘fed up’ with having to ‘walk behind Meghan or shut up’.
Now our source says ‘henpecked’ Harry’s need for independence is one of the driving factors behind his own personal rebrand, which sources say could see him spend further time in Europe this summer.
They continue, ‘Harry seems determined not to be viewed as this henpecked character who’s constantly riding Meghan’s coattails. He’s enjoying more space away from her, that’s just undeniable, and it’s becoming a very established pattern for them to do their own thing.
‘He misses Europe and intends to spend more time there in the coming months, even if Meghan can’t or won’t join him. It’s looking like they could spend a big chunk of the summer by themselves and possibly on separate continents, which will be a huge test on their marriage.’
Last month marked five years since Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, stepped down from royal working life – fleeing the UK to begin a new life stateside following what has since become their well-documented fallout with the Royal Family.
At the time, the pair were inseparable, with their grievances against the Royal Family, first laid bare in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, earning them millions through exclusive interviews, their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare.
However, with the monarchy enduring one of their toughest periods to date following the death of the late Queen, and the cancer diagnoses of both King Charles and Kate Middleton – who is now in remission – the tide of sympathy quickly turned against the Sussexes both in the UK and the US.
Meanwhile, there have been several reports that Harry has become increasingly disimpassioned with his new A-list life. Despite living in the family’s £21.7 million mansion alongside Meghan and their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, three, a ‘close friend’ of Harry’s revealed last year how his pal misses his old life.
They said, ‘He has ended up isolated from his family and most of his old mates… Maybe he has grown into a different person, but do I think he'd really suit the Californian lifestyle? No. Now we've seen it all play out, what has that left him with? On the surface, an enviable lifestyle — but for the Harry I know, I can't imagine that gilded exile in California is where he wanted to end up.’
Now the insider says Meghan, who was brought up on TV sets and starred in US legal drama Suits for six years, ‘lives and breathes’ showbiz – something that is becoming increasingly at odds with Harry’s wish to stay mostly away from the limelight.
Our source says, ‘Harry has done his best to embrace the Hollywood schmoozing scene and he still does to a degree, but it’s by no means top of his priority list. He’ll go along with it by attending the occasional event, enjoy a drink at a private members club in Hollywood and make nice with the celebrity friends who pop over to visit from time to time. But fitting into that scene has been an increasing challenge. Meghan’s like a kid in a candy store when she’s around the big names, she lives and breathes this stuff.’
This year has certainly marked a stark change for the couple following last summer’s ‘faux’ royal tour to Columbia, with the couple also seeming to have distanced themselves from their Archewell Foundation. The charity’s website now refers to the couple as ‘founders’ while an important statement released earlier this month also came from the foundation’s directors, not Harry and Meghan.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of reports have suggested that Harry is ‘desperate to make amends with his family – another stark U-turn from just a couple of years ago when he released his scathing memoir.
Now the source says that, while King Charles reportedly denied to meet with Harry during his visit earlier this month, the estranged ‘spare’ is keen to make amends with his family – a hope that, as we’ve reported, has been fuelled by Kate Middleton’s wish to put the past behind them.
The insider adds, ‘The biggest elephant in the room remains Harry’s homesickness though, as well as the angst he feels about the situation with his family. Now Meghan is in New York, doing her own thing, the word is that he’s got plans to head back to the U.K. next month, as well as more time in Europe coming up. But that has, of course, raised questions about how they are going to nurture their marriage. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day.’
They continue, ‘There has definitely been a big shift in their relationship and it’s definitely the toughest period they’ve faced to date, but the honeymoon was bound to run out of steam eventually, and now they face a different challenge together.’