Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new life in the US has had its ups and downs. The couple moved to their Montecito, California mansion after a short stint in Canada after leaving royal life behind in 2020. Still, although many thought that would be the end of their connection to the royal family, it was only the beginning.
The Sussexes’ relationship with the Firm broke down quickly as they did interviews, released a Netflix series, and Harry revealed all sorts of things in his memoir, Spare. But still, according to new reports, it appears that the Duke is missing his old life.
Harry and Meghan have been trying all sorts of business ventures in the last few years, and as for the Duchess, she recently launched her lifestyle brand. One of her products was, intentionally or unintentionally, launched just hours before Kate Middleton made her royal comeback at Trooping the Colour, and Meghan was accused of stealing the Princess of Wales’ spotlight. Now, the Sussexes have been accused of one more thing – and it isn’t pretty.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leave royal life behind in 2020. It’s been over four years since the couple left the UK and moved to North America, where they finally settled in a multi-million dollar mansion in Montecito, California, about a 90-minute drive from Los Angeles.
Harry & Meghan – friendship troubles in the US
While the couple have made millions through their deals with Netflix, Spotify, and Harry’s book deal, outraging the royal family for all the things they have accused them of and revealed about them, on a personal level, it appears that the Sussexes haven’t made the kind of friends they wanted to.
Last summer, Hollywood insider, broadcaster, comedian, and actor Tim Dillon revealed that Harry and Meghan only wanted to spend time with celebrities because they see themselves as celebrities.
“I know people in LA that know them, and all they want to do is hang out with celebrities. I was at a celebrity party the other night talking to somebody about this, and they go, ‘these people are just… it’s constant with them,’” Dillon said on the “They Come and Go” episode of his podcast, The Tim Dillon Show, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“She was texting the person I was with there – and, ‘no, you can’t come’. I shouldn’t have even been there. But the point is they just won’t stop, these two. They are just like moths to the flame trying to hang out… They’re like low-grade reality stars that are trying to attach to anything.”
Going into further detail regarding Meghan’s text messages, Dillon claims that his friends showed text messages from the Duchess where she begged people to “hang out.”
“She is trying to get places. It’s sad. A lot of it isn’t working, and they are rolling their eyes to me, and they’re going LOL, and we are all having a good laugh about this because they’re just a bunch of goons, and no one cares.”
Harry & Meghan “grappling with exodus of A-listers”
The broadcaster and comedian added, “Now listen, at the end of the day, I respect the hustle, I get what she’s trying to do, I get what they are trying to do, but it didn’t work, right? A lot of people at this party were like, ‘Hey man, you know, we text her back, we tried to be nice, she’s the Duchess, but we’ve had enough, we’ve had enough of her.”
Making friends is quite a challenge for Harry and Meghan. Previously, they have been known to hang out with David and Victoria Beckham, George and Amal Clooney, among others. But now, according to a source, the tide has turned.
Speaking with Closer, a source claimed that the Sussexes are “grappling with an exodus of A-llisters” as many of their famous friendships are deteriorating.
For example, David Beckham was said to have been “absolutely furious” after Harry and Meghan allegedly accused them of leaking stories. One report suggested that they would never be friends again.
“Their A-list friends that are supportive are few and far between. Any chance they had of mending fences with the Beckhams has been squashed by the royals; Tom Cruise has clearly chosen to side with the royals, George and Amal Clooney have all but dumped them too, and even Elton John has been too busy to give them a whole lot of attention,” the source told Closer.
Just some days ago, he brought his daughter, Charlotte, and eldest son, Prince George, to Taylor Swift’s concert in London, and they even got to meet the superstar herself.
Meghan Markle was accused of stealing the spotlight from Kate Middleton
The picture, shared by Taylor Swift herself, of her posing with the royal trio brought millions of likes. According to the Closer source, it possibly annoyed Meghan Markle.
“According to insiders, the Sussexes believe this is another attempt from William of showing Harry and Meghan they are firmly outsiders when it comes to the Royal family, despite Harry’s attempts to get back in touch with The Firm.”
While Harry and Meghan have accused the royal family of many things over the years, they have also been the targets of allegations in recent times.
For example, just a few weeks ago, Meghan Markle was accused of trying to steal the spotlight from her former royal colleague, Kate Middleton.
On Saturday, June 15, just hours before Trooping the Colour, Argentinian polo player Nacho Figuerasa, a close friend of Markle and Prince Harry, revealed the Duchess’s brand’s new raspberry-flavored jam via an Instagram Story.
The announcement’s timing left many royal fans angry, and they took to social media.
“Try to steal the spotlight from the RF,” one X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, as per OK! Magazine. “Yet it is still shocking and disgusting.”
A second person added, “Narcissism at its finest,” while a third stated, “No. Meghan can never outshine Princess Kate, not then, now, ever.”
“It’s ridiculous”
Although many were furious with Meghan Markle for this, a source close to the Duchess told the Daily Beast that she had nothing to do with it.
The source claimed, “While I am sure the gift packages came with notes requesting social media coverage, you can’t tell Nacho Figueras what to do. So I think it’s certain the timing of his post was his own idea.”
“The larger point here is that the American Riviera Orchard campaign has been phenomenally successful and cost Meghan nothing.”
The source added, “It is a textbook social media campaign. The only problem is that there still seems to be nothing actually for sale, so what is it all for? I guess we will find out.”
In an interview with The Sun, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said that the “idea” of Meghan ever doing something like that on the day of Trooping the Colour is “silly.”
“What’s so odd is that she did anything on the day of Trooping the Colour at all, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “I don’t think it’s been thought out. This makes no public relations sense. It’s ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, the royal expert added that Harry and Meghan are known for distracting attention away from royal events.
“The Sussexes have never cared about the royal protocol, that you don’t have a diary clash,” Fitzwilliams continued. “Meghan would not have been advised to do this by any of her public relation consultants. This is something of a joke. It’s very, very odd. If she just sent the jam to a friend, she should have asked him not to post it, because otherwise it clearly makes them objects to mockery.”
Prince Harry slammed for accepting ESPY Award
Not long ago, Prince Harry got the big honor when he received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards.
ESPY said Harry was honored for his “tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport” with the Invictus Games he created years ago. The award has previously been given to unsung heroes – but the fact that Prince Harry got it this year doesn’t sit well with everyone.
Pat Tillman was a US soldier killed in Afghanistan, for whom the award has been named. Now, his mother, Mary, criticizes Harry for getting it in the first place.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award. Some recipients are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans,” she told the Daily Mail.
“These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognised.”
A spokesman for ESPY answered, ‘” While we understand not everyone will agree with all honourees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work, and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.”
Royal expert accuses Harry & Meghan of ‘trying to buy the public’s respect’
After Harry accepted the award, a petition was even set up to urge ESPN, the award’s organizers, to reconsider their decision to give the Duke the honor. Meanwhile, a royal expert has dropped another accusation against Harry and Meghan, saying that “collecting trophies” is a part of their “game.”
Royal expert Kinsey Schofield went on Talk TV, adding that “the public see through” what the Sussexes are trying to accomplish.
“I see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accepting more trophies for awards that I don’t understand what they’re for, than this life of service that they promised us. How many awards did Meghan accept for her podcast that was cancelled and slammed by her own network?” Schofield said as per Express.
She added: “This is all a game to them [Harry and Meghan]. I guess they’re trying to buy the public’s respect, they’re trying to buy good PR through networking and creating these opportunities to collect trophies for their mantle, but I think the public sees through these individuals.”
