Don’t believe the hype—despite ongoing and persistent divorce rumors, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s marriage is doing just fine, thank you very much.
Amidst failing marriage rumors, OK reports that the pair are “happy together” as they continue to build their lives in Montecito, California with children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Family friend Karl Larsen said of the Sussexes “Please do not believe the media. They [Harry and Meghan] are very much in love and are happy together; [there are] nothing but smiles and laughter here.”
This counters reports from the likes of British aristocrat Lady Colin Campbell, who previously told OK “I have heard from five totally reliable sources that Harry called in the lawyers some months ago,” she said, presumably referring to divorce lawyers. “The problem is that the information doesn’t necessarily match up with their public face. But, of course, their public face is, to an extent, slapped on for monetary gain.”
Royal expert Angela Levin, who is generally a pretty vociferous critic of the Sussexes, added “I think if you have a row in your marriage, you perhaps might go into another room. If you book [a room] permanently, that means you are going to use it a lot. So he’s not in the family house anymore,” she said, referring to since-refuted reports that Harry had a rented suite at the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood. (This claim was so farfetched that Harry’s rep even spoke out about it and rebutted it, as Marie Claire reported on recently.)
Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle also added fuel to the divorce rumors discussion, saying “I see it ending in divorce unless they get extensive counseling and can agree to work on being honest, to work on apologies to everyone that they’ve damaged in the course of this bull-in-a-china-shop, two-year spiel.”
Press treatment has always been rough for the Sussexes, but especially so in recent months. Despite this, a source close to the couple claim the pair are “unfazed by critics” and said “People can call them money hungry and even ‘grifters,’ [but] Harry and Meghan think it’s all just jealous[y] and mean people flinging stones.”
The two seem happy with their new life in the U.S., where they relocated in 2020 after their infamous step back as working members of the royal family that January. The Mirror reports that Harry has sent two clear messages that he has cut off his life in the U.K. that can’t be ignored: Missing both the wedding of longtime friend Jack Mann (whom Harry called the real best man at his 2018 wedding, despite older brother Prince William long being regarded as such) and the presentation of the Diana Award. While Harry has attended some events in the U.K. since early 2020—namely King Charles’ Coronation and Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee—he has missed far more than he has made, signifying that his life and his priorities are now elsewhere, with Meghan and their children in California.
“As with the fact that William and Harry didn’t appear together for the Diana Award, Harry not attending his best man’s [wedding] is quite a symbol that he’s just cut off his life back in the U.K.,” royal correspondent Matt Wilkinson said on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat. Referring to Frogmore Cottage—which the Sussexes were evicted from recently—Wilkinson continued “They’ve got nowhere to live, so where would they be, the Premier Inn ‘round the corner? They don’t have a base here in the U.K., and they’re worried about security.”
This week, Harry was spotted with little Lilibet—who just turned two—at a Fourth of July parade, complete with vintage vehicles decorated with American flags passing through the streets. Though only Harry and Lili were pictured, Meghan and Archie were also said to be in attendance, too. The next day, Harry’s father King Charles took part in his second Coronation ceremony, this one in Scotland, alongside wife Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales. For this Coronation, Harry opted to skip and stay behind at his new home in the U.S. while the event took place in Edinburgh.
