One of the more insidious fairytale ideas we absorb growing up is the notion of “happily ever after.” When these stories come to a close, we aren’t meant to think too much about what the charming prince and his new bride will do next. They simply got married, which is meant to be enough to keep them happy for the rest of their lives.
Real life usually doesn’t work that way, which Meghan Markle is discovering more by the day. Her own fairytale wedding to Prince Harry was marred by drama well before the nuptials, and the two are now living in a kind of self-imposed American exile. This has caused some serious strain on their relationship and even sparked rumors the two would split up. And now, the chances of these two getting divorced seem higher than ever before. Keep reading to discover all the juicy details of why that is!
Early rumors of a marriage in turmoil
For a very long time, Harry and Meghan looked like a very strong couple. They stood together against the rest of the Royal Family, and after “Megxit,” they seemed like they were ready to take on the whole world together. Not that long ago, though, it looked like Harry had gotten his fill of Meghan Markle.
Shortly after his tell-all memoir Spare was released, The Sun reported that Harry actually has his own room at a hotel close to the home he shares with Meghan. Allegedly, this is a place Harry can retreat to whenever he feels he needs time away from his family. Of course, husbands leaving their families to go stay in a hotel room is usually a sign that the relationship is in trouble, so this report led to early rumors that he and Meghan’s relationship may be falling apart.
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Harry and Meghan’s collapsing media empire made things worse
Some insiders more recently claimed that Harry and Meghan’s relationship is in worse shape than most people realize. For example, an insider confided to RadarOnline that the two are “taking time apart” and that there is additional friction between them because Meghan wants to return to her life as a Hollywood star and “Harry doesn’t fit in Meghan’s tacky Tinseltown world.”
One potential bit of evidence that Meghan wants to be a major Hollywood mover and shaker again comes courtesy of the Independent, which reports that Meghan had sent a personal letter to Taylor Swift inviting her on Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes. Swift refused, which may be evidence that Meghan doesn’t have the star wattage she once did.
That kind of royal revelation likely hurt her marriage to Harry, but the real blow came when Spotify canceled their $20 million deal altogether after only receiving 12 tepid podcast episodes in three years. While the financial strain is likely keen right now (more on this in a moment), it didn’t help that Spotify producer Bill Simmons openly called the royal duo “f****ing grifters.”
The pressures of wealth may be causing friction
The shame of losing such a sweetheart media deal and then being labeled as grifters is bad enough. However, this may be causing additional strain on Harry and Meghan’s marriage because they could be facing something that Harry has never dealt with in his entire life: financial worries.
One of the biggest bombshells Harry dropped in his and Meghan’s Oprah interview is that King Charles cut him off, reasoning that if Harry was stepping down from the vast majority of royal responsibilities, he shouldn’t receive money from the royal coffers. This is one of the reasons that Harry and Meghan sought out these media deals with Spotify and Netflix: those deals effectively served as cash injections that helped the duo live as lavishly in America as they once did in England.
According to GB News, one source closer to the couple claims they are “facing living hell” due to the costs of their lifestyle which includes “their $14million… mansion and huge security costs.” Losing a $20 million deal with Spotify may have put the duo in a perilous financial position and caused further strain on their marriage.
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Feelings of isolation and exile for Prince Harry
Not all sources close to Meghan and Harry think they are splitting up. However, even some of those fighting back against the narrative agree that their relationship is strained. For example, royal expert Katie Nicholl told Page Six that even though the couple has “a sort of spark between them that always struck me as being very authentic,” they are facing a “strain” due to the “fallout” in England from the release of Prince Harry’s memoir.
Of Harry, she said that “Britain really turned against him, his home country” and that “he’s really not welcomed here” because his book “left a bad taste in people’s mouths.” And now that the prince is further alienated…from his friends and his family,” his own “happily ever after” with Meghan is looking more tarnished than ever before.