She’d looked relaxed and happy earlier this month as she spoke to fans in a video released on her 40th birthday, launching a new charity campaign to empower women.
But insiders say Meghan Markle faces a turbulent time after a new royal drama last week. It emerged her husband Prince Harry’s uncle, Prince Andrew, is being sued over allegations he sexually assaulted a young woman in the early 2000s, and knew she was a victim of sex-trafficking.
Lawyers have claimed that the case, brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has the potential to go to court, where Andrew, 61, could be quizzed over his sex life.
He’s always strongly denied the allegations since they surfaced in 2019 and Buckingham Palace labelled them “false and without foundation”. The claims are the latest in an ongoing investigation into sex-trafficking charges made against Andrew’s disgraced former friend, financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – who before his suicide in a jail cell was accused of running a “vast network” of underage girls.
Andrew was seen arriving at Balmoral to meet his mother the Queen last week accompanied by ex-wife Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, 61, and days later his daughter Eugenie, 31, joined them. Now royal commentator and broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti, who has accompanied many royals on tour, including Prince William in the Middle East in 2018, says that the scandal has left Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40 – who have started a new life in LA since stepping down from royal duties – in a “very awkward” situation.
He says, “The Prince Andrew scandal will be one of the biggest challenges the royals have ever faced, but it also has the potential to be damaging to Harry and Meghan. They’ve been working extremely hard on their new brand using their royal connection as a springboard. They are inextricably linked to the Palace.
“So this scandal is a big blow for them and could ruin the reputation they’ve built up – especially around their work in empowering women. It’s a matter that’s totally out of their control – Meghan will be having complex, tense and difficult crisis talks with Harry behind the scenes about their future and how to address this without their reputation being affected. How they deal with it will be telling.”
Since moving to the States, Meghan and Harry have forged a lucrative media empire, making multimillion-pound deals with Netflix, Spotify and Apple TV. There have also been sensational interviews where they’ve spoken of racism and neglect over mental health issues within the Palace.
Meghan – mum to Archie, two, and two-month-old Lilibet – has been a keen activist for women’s rights over the years, being a UN Women’s Advocate before she became a royal. She has made speeches on International Women’s Day and she and Harry visited a sexual violence and abuse charity in Brighton in 2018. Her birthday charity initiative, called 40x40, saw Meghan and 40 friends call for people to donate 40 minutes of their time to help mentor women around the world who’d left the workforce during the pandemic.
Meghan was reportedly left “horrified” when the scandal around Prince Andrew broke in 2019 and even more so over his infamous Newsnight interview, where he drew criticism from viewers for his lack of empathy and claims that a medical condition meant he couldn’t sweat, so he couldn’t have had a “sweaty” encounter with Virginia, as she had claimed.
And Jonathan says that Meghan will feel torn over whether to voice her views given the royal connection. He says, “I’m sure she’s just as horrified now. She has always been outspoken when it comes to feminist issues. And her birthday charity initiative focuses on women, so it’s definitely a conflict in Meghan’s agenda to be even loosely connected to the Prince Andrew scandal.
“I’m sure she’d like to use this opportunity to stand up for women, to make a statement, show her support for victims of sexual abuse and encourage women to speak out. But on the other hand, that would draw attention to their link with the royal family. Of course, it must be said Prince Andrew hasn’t been proved guilty of anything.”
Meghan could also find herself in an awkward situation with Princess Eugenie – one of the few members of the royal family she and Harry are reportedly still close to.
Check out: the most shocking celebrity breakups of the decade
Most shocking breakups of the decade - slider
1 of 30Louise and Jamie Redknapp
They were the British A-list couple that we thought would last but the world was stunned in July 2017 when Louise and Jamie Redknapp confirmed they'd split after 19 years together. Months later Louise opened up about the end of her marriage and following the end of the Redknapp marriage, it was reported that celebrities were refusing to sign up to the BBC show because of the Strictly curse.
2 of 30Cheryl and Ashley Cole
Cheryl and Ashley Cole first met in 2004 and quickly became an A-list couple. Two years later they tied the knot in an extravagant wedding. However, in 2010 following cheating allegations that were splashed across the media, Chez split from her footballer husband.
3 of 30Lisa Armstrong and Ant McPartlin
Lisa Armstrong and Ant McPartlin had been together for 23 years and married for 11 but in January 2018, the TV presenter confirmed he was filing for divorce following his rehab stint.However after a drink driving arrest, a second visit to rehab and liking a lot of shady tweets – the pair officially divorced nine months after splitting.
4 of 30Lenny Henry and Dawn French
At the beginning of the decade, Dawn French and Lenny Henry announced they were splitting after 25 years of marriage.
5 of 30Paul and Alex Hollywood
Great British Bake Off star Paul Hollywood and his wife Alex split after 20 years together. They'd previously split in 2013 after the GBBO star had an affair with his American co-star but they managed to patch things over and make things work. For a while.
6 of 30Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
We still can't believe Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie split in 2016 after ten years together and two years marriage. The couple are parents to six children; Maddox, 18, Shiloh, 13, Pax, 16, Zahara, 14, Vivienne, 11, and Knox, 11. Even George Clooney was stunned at the news; well, to be fair he did find out during an interview.
7 of 30Millie Mackintosh and Professor Green
We thought they'd be a real-life Romeo and Juliet (minus the death) but Millie Mackintosh and Professor Green called it quits after being married for three years. We weren't the only ones who thought they were a power couple; remember when Craig Lawson joked he'd be the next Pro Green and Millie with Camilla Thurlow? Yeah, that didn't last.
8 of 30Bruce and Kris Jenner
They're the head of the Kardashian/Jenner household but in 2013 the world was shocked when Bruce and Kris Jenner announced they had separated after 23 years of marriage. A year later, Kris filed for divorce and cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason. A month after their divorce was finalised, Bruce publicly came out as a transgender woman – Caitlyn.
9 of 30Katy Perry and Russell Brand
One of the most heart-breaking celebrity break ups was definitely Katy Perry and Russell Brand, after all, she found out their 14-month marriage ended via TEXT. Their entire split was shown on her documentary Part of Me and remarkably Katy still performed on stage just hours after Russell announced he wanted to end their marriage.
10 of 30Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom had only known each other for three weeks before they tied the knot. Yes, really. They lasted four years before the Keeping Up with The Kardashians star filed for divorce. However, in 2015 she withdrew the file after Lamar suffered a drug overdose and she had to take control of his health decisions. There were reports that the pair would reunite but in 2016 their divorce was finalised.
11 of 30Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Kim appeared to have followed in the footsteps as her younger sister Khloe when she got engaged to Kris Humphries after just seven months. She documented her 'dream' wedding on Keeping Up with The Kardashians but their relationship didn't last and they split just 72 DAYS after their wedding. Their breakup was also documented on their show.
12 of 30Stormzy and Maya Jama
We're still devastated about Stormzy and Maya Jama splitting, tbh. They were the dream team and had been together for four years – despite being very private they appeared in Vogue magazine together and the grime artist dedicated a song to her. However in August 2019 they called it quits and the TV presenter unfollowed him on Instagram.
13 of 30Seal and Heidi Klum
Seal and Heidi Klum renewed their wedding vows every year on their anniversary however after a seven-year marriage they called it quits. The A-list couple are parents to four children; Leni (who Heidi had from a previous relationship, but Seal adopted) and during their relationship they also welcomed Henry, Johan and Lou into the world.
14 of 30Gary Lucy and Natasha Gray
After dating for 10 years and then being married for four, Gary Lucy and Natasha Gray called time on their marriage. The pair confirmed the news in a statement saying, "This was a very difficult decision, but was reached mutually and amicably. No other parties are involved."
15 of 30Liam Payne and Cheryl
We're pretty sure the world was shocked when Liam Payne and Cheryl announced they were dating. However they then went on to welcome baby Bear Grey Payne into the world and despite breakup rumours they posed together at the Brit Awards in 2018. Unfortunately a few months later – and a total of two years together - they split.
16 of 30Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy
This break up is still a bit weird and we're not really sure why it happened because – spoiler alert – they're not real people. Anyways, in 2015 the puppets announced the end of their relationship in a lengthy statement.
17 of 30Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick
Another KUWTK break up – this one more surprising than the others – was Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick. The pair had been together for nine years and during that time they welcomed Mason, Penelope and Reign. They'd split a few times throughout their relationship – which included Scott doing to rehab and cheating allegations. However in 2015 they split for good.
18 of 30Cheryl and Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
Cheryl literally surprised the world when she announced on Instagram that she had eloped with Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after three months of dating. The pair seemed totally in love until Cheryl raised concerns among fans after losing a lot of weight and slammed any split rumours by revealing her father in law had died. Unfortunately their romance wasn't to last and after 18 months of marriage they split.
19 of 30Perrie Edwards and Zayn Malik
Little Mix's Perri Edwards and One Direction's Zayn Malik were X Factor sweethearts. They supported each other's career, posted adorable snaps and even got a puppy together. The singers then got engaged but two years later – following cheating accusations and after Zayn quit One Direction – it came to light that he ended their relationship. While she claimed he dumped her via text, he denied it.
20 of 30Adele and Simon Konecki
She's notoriously private with her life but in 2019 is came to light that Adele and her husband Simon Konecki had split. Awhopping £145m is the figure being talked about in relation to their divorce. In 2012 they welcomed their only child into the world – Angelo.
21 of 30Chris Pratt and Anna Faris
Chris Pratt and Anna Faris announced they were splitting back in 2018 and a few months later their divorce was finalised. At the time they released a statement, saying: "We tried hard for a long time, and we're really disappointed. "Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward."They went on to say they "still have love for each other".
22 of 30Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Step Up stars Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan called it quits after being married for eight years. At the time they insisted they'd "lovingly chosen to separate as a couple". During their relationship they welcomed their daughter Everly into the world.
23 of 30Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk
We were devastated in June 2019 when one of the hottest A-list couples – Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk – split after four years together. Apparently the parents to their daughter Lea De Seine hadn't "been good for a few months".
24 of 30Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes dated for seven years and were married for six but in 2012 it came to light that she had filed for divorce. He later spoke out and admitted he "did not expect" the turn of events.
25 of 30Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
Friends star Jennifer Aniston and her husband Justin Theroux called it quits after being married for two years. At the time they said the "decision was mutual and loving" and it appeared to be the truth because a year later to paid tribute to his ex-wife to celebrate her 50th birthday.
26 of 30Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom
Victoria's Secret model and Hollywood actor Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom broke up after six years together. After being married for three years they announced they'd been "amicably separated for the past few months" before confirming their relationship had ended.
27 of 30Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth lived a real-life story after falling in love on the set of The Last Song. However after four years together they split. They were then on/off but decided to call it quits AGAIN after eight years together. Their relationship didn't end there though because they reunited and got married but eight months after their wedding they split again.
28 of 30Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
Another couple who took the world by surprise were Twilightstars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. They met on the set of the vampire phenomenon back in 2009 and fell in love. While we all thought it would last, it didn't. Their relationship hit a rough patch in 2012 when Kristen's affair with her married director Rupert Sanders was exposed by paparazzi. Robert forgave her and they tried to make it work but they split a few months later.
29 of 30Fergie and Josh Duhamel
After eight years together Fergie and Josh Duhamel announced their split. Fast forward two years and Fergie filed for divorce.
30 of 30Matt Leblanc and Aurora Mulligan
In news that shocked Friends fans the world over, In February 2022 it was reported that Matt LeBlanc - best known for playing Joey Tribbiani on the show – had split from his girlfriend of six years, Top Gear producer Aurora Mulligan.
Earlier this month, she revealed Eugenie to be a mentor as part of her charity initiative – and Eugenie congratulated her on her big day, posting, “Happy birthday dear Meghan”.
Jonathan adds, “Their closeness with Eugenie provides a solid bridge back to the royal family, an ally almost. They simply can’t afford to sever ties with her. But in light of the allegations made against Eugenie’s father, she might not be the best person for them to associate with. Meghan and Harry will have to tread carefully. They wouldn’t have half as much global interest if they weren’t part of The Firm. But this scandal proves how tricky it is to be royal, while trying to do things your own way.”
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Meghan Markle’s family hit out once again
Meghan faced another blow last week after her estranged father Thomas Markle criticised her in another tell-all interview.
This time, Thomas – who Meghan hasn’t spoken to since she married Prince Harry three years ago – revealed his latest efforts at building bridges with his daughter, saying he sent her a bouquet of roses on her 40th birthday earlier this month. He said, “I wished her a happy birthday and brighter days ahead but I’ve not heard back.”
Thomas, 77 – who has never met Harry, Archie or Lilibet – also confirmed he would take Meghan to court over meeting his grandchildren, saying of newborn Lilibet, “I’d like to see her, I’d dearly like to see her... I will be petitioning to the court.”
Just days earlier, Meghan had faced yet another family drama, when her older half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 55, entered the Australian Big Brother House. And during a preview for the show, the Duchess’ estranged sibling immediately began bad-mouthing his sister, saying,
“I told Prince Harry, ‘I think she’s going to ruin your life’. She’s very shallow.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.