After a tumultuous 2024 – which saw the tide of popularity both in the UK and Stateside turn against them amidst their ongoing bitter rift with the Royal Family – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had high hopes for 2025.
With Meghan having landed her very own ‘dream’ cooking show and having been baking up big plans to rebrand her lifestyle endeavour, the Sussexes had also purchased an exclusive $4.7 million luxury ‘holiday home’ in Portugal; sparking reports that their new base may give ‘homesick’ Harry a chance to be closer to his family.
But after stepping down as senior royals in 2020 to live in the lap of luxury in Montecito, Hollywood has turned out to be a fickle mistress and, in a town where money talks, Meghan and Harry’s golden crown has been slowly slipping for a while now.
And following a series of personal and professional blows, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44 – who were branded ‘tacky’ last week when they attended Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday bash – have instead spent a year from hell grappling to hold on to their income, their royal status, their Hollywood pals, fans, and even their staff.
In the last five years, the Sussexes have lost ten members of staff, most recently, Emily Robinson who left her role after just a few months. A spokesperson for the couple said of her departure, ‘Ms Robinson oversaw project-based work for a very successful season of With Love, Meghan and additional support for the production company. She did an excellent job and completed these projects with great success.’
Now, a source tells heat that as they fear what could lay ahead in 2026, the Sussexes have been left ‘humbled’ and ‘emotionally frayed’.
We’re told, ‘They had such big plans for 2025 and really believed it would be their breakthrough period, but instead it turned into the year from hell.
‘They’ve got very few genuine friends to lean on, staff who continue to walk out in droves and their payday possibilities are thin and humbling to say the least.
‘It really has been a year from hell in so many respects, which has left them emotionally frayed and wondering if they’re ever going to catch a break.’
Alongside Harry’s unexpected reunion with his father King Charles over afternoon tea at Clarence House in September, perhaps the biggest hint at crises in camp Sussex came when it was revealed last week that Meghan had made a U-turn on her acting career, after previously making it clear that she had no plans to return after leaving legal sitcom Suits in 2017.
Last week, she appeared on the set of Amazon MGM comedy Close Personal Friends. The plot follows two couples – one civilian, one celebrity – who meet in Santa Barbara, California, which is very close to Meghan and Harry’s Montecito home. Meghan is reported to play herself in a small role alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
And while Meghan has always spoken fondly about her love for her former profession, the insider says this new role has very much been a ‘lifeline’ that she hopes will both earn an income and boost her credibility in Tinsel Town.
They tell us, ‘Meghan’s having to start again from the ground up as it seems like more of a cameo than a big time role. Those money-spinning, $15 million gigs are hard to come by these days if you’re George Clooney or Angelina Jolie, never mind a former Suits actress. But make no mistake, this pivot back to acting is her grabbing for a lifeline.’
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Meghan’s surprise decision also comes just two months after it was revealed that while she and Harry have been able to cling onto a contract with Netflix, their new ‘First Look’ deal will mean that the pair will have to grind to produce content to hit the top spots in the charts.
In February 2024, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix revealed the couple ‘actually have like a bunch of development’ including ‘a movie’ [an adaptation of the Carly Fortune novel, ‘Meet Me at the Lake’] and ‘a couple of unscripted shows’.
But almost two years later and with nothing yet having come to fruition, eyebrows have been raised over how many of the Sussexes projects have actually managed to get the green light.
Now, we’re told, ‘All the money they were counting on has practically dried up, but their expenses are still massive. And it’s not like people are banging on the door offering them deals. The shows they’ve produced haven’t been huge successes and Hollywood is a town that goes by the numbers.
‘It doesn’t help that they’ve gotten a reputation for being difficult to work with. All this turnover of staff has become a running punch line. They’ve gone through so many people and a lot of them are very well connected so of course details have gotten out, people talk.’
Alongside running for the Hollywood rat race, Meghan’s more wholesome cooking show, With love, Meghan, and her brand, As Ever, have also taken major blows.
With As Ever having reportedly faced several hurdles, including trademark and supplier issues, the second season of With Love, while having been commissioned for a festive special, has failed to make the streaming giant’s top 10 with viewing figures dwindling.
And the source says that resilient Meghan has found her public fall from grace ‘humiliating’.
They tell us, ‘Meghan was telling everyone that her brand was going to be the next Martha Stewart but it’s just been one roadblock after another for the brand.
‘She’s had to change so many things, even the name, which has been so humiliating, but she’s had no choice but to keep going, she simply can’t afford to quit. Not after losing the Spotify deal [in 2022] and then having their Netflix deal change so drastically.’
To make matters a whole lot worse, these past few months have seen Prince William make an unprecedented stand against any family member who he perceives to have ‘wronged’ the monarchy or brought them into disrepute in any way.
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And following the stripping of the ‘Prince’ and ‘HRH’ titles from Andrew Mountbatten Windsor last fortnight – widely reported to have been the result of William’s talks with King Charles – several reports have suggested that the Prince of Wales is unlikely to stand by and watch on as Harry and Meghan continue to monetise their royal status and personal family drama.
Now we’re told the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – a title Meghan uses both publicly and for her businesses – know they could be forced to take drastic action, and fast.
‘Right now they’re regrouping and planning to go again, but it all feels quite desperate and depressing, especially as they’re clashing and bickering a lot more these days,’ the insider says.
‘And with Prince William still baying for their blood, Meghan’s been trying to just power through it by attending every Hollywood event she can and working all her contacts, but it’s starting to look desperate, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.’
Meanwhile, our source recently told us how Harry, who looked extremely out of place with reality TV’s elite at Kris’ birthday extravaganza, felt ‘awkward’ and is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the shallowness of Hollywood.
Now, we’re told that he has been left ‘second guessing’ his life decisions and is feeling regretful over the distance between him and his family.
‘Harry has been coping with a lot of emotional turmoil this year. Having his father and Kate [who is now in remission] both sick with cancer and being so shut out from being able to help has put him in a world of pain,’ the insider says.
‘He’s exhausted and second guessing a lot of their choices, which hasn’t exactly done wonders for his marriage. Really, it’s no surprise they’re questioning if they’ll ever get things back on track after what’s been one of the hardest years of their lives.’
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