It’s been a major year for Meghan and Prince Harry, with the pair forging separate professional paths – but internal family dysfunction continues to plague the couple
The Sussexes have faced many hurdles this year(Image: BACKGRID)
The last year has been something of a turning point for Meghan and Harry. After years of their public brands being totally intertwined, the couple has started going their own way more and more when it comes to their professional lives. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have undoubtedly enjoyed some major wins this year, but their private lives have still been mired by some serious turbulence.
Rumours of discontent between the pair have also continued to plague the couple – despite the fact that both Prince Harry and Meghan shoot down the idea of any unhappiness in their marriage time and time again. From whispers earlier in the year that Meghan was primed to pen a tell-all “divorce memoir”, to the recent controversy surrounding her father, Thomas Markle Senior, 81, as he went through a health crisis and reportedly had his leg amputated during emergency surgery, it certainly hasn’t all been plain sailing.
While Harry might have finally enjoyed a long-awaited reunion with his father, King Charles, during a visit back to the UK in the autumn, he’s also been dealt some major blows, including losing his legal challenge against the Home Office to get his automatic police security reinstated.
READ MORE: Andrew suffers final humiliation as last title stripped after King Charles requestREAD MORE: Prince William issues stark warning about pressing fear in candid chat with Jill Scott
Meghan and Thomas Markle have not spoken since 2018’Divorce memoir’ mystery
An article published in January last year by Vanity Fair saw a series of bizarre claims made about the possibility of Meghan writing a “tell-all” memoir if she were ever to divorce Harry. Confusingly, the article also claimed that the couple were definitely not headed toward a split, but in fact totally loved up still – creating a whirlwind of contradictory rumours that the couple were said to find “distressing”.
The article claimed that someone on Meghan’s team tried to “gauge interest” on the possibility of a post-divorce memoir, something that the couple has denied. “This book—this notion of a book, really—might center on a post-Harry divorce. Not that there was actually one in the works! Just…if this a priori divorce ever came to be, would this publisher theoretically be interested in a book that took place in its aftermath?”
A source later reacted to the claim to Page Six, saying that they didn’t view it as likely, stating: “Meghan and Harry know that they are tied together, their value is in being a couple — even if they wanted to split, they couldn’t. And honestly, they are obsessed with each other.”
Meghan and Harry are reported to still be “loved up”(Image: Getty Images)
Another source speaking to the Daily Beast dismissed the whole thing as having no “evidence” behind it whatsoever. “The Vanity Fair divorce story seemed very unfair. There was a book, but there wasn’t a book, she was planning for life after divorce, but they are totally in love. What? There was not a shred of evidence.” The source cotinued, “Things aren’t easy for them right now. Vanity Fair have succeeded in making a bad time worse.”
‘Bullying’ allegations continue to emerge
More allegations that the Duchess of Sussex is not always the easiest boss around were also reported in the Vanity Fair article. Meghan has always strenuously denied that she has bullied any employees, claims that have plagued her since 2018, and some former staffers went on the record last year with US Weekly, gushing about how much they enjoyed working for Meghan and Harry, and how the couple often went above and beyond to help them out.
However, Vanity Fair reported that some of those who worked with Meghan on her first podcast offering, Archetypes, struggled with her management style, alleging that some had taken “extended breaks from work to escape scrutiny, exiting their job, or undergoing long-term therapy after working with Meghan”.
Bullying allegations have plagued Meghan for years(Image: Getty Images)Harry’s security saga
Harry lost his long-term legal battle with the Home Office earlier in the year, which had seen him repeatedly try and get his police security reinstated. As it stands, Harry has a “bespoke” arrangement, where the government decides on a case-by-case basis if they will provide taxpayer-funded security, and he has to give 30 days notice if he wants to come to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex has said that without police security, he does not feel that it’s safe to bring his children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, to the UK. Currently, he must rely on a private security team he employs, who are not allowed to be armed in the UK, and his legal team argued that they do not have the proper access to intelligence to protect him against threats.
After losing the legal challenge, Harry took part in a revealing interview with the BBC, during which he admitted that his father, the King, had not been speaking to him whilst he undertook the legal challenge against the government, and that it had become a major point of contention, even claiming it was an “establishment stitch up,” which undoubtedly didn’t help repair relationships.
Prince Harry is having his UK security entitlements reviewed(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
However, after writing to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to request a risk assessment, his security arrangements are now under official review.
Peace talks
Months after admitting the tension over the legal challenge, Charles and Harry started taking steps towards reconciliation. The father and son met for tea at Clarence House when Harry was in the UK visiting some of the charities he works with. However, things are still reported to be pretty frosty with his elder brother, Prince William.
The two siblings did not meet when Harry was visiting his home country, but in a recent open letter that Harry penned for Remembrance, one expert believed there were some subtle signs that he is missing his older brother, too.
Harry wrote that “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands – ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.”
Harry and Charles had a tenative reunion(Image: BACKGRID)
Communications expert Judi James said, “Harry was a man who grew up and cut his teeth on banter, especially with his brother William. Interviews back in the day show their banter together was relentless and there is a suggestion that in promoting the word so strongly and emphatically here Harry is implying (perhaps subconsciously) how much he misses his older brother”.
New royal war?
Harry raised eyebrows when he announced his own mini tour of Canada for Remembrance Day as brother William touched down for his own tour in Brazil – something that is forbidden in royal circles.
One topic on the agenda at the summer peace talks is said to have been diary clashes and how to best avoid them. And so Harry’s subsequent move was seen by many as a direct attempt to wage a fresh war with his brother.
And one royal expert was sceptical about whether or not reconciling was really front and centre for the Duke of Sussex. “None of this sounds like a man who is eager to reconcile or work collaboratively with his family. It feels irresponsible,” said Kinsey Schofield.
“Ultimately, I think Harry wants more visibility in the UK because it allows him to look like a royal on the global stage. I also think there is real resentment over not being treated the same as his brother. But Prince William has devoted his life to the crown. Harry walked away from that responsibility.
William and Harry undertook major overseas engagements simultaneously(Image: Getty Images)
The podcast host also said, “His goal is to project that brand and monetise it through books, television, or paid appearances. For years, he has leaned heavily into a victimhood narrative that audiences have largely rejected, and he seems eager to turn that around.
“He is desperate to be seen as the happy-go-lucky prince people once adored, but I think too much damage has been done for that image to fully return. With the Sussexes, actions speak louder than words, and Harry’s recent behaviour does not support the idea that he genuinely wants to return to the fold.”
Controversial Trump roast
There were renewed call for Harry to be stripped of his titles after he roasted President Donald Trump on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. Harry said that the US had “elected a king”, referencing the “No Kings” left-wing protests, which saw millions march across the country last October, opposing Trump and his administration.
The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, in which he featured in a comedy skit portraying himself as he tries out to become a Hallmark film ” Christmas prince”. Colbert questioned why an actual prince would wish to star in such productions, leading Harry to respond: “You Americans are obsessed with Christmas movies, and you’re clearly obsessed with royalty, so why not?”
When Colbert challenged the notion of an American “obsession,” Harry wisecracked: “Really? I hear you elected a king,” in what appeared to be a nod to the “No Kings” demonstrations aimed at the Trump administration.
Alluding to CBS’ recent settlement with Mr Trump, the duke jested that he would “do anything” to land the role, stating: “I’ll record a self-tape, I’ll fly myself to an audition, settle a baseless lawsuit with the White House – all the things you people in TV do.”
Harry’s comments about Trump came just months after the US leader and First Lady travelled to the UK for a whirlwind state visit, in which both Trump and King Charles spoke fondly about each other and the relationship between the two nations.
Tom Sykes, editor of the Royalist newsletter on Substack, wrote: “I think the Royal Family has no real choice. Harry believes he’s free to speak his mind now that he’s no longer a working royal.
“I think if he were truly living as Harry Wales, a private citizen, that argument would hold water. But he isn’t Harry Wales. He’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. And in the American imagination, he still carries the full aura of a prince — a representative of the monarchy.
“A global audience does not grasp that Harry isn’t still a part of the Windsor family business. Charles and William may be hundreds of miles away in Balmoral or Windsor, but in the American mind they are standing just offstage as Harry delivers his punchlines.”
Commercial struggles
The Duchess of Sussex kicked off 2025 by re-joining social media and launching her new brand ‘As Ever’, starting as she meant to go on, with a solo chapter. She also released a show for Netflix – With Love, Meghan – that, for her die-hard fans, was a welcome return to her lifestyle roots. The other reviews, however, were mixed, and it was later announced that the couple’s Netflix mega-bucks deal had not been renewed. Instead, they signed a new, more flexible deal which gave the company a ‘first look’ option on any of the couple’s ideas, with the Sussexes then able to take these elsewhere if the streaming giant passed on them. This was, by many critics and commentators, seen as something of a “downgrade” by one PR expert, after some of the lacklustre offerings from Harry and Meghan had struggled to appeal to a wide audience or receive rave reviews across the board.
During a sit-down with Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2025, Meghan compared herself so the former US First Family, the Obamas, explaining: “My husband and I were in an overall deal with Netflix, and then not just similar to Higher Ground in the Obamas’ deal, once that had come to its term, the extension of it, which was such an incredible sign of the strength of our partnership, was now being in a first-look deal.
“Which is also exciting, because it gives us flexibility to go to our partners first, and then at the same time, to be able to shop content that might not be the right fit for Netflix, but has a home somewhere else.”
Season two of the show earned just one star on review website Rotten Tomatoes, and Meghan also released a widely-panned podcast – Confessions of a Female Founder.
Charitable rebrand
Meghan and Harry announced on 19 December that they would be rebranding their charitable arm, with the Archewell Foundation being renamed as Archewell Philanthropies. Mayah Riaz, PR to the stars, tells the Mirror about the change, “From a branding perspective, this is a smart and I’d say quite deliberate evolution rather than a reinvention. Moving from ‘Foundation’ to ‘Philanthropies’ signals scale, maturity and longevity. In branding terms, it’s a way of future proofing the name as their work expands beyond individual projects.
She added: “I also think there is a reputational message here. ‘Philanthropies’ feels more global, more institutional and less personal. That can be helpful for Harry and Meghan at this stage, as it shifts the focus away from them as personalities and more towards impact, outcomes and credibility.
Royal expert Afua Acheampong-Hagan echoed these sentiments, explaining: “It’s the evolution of their business isn’t it, it enables them to do more things, to broaden their horizons, they’re probably not going to be as limited.” However, the commentator added it did imply a more US focus going forward, “Philanthropy is a very sort of American word and I think it reinforces that they are doing this completely outside the Royal Family, which of course, they have been doing for five years.”
Not all the experts agreed it was a good move though, with Jennie Bond, formerly a royal correspondent for the BBC, saying, “Personally, I don’t think it’s a very good idea to change the name of a charity after just five years. It takes a long time for a charity to get embedded in people’s minds. The Archewell Foundation has become quite well known and, to my mind, sounds distinguished.”