They’ve faced a ‘heartbreak’
18:59, 15 Nov 2025Updated 19:00, 15 Nov 2025
Meghan and their children remain Harry’s priority, according to Tom Bower(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are rarely far from fresh controversy or public criticism – but insiders suggest the constant scrutiny actually strengthens their marriage.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, faced the latest backlash last week after choosing not to wear a poppy at two significant events during Remembrance Day weekend, including Kris Jenner’s star-studded birthday celebration.
Several newspapers cited a source suggesting that poppies were not as “widely available” in the US as they are in the UK and across the Commonwealth, which prompted numerous comments highlighting that Harry, 41, had one attached to his dinner jacket at the Baby2Baby Gala they both attended. However, according to Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe, the Sussexes have become so accustomed to managing criticism that it draws them closer together as a couple.
“There have been times in their marriage where it’s been Meghan and Harry against the world,” he tells us. “A clear theme from when they first met in the very beginning, has been how protective Harry is of Meghan. He’s a very loyal husband – much more so than most, because Meghan gets an awful lot of negative publicity, especially online.
“We’ve seen Harry supporting her in court cases, and also speaking out against those people that have wronged Meghan, which in his mind has included the Princess of Wales, Catherine. There’s also been a lot of heartbreak in their marriage but their similar past experiences and traumas are what holds them together and makes them stronger.”
At Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday bash, Harry and Meghan mingled with high-profile guests including Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos, singers Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, reports the Mirror.
Their attendance was interpreted by Royal observers as further evidence that the couple envisage their future firmly in Hollywood, rather than within the Royal family. Since they first got together nearly 10 years ago, the pair have been caught up in bitter family disputes and painful estrangements.
However, Duncan suggests that part of the appeal of relocating to America and distancing themselves from the royals was to shield their children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, from some of their own distressing childhood experiences.
“Neither of them had an ideal upbringing by any stretch of the imagination. Both of their parents’ marriages ended in divorce, and of course Harry’s mum, Princess Diana, died shortly after that. There’s trauma and heartbreak there for both of them, and that has bonded them.
Harry and Meghan with children Archie and Lilibet at Disneyland
“Harry, by his own admission, is a damaged person and he has had struggles. It’s hardly a surprise given his extraordinary upbringing, and his profile of being the ‘partying Prince’. A lot has happened in Harry’s life that Meghan can feel sorry for, and therefore feel like she wants to protect him and look after him too.”
Meghan is likely to understand Harry’s painful rift with Prince William and King Charles, who celebrated his 77th birthday this week. While there may have been slight signs of potential reconciliation with his father, Duncan believes there has been very little progress with his older brother William.
As difficult as the situation is for Harry, Duncan believes he has experienced an easier time than Meghan in certain respects. He says: “Meghan has had her dad and half-sister and brother become outspoken critics of her and publicly denounce her. Harry hasn’t had to deal with that, but that’s only because the royals don’t comment on those things, so they’ve maintained a silence.
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“It doesn’t mean there’s any less bitterness between Harry and his family, so he and Meghan have that in common and can see where the other is coming from.”
The couple revealed their engagement eight years ago this month. At that point, Harry was an active working Royal with a busy life in London.
Today, the situation looks vastly different, with the pair residing in a gated community in Montecito, and Netflix contracts and Meghan’s As Ever brand taking the place of packed Royal schedules. Harry has also “isolated himself from the inner circle of friends he used to rely on” as a result of the move to the US, Duncan claims, which has drawn him even closer to Meghan.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle(Image: Netflix)
“Those friends might not have always been a good influence on him, but they were a big part of his life, especially given he didn’t have a mother,” he says.
Duncan believes part of the relocation was driven by a desire for less scrutiny, though this now appears unlikely. Warning this could create future difficulties, he tells us, “One of the biggest difficulties they’ll face as a couple is if they go through a bad patch at any point. They wanted to leave the UK to get away from the microscope, but in many ways they’re more high profile and facing greater examination by the media and the public than they ever were in the UK.”
February 2026 will also mark two years since King Charles’s cancer diagnosis was made public. His continued treatment – combined with the fact he is nearing his 80s – has raised questions about whether Harry’s hopes of reconciliation with the Royal Family have a time limit.
“When William becomes King, there could be a real risk that Harry will be blanked by the royal court and be completely out on his own,” Duncan claims. “In Harry’s mind he’s a victim, but he has a big part to play in that possible scenario.
“With seismic changes in the family coming at some point, William will play a greater and greater role, and where does that leave Harry? He will absolutely need Meghan by his side.”
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