Signs Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new life in America is in trouble after difficult year
As we edge closer to 2024, it’s hard not to take stock of the last twelve months and acknowledge the highs and lows which have shaped our lives. In the case of Prince Harry[1], 39, and Meghan Markle[2], 42, it’s safe to say that 2023 hasn’t been the easiest of years. As they continue to try and put down roots in the US and establish themselves as money-making entities outside of the British establishment, there have been a lot of ups and downs they’ve had to navigate.
And amid claims that Harry is missing his life in the UK, here are seven signs their new life in the US is in trouble.
Backlash against Spare
The year started strongly for Prince Harry when his memoir, Spare, sold 1.4m copies on its first day in the UK, USA and Canadian markets, and earned a Guinness World Record for the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time. But, the bombshell tome about life in and out of the Royal family[4], caused even larger fissures between the Duke of Sussex and his blue blooded family – and it left some scars on the general public too.
It’s hard to believe that this time last year we were blissfully unaware of how Harry and his “piping hot” brother Prince William[5] grappled on the floor of Nottingham Cottage; how he used Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream to soothe his frostbitten penis; and how he lost his virginity to an older woman in a pub garden. For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US[6] Read now:Prince Harry and Meghan ‘might not be included’ in King Charles’ Christmas tradition[7]
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf (Image: 2023 Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a rough year by anyone’s standards (Image: Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
Despite selling so well, a lot of criticism was aimed at Harry for airing his family’s dirty laundry – including private conversations between him and the Queen, and what seemed to be a feeling of general dislike towards his brother.
He was also slammed for revealing that he had killed 25 men while fighting with the British Army in Afghanistan[8].
Spotify deal ended abruptly
Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Audio signed an exclusive £25million (GBP19million) deal with Spotify[9] as they attempted to be financially independent after stepping back from the Royal Family. However, in June they released a statement announcing their decision to part ways[10] which read: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.” Meghan and Harry were criticised by one of Spotify’s top executives after stepping away from the platform.
Bill Simmons, head of podcast innovation and monetisation at Spotify, hit out at the couple as he labelled them “f***ing grifters”. Speaking in an episode of his own podcast, he said: “The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.”
Bill added: “I’ve got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
‘Drama follows them wherever they go’
Royal expert Kinsey Scofield told GB News[11], “everywhere Harry and Meghan goes, drama follows” – and that was particularly true with the release of Omid Scobie’s second book, Endgame[12]. The Dutch version of the book alleged that there were two senior members of the Royal family who had made comments about the skin tone of the as-yet-unborn baby Archie.
It caused an even bigger rift between the Sussexes and the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the King. The row has had such a big impact that Harry and Meghan have not been invited to the Duke of Westminster’s ‘society wedding of the decade’ next summer. Quoting Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero hit, Kinsey added: “When are you going to look in the mirror and say ‘it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me’?” She then branded the couple “toxic” and said that “they can say all day long that they weren’t involved in Endgame[13] but at the end of the day their fingerprints are so all over Omid Scobie’s Finding Freedom that it’s hard to say that they were in no way shape or form associated with Endgame”.
Mocked in cartoons
The Duke and Duchess are referenced in an episode of Family Guy[14] – and it’s not a kind depiction.
Main character Peter Griffin compares himself to the couple as he sits with a group of friends at a bar. Speaking to his pals, Peter tries to think of ways he can get money he’s owed. He then comes up with the idea to “go it alone”, just like Meghan and Harry did when they stepped down as working members of the Royal Family[15] in 2020.
The scene then cuts to the Sussexes sitting by a pool in their swimwear. A butler waits on the couple and hands them “millions from Netflix[16].” As he hands them the money, the butler tells Harry: “Sir, your millions from Netflix for… no-one knows what.” Harry then replies: “Put it with the rest of them.” It came months after South Park took aim at the couple’s demands for privacy[17] while also hitting the promo trail for Spare and starring in three-part Netflix documentaries about their life.
Caught up in a ‘terrifying car chase’
Harry and Meghan claimed to be caught up in a “near catastrophic” chase with paparazzi in May[18] after attending an event in New York.
Harry’s spokesperson said shortly after the “relentless pursuit” lasted more than two hours by half a dozen vehicles. They added it resulted in near collisions with other drivers on the road, pedestrians and police officers. It’s understood the couple thought the pursuit could have been fatal, claiming it involved six blacked-out vehicles with unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them.
However, there were differing accounts from other people involved in the incident. At one point Meghan and Harry got out of their car and swapped into a taxi in a bid to lose the paparazzi. Describing his experience, the cabbie told the Washington Post: “I don’t think I would call it a chase.
I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. [Harry and Meghan] were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe. [Photographers] kept following us and were coming next to the car. They took pictures as we stopped and were filming us.”
Understandably, the situation would have been distressing to the couple, especially as Princess Diana lost her life while being hounded by paps on scooters in Paris.
Oprah Winfrey birthday ‘snub’
Fully embracing their new life as US celebrities, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down for a televised heart-to-heart with chat show legend Oprah Winfrey. The interview, which aired in 2021, set a chain of events in motion, of which the repercussions are still felt today – and no, not just Piers Morgan no longer fronting Good Morning Britain[19]. After trusting Oprah with such a huge moment of their story, fans expected them to remain close – but when they didn’t publicly wish her a happy birthday, there were reports the friendship between the couple and the powerful media mogul had cooled.
Making it even more awkward, the broadcaster was guest of honour at the Anastasia Beverly Hills’ 25th anniversary lunch and partied with Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone and Kim Kardashian[20] , who dutifully hopped on Instagram[21] to send her some birthday best wishes.
Charity foundation’s huge loss
Earlier this month, the couple’s Archewell Foundation, named after son Prince Archie[22] , released its accounts for 2022, which show it received two donations amounting to GBP1.6million. This compares to the previous year when it received over GBP10.4million in donations – a drop of over GBP8.7million. After salaries, expenses and grants are taken into account, this means that Archewell made a loss in revenue of approximately GBP536,000, although the foundation is still holding more than GBP6.8million in funds.
Archewell said it was not unusual for high-profile foundations to receive a significant influx of funding in its first year to be used over several years as part of a financial plan to build its philanthropic work. It said: “It is most fiscally responsible not to continue to raise large sums of money with millions still in reserve. “In 2022, (The Archewell Foundation) focused on building out original programming that successfully launched in 2023.” It added: “The Archewell Foundation is grateful for such a successful year and looks forward to continued growth in 2024.”
Mixed reviews for intern ‘acting’
The Duchess of Sussex returned to acting at the end of 2023 when she popped up in an advert for a coffee brand she’s invested in.
In the clip, Meg pretended to be an intern at ClevrBlends coffee In the clip, she was in the background handing out cups of coffee, taking phone calls, fist-bumping her colleagues and typing away at a computer. Royal fans took to X, formerly Twitter[23] to share their thoughts on seeing Meghan back on their screens – and it was a mixed bag[24].
Some thought it was cute, and loved seeing Meg looking happy and natural in front of the camera. One wrote: “A+ marketing from #clevrblends Love to see Meg having fun in front of the camera again. I’ve missed her on my screen.”
However, others commented, “Hahaha! This video is so contrived. Looks more like a project straight out of middle school;” and “Oh yes the comeback – a coffee ad where she has no lines and a total of 20 sec in 3 different scenes.
Yep that’s winning thriving alright.
‘Biggest losers of 2023’
Thriving in Tinseltown involves a lot of chai oat milk lattes, networking at dog yoga, therapy-speak and using anyone and everyone as a stepping stone to get where you want to be. But behind all the fake smiles which shine as bright as the California sun, there’s some very sharp teeth… as Harry and Meghan found out when they were bitten by the journalists at The Hollywood Reporter. Every year THR rounds up the winners and losers of the year, with the likes of Taylor Swift, Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie all coming out on top.
But a duo that sadly didn’t was the Sussexes who were crowned the ‘Biggest Losers of 2023’.[25][26] The scathing article that brands the couple as “losers” states that Harry and Meghan “lost” after they fled a life of public service to cash in on their celebrity status. It then notes: “But after a whiny Netflix[27] documentary, a whiny biography (Spare — even the title is a pouty gripe) and an inert podcast, the Harry and Meghan brand swelled into a sanctimonious bubble just begging to be popped — and South Park was the pin.”
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References
- ^ Prince Harry (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Meghan Markle (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Meghan Markle’s Christmas present made the Queen ‘burst out laughing’ (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Royal family (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Prince William (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ The Mirror US (www.themirror.com)
- ^ Prince Harry and Meghan ‘might not be included’ in King Charles’ Christmas tradition (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Afghanistan (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ signed an exclusive £25million (GBP19million) deal with Spotify (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ released a statement announcing their decision to part ways (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Kinsey Scofield told GB News (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Endgame (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Endgame (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ are referenced in an episode of Family Guy (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Royal Family (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Netflix (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ South Park took aim at the couple’s demands for privacy (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ claimed to be caught up in a “near catastrophic” chase with paparazzi in May (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Good Morning Britain (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Kim Kardashian (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Instagram (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Prince Archie (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Twitter (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ thoughts on seeing Meghan back on their screens – and it was a mixed bag (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Taylor Swift (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ crowned the ‘Biggest Losers of 2023’. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Netflix (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Facebook (www.irishmirror.ie)
- ^ Twitter (www.irishmirror.ie)