From the moment they got married in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were one inseparable unit – combining their personal and professional lives, and duly fronting documentaries, giving interviews, signing business deals and making public appearances as a singular entity.
But while their two-for-one unity seemed to work in the beginning, it seemingly started to wear thin as time went on – with backlash rocketing against their 'whiny' outbursts against the palace, their so-called 'naval-gazing', and their multimillion-dollar business deals that never seemed to deliver. By the end of last year, the Sussex brand was at an all-time low – with the couple labelled two of the year’s 'biggest losers' by the Hollywood Reporter. By all accounts, something had to change.
So, it’s no surprise that 2024 has seen a massive overhaul over in Montecito when it comes to Harry and Meghan’s united endeavours. Once inseparable, they’ve since branched out on their own – with Harry in particular taking things global over the past few months, travelling to the UK, New York, Lesotho, South Africa and Canada for public engagements and solo work, while Meghan, who shares son Archie, five, and daughter Lilibet, three, with Harry, has ostensibly held the fort down back in California and stepped out solo on the red carpet. And, for the most part, their professional split seems to have paid off – at least where Harry is concerned.
Once considered one of the royal family’s most popular members, before he fell from grace after stepping down as a senior royal, the 40 year old has reclaimed a fair chunk of his popularity from monarchists and anti-royalists alike. Fans have praised his comeback as a relatable, down-to-earth prince, who can share a joke with anyone and isn’t so hellbent on complaining about his lot in life or throwing jabs at his estranged family. But, sadly for Meghan, Harry’s soaring popularity has done nothing to reingratiate her into people’s good books. In fact, we’re told she’s still facing criticism at every turn, and starting to feel pangs of jealousy along the way. After all, what good is splitting their working lives to overturn the narrative pedalled against them if only Harry’s going to benefit? According to insiders, Meghan may be happy for her husband, but she’s also fed up of the double standard.
'Meghan’s putting on a very brave face and telling Harry how proud she is of him,' says an insider close to the Duchess of Sussex, who last week hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the Southern California Welcome Project through her and Harry’s Archewell Foundation, though he was not in attendance.
'On the one hand, she is really pleased that he’s getting good reviews, but – at the same time – it’s pretty disheartening to see that, when she does things on her own, nine times out of ten she’s torn to shreds. When it’s her on her own, people take swipes at her when she’s trying to promote her businesses and treat her like some sort of Wicked Witch no matter what she does, whereas nearly every move Harry makes is applauded. It’s only natural that she’d feel envious of how easy Harry seems to have it when it comes to the court of public opinion. People take swipes at her no matter what she does, whereas nearly every move that Harry makes is applauded. It’s pretty hard to stomach and really has the potential to build up a lot resentment.'
There’s no denying that Harry does seem to be getting more out of this professional split. Last month, fans were thrilled to see him taking part in a filmed skit, which was posted to Instagram to promote his beloved Invictus Games. In the video, the prince was seen sitting in a tattoo parlour, before the heavily inked country singer Jelly Roll appeared and told Harry that he would perform at next year’s Invictus Games in Vancouver, provided that the latter let him give him a tattoo. Harry joked, 'Alright, screw it, let’s go,' before suggesting the singer ink his 'lower back or on my ass'. Finally, the skit culminated in Harry’s neck being tattooed with the words, 'I am Jelly Roll' – prompting the Duke of Sussex to yell, 'Oh, sh*t!' to the cameras.
Obviously, it was an elaborate set-up, but his performance seemed to go down well, with fans welcoming the return of Harry’s cheeky persona. But – with Meghan miles away in California – we’re told she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she’d been with Harry, or done her own skit? The odds are that she wouldn’t have been received with such acclaim.
'This whole thing with Jelly Roll, and all the positive press it got him, was a big coup for Harry,' says our source. 'But it’s safe to say that Meghan would not have gotten rave reviews if she’d gone and gotten a fake tattoo on her neck, so the double standard is glaring. That’s not to say she isn’t pleased for Harry – the Invictus Games are so precious to him, so she’d never begrudge anything that boosts attention for the games. But that doesn’t make it easy to have a partner that can get kudos for doing things she can’t. This policy of doing things separately was created with the idea that they could divide and conquer, but – if Harry is the only one succeeding – then it’s not exactly a success. The problem is that the optics of backtracking now could potentially be another knock for Meghan. The worry is that she might look like she couldn’t hack it on her own, and needs Harry’s support to get anywhere.'
It certainly hasn’t helped matters that – while 2024 was promulgated as the big year that Meghan launched her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard – it’s seemingly vanished amid delays and challenges. In March, she released a stylish teaser video for the brand, which was duly mocked by some corners of the internet; meanwhile, her attempts to galvanise global excitement by sending out a small batch of luxury jams to her most famous friends ultimately fell flat when she didn’t follow up with more goods. Word is that she’s biding her time before launching a cookery show next year with Netflix, at which point she’ll relaunch her brand, but – for the time being – things have gone very quiet, and general consensus is that Meghan’s got another flop on her hands.
So, for the time being, we’re told Meghan feels torn. While she’s cheering Harry on as he reclaims his long-lost popularity, she still feels like she’s being left behind along the way, and the difference of attitude towards them both as separate entities – when they used to be so united – is a difficult thing to stomach. 'Harry’s telling her not to worry, and saying she just ought to ignore the haters,' we’re told. 'But that’s easier said than done. This really stings.'