The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to have dismissed allegations against them reported in a Vanity Fair article that sources close to the couple described as distressing.
In a cover article published on Friday and titled “American Hustle”, the magazine set out what life was like “Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big business ambitions, 5 years after their royal exit”.
The claims included comments from their neighbours in Montecito, California, who said that the duke and duchess had ruined the quiet and neighbourliness of the area by “bringing more attention” to the wealthy town, despite it already being home to other celebrities.
However, friends of the Sussexes point to recent comments made by another neighbour, the actress Sharon Stone, who said that Meghan and Harry waved to people in the street.
Sharon Stone, a neighbour of the Sussexes, was more complimentary about the pair
GETTY
Stone told Hello! magazine: “They’re a part of our community, they’ve become a giving, caring, participating part of our community. They’re not here to be like ‘Would you like to kiss my butt?’”
The latest article by Vanity Fair has proved to be difficult reading for the Sussexes. It speculated on rumours about the couple’s marriage and whether Meghan had been approached to write a “post-divorce” book. It also adds, however, that divorce was not on the horizon, quoting sources saying that “their love is real” and “they are hot for each other”. Yet the jibes about their work may prove the hardest to shake off.
Vanity Fair discussed the challenges faced by the Sussexes in the past five years since they stepped down from their official roles within the royal family, saying: “Leaving the royal family has brought tests for the couple — legal, financial, reputational, personal and practical. Going from divinely chosen (or at least chosen by someone else who was divinely chosen) members of a 1,200-year-old institution to start-up founders in exile is a tough adjustment.”
One producer who worked with the Sussexes accused them of “naivety”, while an unnamed worker who collaborated with Meghan and Harry on their Spotify deal said: “The thing you’re escaping is the reason you’re compelling.”
The former Spotify employee said that Meghan and Harry “didn’t do what celebrities do on podcasts, which is turn on the mic and talk. They wanted a big theme that would explain the world, but they had no ideas.”
Sources close to the Sussexes said that previous employees had gone on record in the past to dispute the claims made in the article.
The Sussexes declined to be interviewed for the Vanity Fair article and did not respond to a request to comment when approached by The Times.