THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX
ARE BACK IN THE HEADLINES AFTER THEIR IBIZA BREAK
Fresh from their six-day family holiday in Ibiza, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been hit by a new ‘PR storm’ which is said to have left Prince Harry feeling ‘frustrated’ and ‘upset’. Just after celebrating Meghan’s 38th birthday, the royal couple flew by private jet from Farnborough Airport in Hampshire to the White Isle with their three-month-old son Archie. It was reported that they travelled with their own security personnel and that their jet was hired at a cost of £20,000 from Netjets, known as ‘Uber for billionaires’, although it is not clear who footed the bill.
According to royal commentator Omid Scobie, it would have been the perfect destination for California girl Meghan. ‘She loves the sun and the beach. It’s always been her happy place,’ he says. ‘They really needed this holiday because it has been such a relentlessly tiring and testing couple of months. They never seem to get a week off from some sort of tabloid attack. This would have provided them with a chance to escape and be alone,’ he adds.
Sure enough, their relaxed holiday vibes were compromised last week the moment the family of three arrived back at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
The couple were fiercely criticised for allegedly using a private jet for their trip in the wake of Harry’s recent speech at the climate summit Google Camp in Sicily and his environmental concerns shared in the current issue of Vogue, guest edited by his wife. This followed controversial politician Nigel Farage’s remarks about how Harry’s popularity has ‘fallen off a cliff’ since meeting Meghan.
In addition, Meghan was targeted with bogus claims that she used Keto Weight Loss diet pills to lose weight after Archie’s birth in May. The outrageous online adverts even featured false quotes from the duchess advocating the medication, which prompted a Buckingham
Palace source to rubbish the adverts and hint at legal action.
‘The couple are facing a PR storm which is totally alien to Harry, whose popularity used to soar whenever he made the tabloid front pages before meeting Meghan,’ says former royal editor Duncan Larcombe. He also points out that the negativity is partly xenophobic due to Meghan’s American heritage, and says: ‘Harry will be wondering what on earth they can do to fix things.’
Referring to the diet pill scandal, Duncan adds: ‘The duke takes criticism very personally, especially criticism of Meghan. He will not be happy. This will upset Harry.’ The couple are now back in the UK, focusing on the upcoming launch of their charitable initiatives, Meghan’s High Street clothing range in collaboration with charity Smart Works and their African royal tour in the autumn. But despite their dedication to work – one royal source claimed they would have been ‘checking the occasional work email on holiday’ – it’s hard
to envisage how the latest publicity could have failed to affect them.
‘Meghan wouldn’t have been able to get through any of this if it wasn’t for Harry by her side,’ says Omid. ‘Not just as moral and emotional support, but as someone who really understands it. Their relationship is as strong as ever.’
Also on hand to offer support will be Meghan’s sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge. At the time of going to press, the Cambridges were believed to be heading to Balmoral to stay at Prince Charles’s Birkhall property on Her Majesty’s Highlands estate. And if it was up to Kate, Meghan, Harry and Archie would also be joining them.
‘Kate’s the only person on the planet who has any idea what it’s like marrying a young, popular prince,’ says Duncan. ‘So she’ll be reassuring Meghan that she’s not always going to be hitting the headlines for negative reasons. She’s also really keen that the cousins become close. She wants Archie to see her three children as his big brothers and his big sister.’
In other royal news, Duncan has also rubbished claims that Harry and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, are feuding, sparked by a new Channel 5 documentary called William & Harry: Princes At War. ‘They’re not at war,’ Duncan says. ‘In fact, I’ve been told they’re in touch most days.’