Prince Harry conducted a lot of important business in New York this week, highlighting the work of The HALO Trust, Archewell, The Parents Network, Sentebale, African Parks, Travalyst and more. Trying to keep up with his schedule, I understood why he went solo for the New York trip. It was mostly about his side of things, his patronages, his charities, his issue profile. That hasn’t stopped the British media from amplifying their own “theories” about why Harry’s solo trip is indicative of the Sussexes’ “separate lives.” But it’s even more insidious than that, with the Mail’s Richard Eden devoting a new column to how Meghan and Harry see each other as dead weight and that’s why they’re separating their business and charity profiles. I’ll spare you the bulk of Eden’s hysteria, but here are the sections I wanted to discuss:

Different directions: When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California to seek their fortune, their cheerleaders claimed they would be a new power couple…This week, we have seen evidence of how that dream lies in tatters, with Prince Harry and Meghan travelling in different directions when it comes to their careers.

The Oprah interview was the beginning of the end! [In 2021], they sat down for their explosive television interview with their Santa Barbara neighbour Oprah Winfrey. Following Meghan’s claims in the interview that the future Princess of Wales had made her cry, and her allegations of racism among unnamed senior Windsors, the sofa chat caused a devastating rift with the Royal Family. It also alienated millions of people who had previously been sympathetic to Harry and Meghan. The negative reaction to the interview may have been the turning point, when the first seeds of doubt crept in about the wisdom of their ‘power couple’ strategy. They had, however, signed a deal with Netflix for a rumoured $100million, so still went ahead with their tawdry ‘docuseries’ or reality show, Harry & Meghan, which was broadcast the following year.

Spotify & Spare: Meghan’s solo [podcast] series set the pattern for their future careers. She left Harry to promote his memoirs alone, as the book further antagonised the royals and their admirers around the world. Their forthcoming projects for Netflix are separate: Meghan has filmed a cookery and lifestyle show, expected to be broadcast next year, while Harry’s made a programme about polo, his favourite sport.

Harry’s solo trip: This week, Harry has been in New York on his own, carrying out charitable engagements connected to his late mother, Princess Diana, that would once have held much appeal for Meghan. What’s been most noticeable is that the duke has appeared far more relaxed than on his previous appearance in the city with his wife. That visit turned into a fiasco, with claims of a ‘high-speed car chase’ with paparazzi that were denied by the police. Harry’s smiles have also been in contrast to the frowns he often seemed to be wearing when he visited Colombia with Meghan last month.

More solo ventures in the future: A source in California claims that Meghan has decided that their interests are best served by pursuing separate careers. ‘They will still carry out some charitable engagements together and embark on foreign visits, but their work projects will be separate,’ the source tells me. Perhaps Meghan has decided that she is the bigger attraction when it comes to showbusiness. That would leave Harry free to continue trying to mend fences with his family on visits back home that are likely to become more frequent and longer.

[From The Daily Mail]

Eden’s practically in tears as he fantasizes about Harry spending more time “back home.” The thing is, there’s a small morsel of truth to the idea that Harry and Meghan are going to do more separate projects in the future. I absolutely believe that they are, and I also believe that Harry and Meghan completely support each other as they work on those separate projects. They do not have to be joined at the hip 24-7 to have a happy marriage or a thriving business and charity. Harry was clearly in NYC on behalf of some of their joint interests (Archewell, The Parents Network). Meghan is a co-producer (through Archewell) on Harry’s polo series. Their Colombian tour went brilliantly, which is why Eden is still trying to say that Harry looked grumpy (he did not). Also note that these people never want to admit that Spare was one of the biggest publishing successes of the year, and Harry made eight-figures from it. They’re still so mad that Meghan didn’t give interviews to support Harry’s memoir, jeez.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.