As the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, faces new criticism and the royal family feud rumbles on, a royal expert tells the Mirror the ‘heartbreak in their marriage’ brings the couple closer
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are never too far away from a fresh backlash, controversy or outrage – but sources say the turmoil that shadows them is a glue that binds their marriage together. The latest wave of public criticism hit 44-year-old Meghan last week after she opted not to wear a poppy to two major events on Remembrance Day weekend, including Kris Jenner’s star-studded birthday bash.
Various newspapers quoted a source claiming the poppies were not as “widely available” in the US as they are in the UK and across the Commonwealth, which led to a barrage of comments pointing out that Harry, 41, had one pinned to his tuxedo at the Baby2Baby Gala the pair attended. But according to royal expert Duncan Larcombe, the Sussexes are now so used to handling criticism that it brings them closer as a couple.
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“There have been times in their marriage where it’s been Meghan and Harry against the world,” he tells us. “A clear theme from when they first met in the very beginning, has been how protective Harry is of Meghan. He’s a very loyal husband – much more so than most, because Meghan gets an awful lot of negative publicity, especially online.
“We’ve seen Harry supporting her in court cases, and also speaking out against those people that have wronged Meghan, which in his mind has included the Princess of Wales, Catherine. There’s also been a lot of heartbreak in their marriage but their similar past experiences and traumas are what holds them together and makes them stronger.”
At the party for Kardashian-Jenner matriarch Kris’s 70th, Harry and Meghan rubbed shoulders with the likes of Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos, singers Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
Royal watchers took their attendance as another sign the couple see their life and future firmly rooted in Hollywood and not in the royal family. Since first getting together nearly a decade ago, the pair have been embroiled in bitter family feuds and heartbreaking estrangements.
But Duncan tells us that part of the appeal in moving to the States and away from the royals was in sparing Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, from some of their own painful childhood experiences.
“Neither of them had an ideal upbringing by any stretch of the imagination. Both of their parents’ marriages ended in divorce, and of course Harry’s mum, Princess Diana, died shortly after that. There’s trauma and heartbreak there for both of them, and that has bonded them.
“Harry, by his own admission, is a damaged person and he has had struggles. It’s hardly a surprise given his extraordinary upbringing, and his profile of being the ‘partying Prince’. A lot has happened in Harry’s life that Meghan can feel sorry for, and therefore feel like she wants to protect him and look after him too.”
Meghan is sure to empathise with Harry’s bitter fallout with Prince William and King Charles, who turned 77 this week. There may have been glimmers of hope for reconciliation with his father but as yet, according to Duncan, very little movement with older brother William.
As painful as it is for Harry, Duncan suggests he has had an easier time than Meghan in some ways. He tells us, “Meghan has had her dad and half-sister and brother become outspoken critics of her and publicly denounce her. Harry hasn’t had to deal with that, but that’s only because the royals don’t comment on those things, so they’ve maintained a silence.
“It doesn’t mean there’s any less bitterness between Harry and his family, so he and Meghan have that in common and can see where the other is coming from.”
The couple announced their engagement eight years ago this month. At the time, Harry was a busy working royal with a full life in London. Things today couldn’t look more different, with the pair living in a gated community in Montecito, and Netflix deals and Meghan’s As Ever brand replacing busy royal diaries.
Harry has also “isolated himself from the inner circle of friends he used to rely on” as a result of the move to the US, Duncan claims, which has drawn him even closer to Meghan. “Those friends might not have always been a good influence on him, but they were a big part of his life, especially given he didn’t have a mother,” he says.
Part of the move was a desire to live with less scrutiny, Duncan believes, although this now seems unlikely. Believing this could spell trouble for them in future, he tells us, “One of the biggest difficulties they’ll face as a couple is if they go through a bad patch at any point. They wanted to leave the UK to get away from the microscope, but in many ways they’re more high profile and facing greater examination by the media and the public than they ever were in the UK.”
February 2026 will also mark two years since it was announced that King Charles was being treated for cancer. His ongoing treatment – and the fact he is approaching his eighties – has also raised questions about whether Harry’s hope of still being welcomed back into the UK has an expiry date.
“When William becomes King, there could be a real risk that Harry will be blanked by the royal court and be completely out on his own,” Duncan claims. “In Harry’s mind he’s a victim, but he has a big part to play in that possible scenario.
“With seismic changes in the family coming at some point, William will play a greater and greater role, and where does that leave Harry? He will absolutely need Meghan by his side.”
Source: Mirror
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