Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey has said she’s ‘amazed’ that Prince Harry‘s marriage to Meghan Markle has lasted as long as seven years.
The socialite – who briefly dated the embattled Duke of York in 1999 – told Closer magazine that Harry and Meghan’s relationship ‘seems to have been quite rocky’ lately as she suggested the Sussexes’s relocation to the US may have adversely impacted the couple.
Her comments come months after Meghan, 44, declared she and Harry, 40, will be together ‘forever’ during a podcast appearance as the former Suits star said they’re in ‘more of a honeymoon period’ than ever before.
Asked what she thinks of their future together, Lady Victoria told the publication: ‘I’m amazed their marriage has lasted as long as this – I’m sure it’s only because of the kids, because it seems to have been quite rocky for a while.
‘She got him to move his whole life, and now she’s back where she grew up.’
Two years after their wedding in 2018, Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan, 44, resigned as senior members of the Royal Family and moved to Montecito, California, in a schism that has been dubbed ‘Megxit’.
Their decision to quit The Firm was followed by the release of Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Netflix docuseries that contained a number of shocking claims about their time in the UK – and ultimately drove the wedge between the Royals deeper.
Later this month, however, the Duke will come face-to-face with his father King Charles for the first time in 20 months when Harry travels to London for the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8.
Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey has said she’s ‘amazed’ that Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle has lasted as long as seven years
The socialite – who briefly dated the embattled Duke of York in 1999 – told Closer magazine that Harry and Meghan’s relationship ‘seems to have been quite rocky’ lately as she suggested the Sussexes’s relocation to the US may have adversely impacted the couple
Reflecting on a possible royal reconciliation, Lady Victoria felt that Prince Harry will have to prove he’s a ‘changed man’ before being welcomed back into the family – but it seems less likely that Meghan will be accepted by them.
If Harry can convince his father and brother, Prince William, that he ‘isn’t going to be dishing every family secret’ then there may be hope for healing.
However, she added, Meghan might have a harder time reintegrating in the aftermath of her interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, when the Duchess claimed there were ‘concerns’ within the Royal Family about her and Prince Harry’s son Archie’s skin colour before his birth.
Meghan refused to say which royal spoke to Prince Harry about ‘how dark’ Archie might be, before Prince William commented on the accusation by saying the Royal Family is ‘very much not racist’.
The relationship between the brothers has remained frosty, with William believed to have ‘rejected out of hand’ an invitation to meet his younger brother when he travels to London for the WellChild Awards next week.
However, experts are hopeful that Prince Harry’s relationship with Charles, who is currently undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, can be repaired after aides held an informal peace summit at Buckingham Palace in July.
It is a timely move on Prince Harry’s part, according to Lady Victoria, who said the Duke must ‘make up’ with the King ‘as soon as possible’ before William completely shuts the possibility of a reunion down.
Her comments come months after Meghan, 44, declared she and Harry, 40, will be together ‘forever’ during a podcast appearance as the former Suits star said they’re in ‘more of a honeymoon period’ than ever before
Lady Victoria also said that Prince Harry will have to prove he’s a ‘changed man’ if he hopes to be welcomed back into the royal family
Even then, Lady Victoria continued, Harry will have to work ‘seriously hard’ at regaining his elder brother’s trust – especially after the Duke made a number of sensational claims against the future King in his 2023 memoir Spare.
One such accusation was that William, in a fit of rage, ‘grabbed’ Prince Harry by the collar, ripped his necklace, and ‘knocked me on the floor’ during a row that broke out between the siblings just before ‘Megxit’.
William is said to have branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’ and insisted he was trying to help his younger brother during a meeting about ‘the whole rolling catastrophe’ of their failing relationship and Harry’s rows with the press.
Harry accused his brother of ‘parroting the press narrative’ about his American wife before a screaming match ensued, ending in a physical altercation, the book claims. He says he gave the heir to the throne a glass of water and said: ‘Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this.’
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on any of Harry’s claims in Spare at the time.
Lady Victoria’s most recent comments about Prince Harry and Meghan come after the Duchess released the second instalment of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, on August 26.
In one episode, which featured Queer Eye star Tan France, Meghan gave viewers insight into the early days of her dates with Prince Harry – and even revealed who said ‘I love you’ first.
Eagerly recalling their love story, Meghan told the British designer that it was indeed Harry who uttered the three special words first, shortly after they began dating in 2016.
Lady Victoria added that the Duke of Sussex must ‘make up’ with the King ‘as soon as possible’ before William completely shuts the possibility of a reunion down
Even then, Lady Victoria continued, Harry (pictured with William, Meghan and the Princess of Wales after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022) will have to work ‘seriously hard’ at regaining his elder brother’s trust
Lady Victoria’s interview features in the latest issue of Closer magazine, out today
Chatting with France while baking apple pies and vegetable stamps in the third episode, Meghan also shared the moment she knew ‘I love this guy’ after the reality TV star prodded her for details.
Meghan said: ‘Yes, that was on our third date.’
‘We met in Botswana and we camped for five days together,’ the Duchess recalled. ‘You really get to know each other when you’re in a little tent together and it’s like – what is that outside the tent?’
‘That’s an elephant. Are we going to be safe? Yeah, you’re safe. OK.’
Meanwhile, Meghan declared she’s more in love with her husband than ever before during an appearance on Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast in April while making what was perceived as a subtle dig at the Royal Family.
‘You have to imagine, at the beginning it’s all butterflies – but then we immediately went into the trenches together,’ she said.
‘Right out of the gate, like six months into dating. So now seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way. And that’s why I feel like it’s more of a honeymoon period for us now.’
Meghan also spoke of how she and Harry will be married ‘forever’ and called her husband a ‘fox’ – because of how ‘very, very handsome’ he is, although his ‘heart is even more beautiful’.
Lady Victoria’s full interview appears in the new issue of Closer, out today.