Not since before their engagement have Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan spent so much time apart.
After a grim-looking appearance at Tyler Perry’s birthday party on September 14 alongside Meghan, the prince escaped Montecito for a hiking trip with pals to celebrate his own milestone 40th birthday, the following day – and hasn’t been pictured with her since.
Even more shocking was the fact he failed to mention Meghan, 43, in his birthday thank you message. Then, when he arrived at Kevin Costner’s fundraiser a week later without Meghan, who was reportedly “sick”, speculation reached fever pitch the couple’s marriage has gone sideways.
FROM BAD TO WORSE
“This hasn’t been a good year for them,” an insider tells Woman’s Day.
“Everything they touch has gone wrong and it’s reached boiling point. That press she got about being a ‘dictator in heels’ and yelling at florists would have been the last straw for anyone.
But what’s put things into perspective for Harry this past year has been all the health shocks coming out of the palace. Almost overnight, his and Meghan’s concerns seemed frivolous and irrational.
“I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that getting his inheritance has given him the courage to really step up. And you can see how happy he is – it’s like old Prince Harry the larrikin’s back!
The smile’s reaching his eyes for the first time in years.”
From visiting a tattoo parlour in New York to having lunch with Princess Senate Seeiso of Lesotho in South Africa – a trip which he last week extended out of the blue – there’s no doubt Harry seemed relaxed about flying solo.
He even dared to go in for a hug on stage with his old party pal, British TV presenter Gaby Roslin, at the WellChild Awards in London.
“He looked so happy to be there. Clearly Harry’s turned 40 and is making big steps towards reclaiming his independence,” adds the insider.
“It’s all everyone can talk about back home in London. He looks like his old self again and it confirms what we’ve all been worried about – that he’s been miserable as hell in California.”
So too, it seems, is Meghan, who stepped out on the red carpet at an LA Children’s Hospital fundraiser last week, rehashing an old dress she once wore during more carefree times with Harry.
“Meghan’s not going to sit at home and be seen as some kind of abandoned wife,” says our insider. “She knows she needs to let him ‘do his thing’. He’s definitely thrown on a pair of trousers at home.
“Meghan’s not stupid. She knows she’s taking a beating in the public forum, and everyone is throwing their hat behind Harry – but don’t underestimate how much she can rattle his cage, and her appearance in that red dress will do that. She’s still the mother of his kids and they have made it through plenty of difficult times together.”
