Rumours have been circulating for months that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been leading increasingly separate lives, with insiders claiming the couple are clashing over Harry’s desire to spend more time in the UK and Meghan’s reluctance to go along with it as she fights to make their American dream a success.
Now, we’re told that one person in particular is taking notice of the alleged tensions within the Sussexes’ eight-year marriage: King Charles, with a source saying the King, who’s taken steps to heal his relationship with his youngest son over the past year, has left the door firmly open for Harry.
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‘Charles has been watching everything unfold and, while he’s certainly not wishing for Harry’s marriage to fail, he’s realistic enough to know that even the strongest relationships can hit their breaking point under this kind of pressure,’ an insider tells heat. ‘The King isn’t blind to any of this, and he can’t help wanting to be there. He’s been through a very public divorce himself and knows how different things can be behind closed doors.’
Following the Sussexes’ reunion with Charles last month, Meghan was reported to have been left ‘humiliated’ by the highly publicised back-and-forth over their family’s lack of police protection while travelling to the UK, which ultimately led to the Duchess and the couple’s children – Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five – making their entrance to Highgrove House clandestinely, with the visit only being made public after it had happened.
And despite Meghan posting a carousel of happy family pictures on Instagram, including one of her and Harry cuddled up at dinner, there has been renewed speculation that all is not well between the couple.
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Last month, a royal insider claimed, ‘They’re living very separate lives now. It’s gone beyond work schedules. They have different priorities, different routines, and they’re spending much less time together than people realise.’
A source also previously told heat how Meghan was ‘worried Harry is being pulled back into old patterns of manipulation by his family’ and is ‘extremely upset’ about potentially moving back to the UK.
Of course, as with everything at the Palace, there are always contingency plans in place for things such as births, deaths, and divorce. As heat has reported, the possible separation of Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, has to be considered, too.
‘The Palace is quietly drawing up contingency plans in the event of a split,’ a source said. ‘The thinking is that Harry might push for a return to the UK, but Meghan won’t want to come back from the US – and that schism is potentially dangerous.’
Meanwhile, despite this secret divorce contingency plan, our source says that Charles’ priority remains his son’s happiness. ‘The King wants Harry to know that, if he ever reaches a point where he’s overwhelmed or confused, there’s no judgement. He’ll be there to listen and offer whatever wisdom he can as a father. Ultimately, all Charles wants is for Harry to be happy, but he also wants him to be able to face whatever lies ahead with his eyes open. He doesn’t think Harry should bury his head in the sand and pretend everything’s fine if it isn’t. More than anything, Charles wants Harry to know he doesn’t have to go through any of this alone.’
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Our source says Harry and Meghan’s marriage remains under close scrutiny within royal circles. ‘The relationship has become a major talking point among senior Palace staff,’ says the insider. ‘The tensions are becoming increasingly hard to ignore, particularly now Harry appears to want to spend more time in the UK while Meghan seems very resistant, which is only going to mean more time apart. It doesn’t help that they’ve got such different views on Hollywood and the whole fame game, which certainly adds to the feeling that they’re on very different paths.’
The source continues, ‘There are people within the royal family who don’t believe it’s going to last, but the general feeling is that they’ve invested so much in their life together, they will do everything they can to make it work.’
There is also no doubt that the repercussions of a split would be monumental, even beyond the heartbreak of a family divided. So much so, royal sources previously told heat senior aides were said to be ‘considering a golden handshake’ settlement for Meghan to minimise toxic fallout and avoid situations like Princess Diana’s infamous 1995 Panorama interview, in which she disclosed in great detail the breakdown of her marriage to Charles and made allegations of infidelity.
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‘It would include a strict gagging order designed to prevent further exposés of private life,’ said a source of the potential deal. ‘The agreement would also grant Meghan the continued use of her Duchess of Sussex title. The Palace sees it as a face-saving measure, because tearing it away from her could spark a media war.’
For months now, it has been widely reported that Charles, 77, wants to repair his relationship with his son and spend time with his grandchildren. However, we’re told the monarch’s desire to bring Harry back to the UK is tempered by his wish for Harry and Meghan to maintain a happy marriage.
‘Contrary to what a lot of people think, Charles is actually rooting for Harry and Meghan,’ says our insider. ‘He wants Harry to be happy, and he wants to see his grandchildren grow up in a happy home. He feels very protective of them all.’
Having had her first taste of magazine life at just 15 on work experience, Lauren Hill-Roger has now been working in the world of celebs for well over a decade. Now, most of her week is filled with reporting on Hollywood and the Royal Family for heat and Closer. From Megxit to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s scandal, she lives and dreams of the crown jewels and is a mega-fan of K Middy and his royal hotness, Prince William.