As far back as their engagement interview, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have always touted their shared passion for, well, changing the world. (Some couples run triathlons, some watch all 21 seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy” together, and others make a dramatic departure from an ancient institution — calling into question its character and moral legitimacy on the way out — before setting up their own charitable organization while trying to make money and prove that “celebrity activist” isn’t an oxymoron.)
“One of the first things we started talking about when we met was just the different things that we wanted to do in the world and how passionate we were about seeing change,” Meghan said in the Ye Olde Naive-y days of that first chat with the BBC. “I think that was what got date two in the books, probably.”
That wide-eyed couple, then, would be shocked to see the headlines doing the rounds in certain corners of the press today. Per the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden, for instance, their dream of being a power duo like Michelle and Barack Obama “lies in tatters,” going down “separate paths” as they split their business interests. “Brand Sussex as a going concern together clearly is in its death throes,” echoed Louise Roes on Sky News.
Of course, it’s important to consider the source here: Both of these outlets seem to have made hate clicks about this couple a key pillar of their business model.
At the same time, it’s true that Prince Harry did a series of engagements alone in New York last week, giving speeches solo on subjects they both have publicly advocated for previously — like child mental health, sustainable travel, protecting kids on social media — while Meghan stayed home in California.
Meghan also appears to be stepping back, apparently focusing her energy on her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, her forthcoming Netflix show and her podcast revival.
And if you’ve paid any attention to the headlines last week, she had quite the week of her own, albeit likely not the one she and her communications team may have planned.
What seems to have been intended as the final word on the long-dragging saga of the “bad boss” allegations that have followed her for years, an Us Weekly story where current and former team members spoke on the record about how great she is to work for backfired instead. Not only did it seem to give some kind of credence to the whispers by addressing them in this implicitly semi-authorized fashion, it also sparked a fresh round of claims published in the Daily Beast, most notably an anonymous story that claimed Meghan shouted at a florist on the phone for 45 minutes over something inconsequential.
Tittle-tattle aside, Harry does seem to be leaning into his statesman era, while Meghan embraces her actress/influencer side.
As with everything Sussex-related, the lens that these data points are viewed with matter. Where one person sees a brand in tatters, a marriage seemingly collapsing, another — kinder, more empathetic person — might see an evolution, a natural shift in their working relationship as their lives change. What might have once felt a necessary “us against the world” defiant constant togetherness, could now give way to a phase when they’re comfortable enough in their relationship (and their new life) to tackle things on their own.
Which, per Hello! magazine, was apparently always the plan, anyway. “Harry and Meghan have consistently pursued solo ventures in connection with their individual interests, but remain deeply committed to their joint efforts through Archewell,” someone “well-connected to the pair told the celeb-friendly glossy. “Together they have exciting projects in the pipeline, all driving forward their shared mission for positive global impact.”
Ditto the fact that Prince Harry is currently in the U.K. (again) on his own (again.) It’s less about his wife not supporting him — in fact, a source told Vanity Fair that she’s “extremely proud” of him right now — but that the couple doesn’t believe she and their children would be safe in the U.K. without the security that they lost when they quit working royal life.
Which brings us to a possible reason their interests might be diverging: Harry is happy to take on the risk that his advocacy work might bring, while Meghan — who lest we forget, has publicly said she has received death threats — is choosing a softer life, opening book stores with Oprah and making batches of jam to send to her friends.
Can we blame her, especially after this week?
