Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Prince Harry were separated by hundreds of kilometres when a series of unfortunate events unfolded this week.
First, Harry learned he had lost his High Court phone hacking case against the publisher of the Daily Mail just moments before he was set to give a speech at an Invictus Games event in London.
Hours later, another crisis struck as Mail journalist Charlotte Griffiths went public with claims about Harry’s “bawdiness” during a shooting weekend with friends in December 2011.
Among the claims made by the Duke of Sussex’s former friend were that he was a “practical joker” who placed a “white pill” upon her tongue – which she said “was almost certainly paracetamol”.
She also claimed Harry accidentally shot a white pheasant dead and kissed a girl who’d arrived “on the arm of one of his friends” during the festivities – something that was later “laughed off” by those in attendance.
Now, sources tell Woman’s Day about the fallout the development has had within the Duke of Sussex’s marriage – as his wife remained holed up in Europe with the couple’s kids Archie and Lilibet due to security fears.
“Obviously Meghan is well aware of this article. Apparently she’s read it all the way through and as anyone might imagine she finds it cringeworthy as hell and incredibly unfortunate,” one insider tells Woman’s Day. “But at the same time it’s also quite eye-opening. Of course she’s heard so many stories about what Harry was like back in his party heyday. But [this] is on another level compared to what she was privy to before.”
Meghan is said to have read the Daily Mail article all the way through. (Credit: Getty)
While Harry is said to dispute most of the claims in question, Griffith’s version of events undoubtedly paints a vivid picture of what the Prince may have been like back then.
“He may have been a happy-go-lucky party animal who was popular amongst the in-crowd at the time. But there was also this sense of clownishness that came through in the piece,” the source explains. “Like he was doing some seriously stupid stuff to play up to this party prince aura.”
The source claims Meghan was “horrified” by Griffith’s depiction of Harry as a “practical joker” who placed a “pill” on her tongue, and it’s claimed she found the story of him apparently accidentally killing a pheasant “mortifying”.
But that’s not all that’s on the Duchess of Sussex’s mind.
“Meghan does worry about Harry’s overall mood these days, it’s hard to argue with people who say he’s gotten way more grumpy and less fun to be around,” the insider says.
“She gets that he has the weight of the world on his shoulders but at the same time the overall atmosphere and energy between them isn’t fun.
“He’s [been] filled with anxiety over the legal issues and everything that’s going on with his family.”
Prince Harry is said to have been a practical joker back in 2011. (Credit: Getty)
Added to Harry’s woes are claims he has “struggled to fit into” Meghan’s glamorous Hollywood world.
“It’s such a world away from the Harry she fell in love with, he was always smiling and being that cheeky, dashing Prince who quite literally swept her off her feet,” the insider continues. “Of course she’s not wishing him to go back to party animal status by any means, but he would dearly love it if he could lighten up.”
The distance between the couple has only added to the toll recent events have taken.
“For Meghan to be digesting all this whilst they’re so far apart only adds to the stress and indignity of it all,” the insider adds.
“On one hand she wants to be supportive but at the same time she’s taking care of the kids, running her own business and in a world of panic over their money crisis that was already a big issue before his court defeat.
“Just like Harry, she’s worried sick about how this will affect their brand as well as their reputation as a whole.”
The article about Prince Harry dropped as Meghan holidayed with the kids in Europe. (Credit: Instaram/meghan)
Harry, however, is said to be in no mood to be admonished.
“From his perspective, he’s up to his neck in crisis and being humiliated in front of the entire world while Meghan is lucky to be staying out of sight,” the source goes on.
“Having to the face the cameras is his worst possible nightmare right now, so the last thing he needs is Meghan panicking.”
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