While the parents still have some things to iron out, it seems that the royal cousins - including Princess Lilibet, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - have plenty in common.

During their first joint outing since returning to the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham, where they spoke with young children who benefit from the facilities.

While speaking there, Meghan revealed that Lilibet 'loves' gymnastics - something that Princess Charlotte is known to love and has even influenced her younger brother, Prince Louis, to get in on the action too.

Visiting the studio, Meghan took part in a confidence-building workshop with the children. She reportedly asked them when they feel most themselves. When someone answered that it was during their favourite hobby, doing gymnastics, Meghan replied, 'My daughter’s doing gymnastics right now. She loves it.'

Earlier this year, Prince William, Kate and all three of their children enjoyed a family outing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It was there that William revealed Princess Charlotte 'loves gymnastics and ballet', before the Welsh gymnasts presented her with her very own signed Team Wales leotard.

At this family day out, Kate also shared that Louis has been following his sisters’ footsteps, saying 'Louis, you’re perfecting your handstand at the moment'.

Louis kept it real with his reply, letting it known that his big sister wasn’t full of praise for his efforts. He replied, 'But Charlotte says I’m not very good.'

Fortunately, the youngster still has time to perfect his gymnastics, and it seems that Charlotte has maintained her love for the sport for years. At the Commonwealth Games four years earlier, in 2022, Kate first talked about Charlotte picking up the skill.

At the time, Kate joked 'Charlotte spends most of her time upside-down, doing handstands and cartwheels'.

While Lilibet’s shared love of gymnastics was revealed by Meghan, Harry let slip something Prince Archie isn’t a fan of - and his adorable (and relatable) request.

Harry also spoke with some students and shared that Archie doesn’t like maths - going as far as requesting his parents find him a school in the UK that doesn’t have any maths whatsoever.

Harry reportedly quipped, 'Most people don’t like math… My son turned around to me and said, ‘Can I go to a school that doesn’t do math?’ I said, ‘That doesn’t exist!’

Alas, not even princes can avoid the school curriculum.

The Duchess of Sussex is getting into the festive spirit early this year with her latest launch, As Ever's first ever Holiday Advent Calendar, but it's got me thinking of something other than Christmas. It made me wonder if the Sussexes' UK move wasn't actually being planned for that long before the world heard about it.

The new calendar is created in collaboration with LA chocolatier Compartes and is the shape of Harry and Meghan's Montecito home, complete with illustrations of their chickens. The goodies inside are inspired by the house and garden too.

Everything about the launch screams California and yet I can only imagine the interest if she'd leaned into a "UK Christmas" idea and worked with a British brand on British flavours. It would've tied in with her and Harry's move and the clips we've already seen of them embracing their new countryside life.

Depending on whether the Duke and Duchess fly back to spend Christmas with her mother Doria in the US, this year could be their first festive season in the UK since 2019. An advent calendar focused on her new stage of life and new home would've stood out amongst her best-selling California-inspired products.

Clearly, this calendar was in the works for a long time and maybe Meghan just wanted to stay on-brand with the Montecito theme. However, it's also potentially possible that she started planning this long before they ever considered moving back to the UK and that this decision was actually more recent than we thought.

There are other hints too, including that the family visited King Charles and Queen Camilla in July and apparently didn't mention it. When the news broke in August, it was reported that the King was told about the move only a few days earlier.

Then there's the matter of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's British school. The children were initially enrolled at one school before being pulled out a few days in and started at another. It's understood that the family's private security team had concerns about how the distance and heavy traffic on the original school run route could affect keeping them secure.

The security team had apparently practiced the route in the summer holidays but ITV's Royal Editor Chris Ship claimed in September, "The decision to relocate was taken so quickly last month, no one had experienced the real-life school run."

Unless the Duke and Duchess publicly reveal when they started preparing for the move we'll never know for sure but these factors could all suggest it was the work of a few months rather than, say, half a year or more.

They've still got their Montecito home too and perhaps the advent calendar is also a sign that Meghan's heart is in California. A source close to the Sussexes previously claimed to the Sunday Times that they believed the return will be an "extended period of time" rather than forever.

However, Prince Harry recently said, "It's been great. It's been great to be back on British soil. The kids are happy in school and it gives me a chance to be able to really focus on the [2027] Invictus Games."

Perhaps if Meghan releases another As Ever advent calendar next year it will be a British home themed one to go alongside her 2026 one.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a collision course with the Palace after telling friends they have no intention of being 'private citizens'.

While, so far, neither Prince Harry nor Meghan Markle has done anything on a large scale (beyond Meghan's Instagram video showing the couple and their children enjoying life in the British countryside), there is growing concern that plans are underway.

There has been a lot of speculation about an Oprah-style interview in the UK, but I think it is unlikely and, instead, the Firm is more nervous about what Harry and Meghan could do to overshadow the working royals' important campaigns.

Even stepping out on the same day as, say, Kate and William at a separate event will cause a headache for those behind the scenes at the Palace, with (no doubt uncomfortable) stories suggesting they are competing for attention.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they might decide to do a chat with their journalist friend Tom Bradby, where even five minutes on the sidelines of an event would make waves around the world.

There is also speculation that Harry could release a second autobiography, as he has previously said that his first book, Spare, was double the size initially, or that he and Meghan could even consider doing an interview with a glossy magazine.

Then there are concerns about what the King might have to do around Christmas - invite them with the rest of the family and potentially cause difficulty for William and Kate, or avoid an invitation and inevitably get a backlash from their supporters.

Either way, the Palace is in turmoil over what to do next, as the royals essentially sit and wait for the Sussexes' next move.

Since returning to the UK last month, Harry has already taken part in a public engagement in London and announced a number of other events on both sides of the Atlantic.

In one, he will appear alongside Bill and Hillary Clinton at their annual Global Initiative meeting in New York. Other commitments include the WellChild Awards - Harry is a long-time patron - and the Invictus Spirit Awards. This, perhaps, is what symbolises the Palace's worst fears.

This latest turn of events erupted after the King's unprecedented letter, which spelt out that his second son and his daughter-in-law cannot be 'half in, half out' members of the Royal Family.

The letter - which, according to reports, blindsided the Sussexes - was a deliberate move by Charles to remind all concerned that the terms of the so-called 'Sandringham Summit' of 2020 remain in place. That was when the late Queen made it clear that Harry had to choose between being a full-time working royal and being a private citizen.

But in the years since Her Majesty's decree, the Sussexes have flouted the agreement, while living in California, by positioning themselves as public figures. This has meant official visits in support of hand-picked causes, as well as high-profile overseas tours that appeared remarkably similar to the kind of work they were supposed to have turned their back on.

The Sussexes will still not be able to use the titles of His and Her Royal Highness, and they remain private citizens, says the letter sent on behalf of the King by the Lord Chamberlain, a top Palace official.

Harry's own spokesperson responded to the letter by claiming he and Meghan were not consulted in advance, and it's believed they only had an hour's notice before the letter was widely circulated. The spokesperson added that the couple 'were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance'.

One source close to them went further, telling me that the Sussexes have 'no intention' of fading into obscurity now they are back in Britain. A warning to the Firm that more brickbats may well be thrown.

The insider said, 'It is their [Harry and Meghan's] belief that they have a great deal to offer charities and good causes that could benefit from their support. If the King thought that issuing the letter would simply make them fade away, he will be deeply disappointed.

There is no way, for example, that Harry will turn his back on the WellChild charity or walk away from his Invictus Games initiative. It is no exaggeration that this is likely to put them on a collision course with the Palace'.

There is no doubt that Harry and Meghan are in demand from organisations that would welcome their support and the attention it would generate. From Harry's point of view, he has an obligation to those causes he has supported and there is every likelihood he will accept further offers should they arise.

Prince William remains angry with his brother, in a feud that has now spanned more than six years. It's not known whether he was instrumental in the decision to issue the letter but my source said that it bore the hallmarks of the Prince of Wales, who is also thought to be seriously considering stripping the Sussexes of their royal titles once he is King.

The source continued, 'The problem is that people may not see the difference between official royal engagements and any events Harry and Meghan choose to attend'.

Among those who received the letter were senior military officials, in what was clearly a sign that the Palace hoped to stop Harry should he attempt to resume work with members of the Armed Forces.

Harry was stripped of his military titles when he stepped down as a working royal, something that was a particularly bitter blow to the former soldier and Afghanistan veteran. As one of the few royals in living memory to have served on the front line, Harry felt he had a duty to maintain a close relationship with the military.

But the letter has already led to one country pulling out of the Invictus Games in a show of support for King Charles. The head of the Ugandan military, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issued a statement that said, 'In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III... whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games. We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty's approval'.

If other countries follow suit, Harry's hopes of staging the Games in Birmingham next year could be badly affected. So what might the collision course with the Palace look like?

Clearly, the King and William will be keeping a very close eye on the moves Harry makes next. Their biggest fear would be for him to fight back publicly by agreeing to an interview citing his frustration.

Any comments from the 42-year-old duke would inevitably infuriate the Palace, given the lengths they have gone to to try and stop Harry continuing as he did across the pond, with those pseudo-royal tours. Only time will tell whether the King's efforts to draw a line in the sand will have the desired effect.

But of all the things Harry and Meghan are known for, staying quiet is not among them...

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Prince Harry’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, might be half-American and have lived in Montecito for most of their lives, but he’s making sure some British customs are passed down. Since their return to the UK this August, the Sussex children have now embraced one of their dad's favourite snacks - and it’s not for everyone.

Speaking to Hello! at the WellChild Awards in his role as Patron, Prince Harry was asked what some of the most British things he’s done with the family since they swapped California for the UK. As well as explaining that they’ve been on lots of walks around the idyllic countryside, he added, "Now the kids are eating Marmite on crumpets, which is a big moment for me."

"Please tell me that is a British thing, because it has always been in my life," he added.

The Duke of Sussex even revealed that his children weren't impressed when they first tried it - and still aren't fans of another British staple.

"They used to diss me for having Marmite in the house but now we are in the UK that’s kind of like water under the bridge, so it’s good," Harry shared. "I already tried beans on toast in California. That was years ago. It didn't go down very well at all."

Harry might be having more luck convincing them to try British snacks when they’re living back in England, but both Archie and Lilibet have shown strong links their heritage in the past. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2025, Meghan Markle revealed that, with certain words, Archie and Lilibet would surprise her with British pronunciations.

The Duchess was asked, "What's your favourite thing that you see in your kids that you go, 'Oh, that's their dad'?” and replied, "Oh, some of the words that they still say with a British accent. "So they'll say, 'Zebra,'" [pronounced like zeb-ra, compared to zeeb-ra, the typical American pronunciation]."

Meghan added, "They have these little moments where it comes out. They have very American accents, but they say words that are just like him, and I think it's adorable."

It's only been a few weeks since Prince Harry and Meghan moved with their two children back to the UK in what has been reported will be an "extended period" of time. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have been enrolled in British schools, while their parents will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family.

Talk about a multi-tasker - while supporting the WellChild Awards 2026, Prince Harry might have just set up a comeback gig for his wife, Meghan Markle.

At the awards, Harry spoke with Magic Radio presenter Gaby Roslin. Gaby took it upon herself to offer Harry and Meghan a show on Magic - a radio station the Duchess of Sussex has previously revealed she was a huge fan of - and then the Magic radio boss was roped in on the spot.

Appearing just off-camera, Harry joked that he and Gaby’s boss, Paul, would "have a word" and a "serious conversation" about the possibility of Meghan hosting her own Christmas show for the radio station.

The interview started with Prince Harry showing his playful side and doing his impression of the Magic Radio slogan. After being a good sport, Gaby proposed, “Do you want a show on Magic? Your wife could do a show on Magic. She loves Magic!”

Harry confirmed that Meghan did indeed love the station. When pressed on whether she’d actually want her own show, Harry joked, “We haven’t talked about it, but I can take this back to her.”

Deciding that she should do a Christmas show, Gaby then pointed to her boss who was just off camera, to whom Harry declared, “We’re going to have a word” before adding, “Finally you’ve come, we need to have a serious conversation”.

Could what started out as a joke become something more real?

This is surely great news for fans of the Duchess who has gone on record as being a fan of the station in the past. On the second season of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, she told Queer Eye star Tan France that Magic Radio was "one of the things I miss most about the UK".

Magic’s Content Director, Paul Sylvester - likely the same Paul from Gaby Roslin’s video - has reportedly extended an offer to the Duchess in the past. Per The Telegraph, an "offer [was] on the table" before the pair left for Montecito.

He reportedly told a RadioCentre conference, "We had conversations with the Sussex team and if the Duchess would like to add radio presenter to her CV there is an offer on the table."

Now that they’re back in the UK - for however long that will turn out to be - could the stars be aligning for a Merry Meghan Magic radio slot?

Hosting a radio show wouldn't be too far from Meghan's comfort zone. The former Suits star has already fronted two of her own podcasts. As part of their much-publicised Spotify deal, Meghan hosted 12 episodes of the Archetypes podcast in 2022, and she later fronted Confessions of a Female Founder in 2025.

The Sussexes are settling into their new life in the UK by lighting crackling wood fires and enjoying plenty of time in the great outdoors - even if the weather isn't quite what they were used to in California. Duchess Meghan gave a brief glimpse at how things are going with a new video that featured almost the whole family.

We saw Archie running towards a herd of deer whilst Lilibet rode her bike and Harry teaching the kids how to fish on a lake. In almost every clip the Sussexes' black Labrador Pula got involved in the action and was clearly loving the countryside.

However, Pula's excitement highlighted that there was someone else missing - Mamma Mia AKA Mia, their beloved rescue beagle.

Prince Harry and Meghan adopted Mia in 2022 and according to a report by People, she was also coming to live in the UK when they moved. We've seen a lot of Mia on social media in recent years, including on the As Ever brand Instagram account.

So it's interesting that we didn't see the beagle in the Duchess's new round-up post, though perhaps since she's a more senior dog she was lagging a little behind or was being looked after by friends while they went on a longer walk.

It's still a little sad that Mia didn't feature at all, though, whilst Pula was there every step of the way. The Labrador has already made two transatlantic trips before, having moved with Meghan when she first came to the UK and then again with the family when they relocated to the US.

He looks like he's happy to be back and Harry once described Pula and Mia (as well as Meghan's late beagle Guy) as being a bit of a handful, but great emotional support in times of need.

"I've got three in this house now, so we basically have five children," he said on a call with the winners of the WellChild Awards in 2022. "Between the three of them, they charge around chasing squirrels and causing all sorts of problems to us every single day. But they are also emotional support dogs, 100%, when they're behaving."

Harry grew up in a family who's equally passionate about their pets and Labradors are a lesser-known royal favourite. King Charles used to own a golden Labrador called Harvey and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have two black labs called Teal and Teasel.

But these pets aren't nearly as famous as the late Queen Elizabeth's corgis or the Wales family's spaniels. In the Sussexes' engagement interview Harry claimed the corgis took to Meghan at once whereas he'd "spent the last 33 years being barked at" by his granny's canine companions.

Bringing their own dogs to the UK with them shows how important Pula and Mia are as part of the family and this will likely have helped create a sense of normality for Archie and Lilibet who are starting over in a new place at new schools. It's a lot for them and they've already had to say goodbye to their chickens who are being looked after back at their California home.

The children have clearly been getting out and exploring their new area with Harry and Meghan and perhaps Mia the beagle will get a cameo on the Duchess's social media in the coming weeks too to show how she's settling in.

The Gentlemen is finally back for season 2, with episodes airing on Netflix from September 3.

While there's been a huge buzz surrounding the release of the new season, and excitement that the hit comedy has already been renewed for a third series, there seems to be one big question everyone is asking about the show: Will Meghan Markle be in season 3?

Rumours have been widely circulating that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will make a spectacular return to acting in the show's next outing (which hopefully we won't have to wait another two and a half years for.)

While waiting for official confirmation or denial of the reports of her involvement in The Gentlemen, Theo James who plays the role of Eddie Halstead in the series, seems to have offered a definitive answer to the question.

"I think that is just a rumour," James said when asked by Digital Spy whether Meghan had a role in season 3. He adds, "I don’t even know the practicalities of how one would make that happen."

When asked who he'd like to be cast in a starring role instead of the Duchess, Theo replied, "In terms of people that I would like to have in the series, I’d like someone psychopathic, like old school Robert Carlyle."

When rumours first began that Meghan was in talks to appear in The Gentlemen, an insider told The Sun, "The gossip in TV circles is that Meghan could play the ultimate temptress, who puts the cat among the pigeons by seducing an aristocrat.

"The Gentlemen would be perfect for her as it’s a big budget, glossy production which is quintessentially British.

"But because it is on Netflix that gives it a huge global audience. In fact it is one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits of recent years.

"It would see her star opposite Theo James, who plays Eddie and he is one of the frontrunners to be the new James Bond."

They concluded by saying, "Everything about the project screams quality, but it is also one with a bit of an edge too."

However, it was later reported by Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, that Meghan has been dropped from the project.

Writing on her Substack, Brown suggested, "I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.

"The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the UK."

Meghan became widely known following her leading role as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits, in which she played the character for seven seasons.

On the big screen, she had a small role in the comedy Horrible Bosses, and had major parts in the Hallmark movies When Sparks Fly and Dater’s Handbook.

She retired from acting in 2018 following her marriage to Prince Harry, and recently made a small foray back to the small screen playing herself in the Amazon comedy Close Personal Friends.

The Duchess hasn't been entirely absent from TV screens during her retirement from acting, having appeared in a presenting capacity, fronting her own lifestyle show on Netflix.

In 2025, she hosted With Love, Meghan, as part of her and Harry's production deal with Netflix. Here, she chatted to celebrity friends, and shared favourite recipes and crafts with viewers.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have officially moved back to the UK now, and are ready to enrol Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in schools ahead of terms starting next week.

The Sussexes return follows suggestions that things were improving between Harry and his father, King Charles, who met at Highgrove earlier in the summer. However, it’s suggested that not every royal is as optimistic about their return, with a source claiming it’s come as a "massive shock" to the Princess of Wales.

The source revealed she is prioritising "the stability of the family and the monarchy" over her personal feelings, but the fact that Meghan has "freedoms" to say what she wants in the press might be "bringing unresolved issues back to the surface."

Unnamed insiders revealed to Heat World, "Kate fears seeing the family dragged back into another cycle of accusations, briefings and public fallout. She can’t see how it’s all going to work, and it has left her reeling".

The unverified insider allegedly added that one of the biggest obstacles potentially preventing the Waleses and the Sussexes moving forward is the lack of trust.

They suggest, "So much has happened, and trust has been lost. How do you rebuild a relationship when you’re no longer confident that what happens privately will remain private?"

They continued, "Meghan also has freedoms that Kate doesn’t. Kate has protocol and a royal diary, whereas Meghan can give interviews, use social media and choose her own public appearances.

"Meghan can also speak out in a way Kate and William simply cannot respond to. There have already been serious allegations, which caused enormous damage and scrutiny, and Kate knows just how quickly another revelation could reopen all of that."

Since quitting life as working royals in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan have made several allegations against the Royal Family and their staff - with many stories involving Prince William and Kate.

In his memoir, Spare, Harry wrote about "an awkward moment" between the pair when Meghan asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss and she "grimaced"... an experience which "left a little mark."

In the book, Harry also pins the blame on William and Kate for his decision to wear a Nazi costume in 2005, when he was 20-years-old.

He recounted, "I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought [about his costume choices]. ‘Nazi uniform’, they said. I rented it, plus a silly moustache, and went back to the house. I tried it all on. They both howled."

Other allegations have included Harry claiming William physically attacked him and Meghan suggesting Kate made her cry in a disagreement over bridesmaid dresses.

True to form for the royals, they’ve rarely responded. The only riposte came in March 2021, following the Sussexes explosive Oprah Winfrey interview. In a rare move, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II issued a public statement on accusations made against the family which declared, "Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

Only a few years ago, the Sussexes and the Beckhams - two of the most famous families in the world - were believed to be very friendly with one another. However, sources now tell me that has all changed, and things between the couples are at an 'all-time low'.

One insider blamed the success of recent projects carried out by the Beckhams, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arguably had far fewer positive headlines and, indeed, less success.

The Duke of Sussex's failed attempt to sue the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday was cited as a reason the bitterness has escalated, and it perhaps laid bare the lengths the Sussexes would go to for public victory. And, with the publisher seeking to recover some of its extensive costs, this is arguably a very low moment for the couple. Do they even have the money to pay the newspaper?

Meghan, someone who has courted the limelight for years and has been criticised for lashing out at the very institution that keeps her in the headlines, is understood to be baffled that the Beckhams receive overwhelmingly positive media coverage while she feels under constant attack.

It's not the first time relations have been reported to be fraught. Last September I spoke to Woman about how Harry and Meghan had reached out to the Beckhams' son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola over their shared family-feuding drama. This must have made Victoria understandably furious.

Like I said at the time, I think Meghan is a social climber and that this was perhaps just another example of her being prepared to play some people off against each other.

So it is perhaps hard to understand why Meghan is thought to be struggling with the Beckhams winning on the publicity front.

One source even went as far as to tell me, 'Meghan feels as though it is one rule for the Beckhams and another for her and Harry. This apparent double standard is a constant issue for Meghan, who sees herself as one of the most trolled women on the planet.'

Victoria and Meghan were once good friends, of course, in the days when the duchess was happy to wear VB-designed outfits and the Beckhams famously attended the Sussexes' wedding in May 2018.

And prior to meeting wife Meghan, Harry was close to David, with the former England football captain-turned international icon a familiar face in supporting some of the good causes promoted by the Firm.

But, ultimately, the friendship was to be short-lived, with my sources claiming that the former friends' fall-out most likely 'boils down to jealousy' and one even breaking rank by saying, 'I believe it was envy that caused the fall-out.'

My sources also suggest that Meghan was 'furious' about the success of David's Netflix documentary, as well as the announcement of Victoria's dedicated limited series.

Indeed, when the Sussexes unveiled the trailer for their high-powered and non-scripted sports show Polo in November 2024, the insider said there was 'an element of the green-eyed monster' relating to their respective upcoming releases.

Royal biographer Tom Bower wrote in his book The House of Beckham that Meghan and Victoria initially fell out over requests for free clothing from Victoria's fashion line, make-up tips, as well as a 'snubbing' during a visit to Australia – accounts that led to the Beckhams being accused of leaking stories to the press.

'In Meghan's celebrity world, ranking depended on wealth and fame,' Tom Bower claimed in his book, adding, 'As a seasoned operator, Meghan deluded herself that her status in the Royal Family placed her above Victoria in the social pecking order.'

'[Meghan] was irritated to discover that the Beckhams had considerably more wealth than herself. They owned five homes, had constant access to private jets, invitations to sail on yachts and much more money. And she was soon to be a duchess.'

Bower's biography on the Beckhams also alleged that Meghan 'put on airs' around Victoria when they first met, but that she also felt she had 'little in common' with the former pop star.

But if reports are to be believed, this didn't stop her from requesting free clothes from Victoria's label. However, according to Bower, Meghan's arguably crude request was 'vetoed by the Palace for being against their rules'.

Tom Bower even suggested that the friction between the couples heightened when the Beckhams were not requested to attend the Sussexes' wedding dinner, having only received an invite to the ceremony.

But the Sussexes hit back at the biographer following his more recent book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, saying in a statement, '[Bower] has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met.'

Reports of the couples' falling-out recirculated in August 2023 after stories suggested that the former England football captain was 'absolutely furious' after it was claimed that the Beckhams had shared private details with reporters. At the time, a source said that 'any making up now is so unlikely'.

Victoria had previously been nothing but glowing about Meghan, calling her a 'genuinely lovely woman' in a 2018 interview. And, according to a Vanity Fair article from the same year, Meghan had been consulting VB for fashion advice. 'Meghan really likes Victoria's style and was keen to pick her brains about pulling together a working wardrobe,' a source said.

Meghan even wore one of VB's designs for her final official outing as a working royal, at the 2020 Endeavour Fund Awards. The turquoise-blue pencil dress became something of an iconic image as the couple walked through rainy London, looking decidedly happy about the new life that lay ahead for them in California.

As a jobbing actor growing up in LA, many think Meghan would have dreamt of the day when A-list stars would fall over themselves to make her acquaintance. In reality, many of the Hollywood movers and shakers appear to have grown wary of publicly associating themselves with the Sussexes.

When former US President Barack Obama celebrated his 60th birthday in August 2021, an invite for Harry and Meghan seemed conspicuous by its absence. And even celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey – who, of course, famously interviewed Harry and Meghan in 2021 – are believed to have distanced themselves from the royal couple.

The reason stems from Harry's ongoing feud with Prince William. Relations between the two brothers are so bitter that many of the rich and powerful are reluctant to be seen as 'Team Sussex', given that William is the future King.

It feels like things aren't going to get easier for the duke and duchess any time soon.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Of all the things the Duchess of Sussex might've said when asked what she missed about her former home, I don't think many of us predicted her actual answer last year. On season 2 of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, she chatted to British-born fashion expert Tan France and admitted Magic Radio is "one of the things I miss most about the UK".

Just under a year later, she and Prince Harry are moving back across the pond and Meghan will be able to listen to Magic Radio to her heart's content. Although Tan joked it was a "Grandma station", she owned it, saying "I'll be that Grandma". Her response sparked a big reaction at the time and now she's relocating, I wonder if a surprising "offer" still stands…

The Duchess's comments about missing Magic FM caught the attention of the station and the Content Director, Paul Sylvester, reportedly made her a rather special offer. According to The Telegraph, he told a RadioCentre conference, "We had conversations with the Sussex team and if the Duchess would like to add radio presenter to her CV there is an offer on the table."

Meanwhile, Magic said it had "been in with her team and offered her a show, if she ever wanted one". This never ended up happening and logistically it might've just been too difficult given that she was California-based. However, very soon this won't be an issue.

Prince Harry and Meghan are understood to be moving to the UK this month and Archie and Lilibet have been enrolled in a British school from September. The Sussexes are going through a massive life switch-up and that could affect their careers too.

It's been widely reported that the Duchess of Sussex is in early stage talks to take on a role in Netflix's The Gentleman. This would be her first significant acting role since she married Prince Harry in 2026 and suggests that Meghan is open to different work projects right now.

Perhaps she might be tempted to try her hand at radio presenting? Who knows if the reported Magic FM offer still stands, but the wording of "if she ever wanted one" suggests that the door isn't fully closed. Starting a radio show would be a major move for Meghan but it doesn't sound too out-there.

She's gone on multiple podcasts before and hosted her own, Archetypes, which aired from August to November 2022. The Duchess is confident chatting to listeners and it would be interesting to hear a member of the Royal Family regularly on the radio.

Even if she doesn't take up the offer, she can still enjoy Magic's music at her new home and her and Harry's relocation to the UK has sparked plenty of interest and speculation to be getting on with. For a start, it'll be intriguing to see whether the Sussexes start to attend more family occasions, notably Christmas at Sandringham House, which they haven't been at since 2018.

King Charles is said to have been told about the move on 16th August and welcomes the opportunity to spend more time with Harry, Meghan and their children. The Prince and Princess of Wales haven't commented publicly on the news and are currently up at Balmoral with the King, enjoying the end of the school summer holidays.

Whenever the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are out in public there's always comparisons to the Prince and Princess of Wales - and the timing often doesn't help. A lot of their high-profile visits this year have come either just before or after a big moment for other royals like the Waleses.

Now they're reportedly moving back to the UK and have enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in a British school from September. That same month Prince George will also be starting his first term at Eton College and I can't help feeling his big moment might not get the attention it would've had if his cousins hadn't relocated.

Given how much Prince Harry and Meghan have said about wanting privacy for their family, I don't think they'll confirm which school Archie and Lili will be going to. We probably also won't see a picture like we're expecting with George, who is second in the royal line of succession and the son of working royals.

However, the speculation over their school, fascination with the move and most autumn terms starting in September could put Archie and Lilibet firmly in the spotlight with George. Comparisons and suggestions of "overshadowing" could start being focused on this generation.

These criticisms have already been directed at Harry and Meghan. Writing in Woman in June, royal correspondent Duncan Larcombe alleged, "Meghan's visit to Switzerland to highlight the dangers of social media is also understood to have upset William as it had the potential to overshadow Kate's first foreign visit since her cancer diagnosis, as both happened mid-May."

His royal source claimed William and Kate "take a great deal of care" planning their engagements and "will not want anything to overshadow the roles they play".

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Australia trip in April took place just before King Charles's US State Visit. Even their Highgrove reunion fell on the same day as the Royal Charity Polo Cup.

Eton's autumn term starts 1st September and is a big moment for the 13-year-old, as he will be living fully away from home and attending a different school to his siblings. The Prince and Princess of Wales released pictures for his first days at other schools so it makes sense there'll be a new one in a few weeks' time.

It's less certain, but Meghan could post some kind of snap of Archie and Lilibet (without showing their faces or identifiable school uniform), or one with a caption that mentions fresh starts or their first day.

According to the BBC, sources close to the Sussexes haven't denied reports that the Duchess has been offered a UK acting job.

She could potentially return to her former career, though her lifestyle brand will probably still be important to her. Archie and Lilibet have been featured on Meghan's As Ever Instagram as well as her personal one and it would be a surprise if she completely stopped including them on her social media after the move.

Even if Meghan shares nothing, though, the attention and predictions over her kids' school aren't likely to die down anytime soon.

It had to happen, didn't it? It was surely a matter of when, not if... the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to their Californian home in Montecito, whereupon Meghan Markle did a huge picture dump on Instagram of her summer holiday.

And look! Isn't it so lovely, so joyous, so much family time with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, on the beach in Portugal, Meghan shopping for just-gorgeous homeware, all to the tune of Cliff Richard classic Summer Holiday?

And I thought they'd left the Royal Family as they wanted privacy...

Oh - is that the swimming pool at Althorp House, where Prince Harry is adoringly flipping Lili out of the water? Is that Archie wandering barefoot through Earl Spencer's estate? Is that Harry and Archie carrying armfuls of white flowers to lay on Princess Diana's grave in the middle of Oval Lake, with Lili bringing up the rear?

Because, if you thought these pictures genuinely were just some candid holiday snaps, perhaps think again.

To me, all look artfully contrived then posted to remind us all that Meghan is very definitely royal, that Harry is very much Princess Diana's son, and that the Sussexes are the true heirs of Diana.

To be fair, she resisted posting anything from the 'Highgrove High Tea' (as I'm calling it), when King Charles and Queen Camilla invited all the Sussexes for a family reunion. She's far too canny for that. But then, she didn't need to.

That holiday dump reminded us all that they came to the UK, they did the royal stuff, and it was all happy happy happy! Which is even more extraordinary, if you think about what actually happened before and during their stay here.

This was a fraught period for the Sussexes. They were deep in life-defining security negotiations with the British state, a back-and-forth that threatened to make it impossible for them to travel to the UK for the rest of their lives.

I was told that Harry was close to tears about it all, while Meghan's side told People magazine she was 'saddened' and 'humiliated' by how it all unfolded.

Meghan and the kids didn't come for a large part of the trip. The family was separated, and they were the ones who were telling us how awful and scary and upsetting it all was, at great length and in excruciating detail.

But no! According to this social media photo carousel, everything was sun-kissed, wonderful and uplifting.

And this is the problem for Meghan and Harry. Things rarely feel authentic. Things often seem like they're there for the social media construct. It's just another form of advertising.

As someone said to me, 'It just looks utterly shameless, trying to capitalise on everything. And she and Harry wonder why most of the family won't see her? They just don't trust them, and worry they will be used to advertise the Sussex brand!'

The issue for Meghan is that it just looks fake. They can't tell us one week how horrendous and awful everything is, then the next it's all breezy summer holidays without a care in the world!

Public relations people are paid a fortune precisely to help their clients avoid this kind of confused messaging.

Meghan needs consumers (us) to buy into her lifestyle so we'll buy her wares. I don't think it's working.

Harry, too, had some bizarre mixed messaging. After hitting out at the British courts and the government, he then went on retired rugby player (and Celebrity Traitors hero) Joe Marler's podcast, boasting about farts and being called 'carrot top' at school.

Then, back in the USA, he went on James Corden's chat show to talk about the World Cup and the England football team with a pint! (I know from talking to Harry myself that he's more of a rugby man.)

It all feels like, to me, that the Sussexes' great American dream is crashing down.

Next month, Harry will be back in the UK to attend the WellChild Awards. Watch this space...

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

The news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to move back to the UK this month has sparked a flurry of questions and the biggest one is where will they live? They used to be based at Frogmore Cottage but fully vacated the property in 2023 and I suspect returning to the Windsor estate would feel a little too much like stepping back into their old lives.

Anyway, we understand that the Sussexes won't be living at a royal residence, but at a private home outside of London. As soon as I saw this, one location sprung to mind as my best guest - Northamptonshire and perhaps more specifically, a property on or owned by the Althorp Estate.

The 90-bedroom Althorp House nestled in the 13,000 acre estate is where Princess Diana grew up and it's currently owned by her brother Charles, Earl Spencer. The Estate is vast and the Sussexes visited it in July and paid their respects at Diana's grave.

The Duchess of Sussex shared a snap of her children and husband in what's widely thought to be the Althorp grounds, with Archie and Harry both carrying huge bouquets of flowers. It's been suggested by the BBC that the children loved spending time with the Spencer family and the trip to Europe was what made a move to the UK a "firm decision".

Apparently, Harry and Meghan's choice was driven by a desire to educate their kids in the UK and to spend time nearer his family. Another picture included in the Duchess's holiday round-up looks like it features Earl Spencer lying on a sun lounger by a pool, which suggests that Harry has maintained a very close bond with his uncle.

Harry and Meghan also managed to visit Althorp with Archie and Lili without being spotted and living in Northamptonshire would give them a level of privacy they wouldn't get in London. It's close enough to the capital for them to travel down to see King Charles easily too.

The monarch was reportedly told about the move on 16th August and welcomes the opportunity to spend more time with the Sussexes. His grandchildren are said to be enrolled in a British school to start in September and it might make the move easier for them if they're nearby to family they've already spent time with recently.

Northamptonshire also has a lot of beautiful countryside and space for the children to enjoy time outdoors and for the family pets. All of these details have made me think this could be where Prince Harry and Meghan will settle when they move back.

Alternatively, Gloucestershire is where King Charles's Highgrove House is and it's also where Princess Anne, her two children and their families live. This county could provide another family base, though it's been alleged that Harry isn't as close to his cousins as he used to be.

Of course, we'll find out soon enough anyway, as there are just a few weeks left of August and most British schools start in early September. Wherever they end up living, the Duchess of Sussex will likely share glimpses of it on her Instagram like she's done with their California home.

It'll also be very interesting to see whether the Sussexes will start attending a few more family events, such as Christmas with the royals at Sandringham.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning another trip to the UK this month - and this time, they're reportedly here to stay. A month after their reunion with the King at Highgrove and six years after stepping back as working royals, it's believed Harry and Meghan are moving to Britain with Prince Archie (7) and Princess Lilibet (5).

According to the BBC, the Sussexes have enrolled their children to start in a British school from September and they'll be living outside of London in a non-royal residence. At the moment there's no suggestion that Prince Harry or Meghan will resume royal duties.

This has come as a surprise to many, but perhaps we should've taken Prince Harry's hint last year more seriously. The Duke of Sussex praised this "wonderful" aspect of British life to singer Joss Stone and it was why she was "drawn to come back" herself.

Joss and her family used to live in the US and spoke to Hello! in September 2025 about a conversation she and Harry recently had at the WellChild Awards about schools.

"He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children," she alleged. "It was nice to share that with him because it's exactly why we felt drawn to come back - for the kids to grow up surrounded by family, friends, and a strong sense of belonging and most importantly in a safe environment."

According to Joss, the King's youngest son was "genuinely interested" in her move and asked how they were "settling back in" to life in the UK. In light of the new reports of Harry and Meghan relocating, maybe this was his way of getting some advice and a feel for what it might be like.

It's possible that the Sussexes were already considering the idea of moving back then and this would make sense as it can take months to enroll a child in school. It would've required a lot of pre-planning to put the wheels of a transatlantic move in motion.

Back then Joss wondered, "Maybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice", and now it looks like she predicted it perfectly.

The timing of their choice is particularly interesting, as reports claim that King Charles was told on Sunday, 16th August and not in July at Highgrove. For all we know, Archie and Lilibet were enrolled in schools in the UK and US just to be safe and the meeting with the King and time in the UK were the deciding factor for their parents.

The BBC understands that His Majesty "welcomes the opportunity" to see more of the Sussexes "in a private and personal capacity". Harry and Meghan's Europe trip in July is said to have helped cement the decision to move.

In an interview, also last September, the Duke of Sussex was open about how he wanted to focus on spending time with King Charles. He said that over the coming year "the focus really has to be on my dad", months after he was heavily criticised for saying he doesn't know "how much longer" the monarch has, but reaffirmed his love for a royal reconciliation.

Living back in Britain, closer to his family, will surely be a positive step in this direction for Harry and Meghan.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's trip to Australia in April attracted a lot of attention and divided the crowd, but it also led to Meghan filming a special appearance that's now finally aired. She was a guest judge on an episode of MasterChef Australia and the mum-of-two revealed a lot about her children's food habits and mealtimes at home.

"If they say, ‘Mama, can I have dessert?’ We say, 'If you can pick it, you can have it'," she explained, before confirming that chocolate isn't an option...

One of the MasterChef judges joked, "You can’t pick chocolate?" to which Meghan replied, "No, you can’t pick chocolate, but you can pick a nice piece of fruit."

So it seems it’s fresh fruit for the Sussex children and although it's a healthier option, there are probably times where Archie and Lili are craving something more indulgent. Even so, fruit can be prepared different ways and Meghan added that, "We always have a nice, as my husband would say, 'pud'".

She also described her children as "great eaters", saying that they're "very lucky on that front." According to the Duchess, "[They] jump in a lot, especially with the garden. I think it’s such a nice luxury to be able to have so much space and things to cook."

Speaking to People last year, Meghan again touched on how much her children enjoy the fruits of their labour - literally and figuratively. She declared, "They love [toast with] jam and fresh fruit preserves because they were such a part of me making them and picking all that fruit during berry season for all of our canning."

It’s not just Archie and Lili who've been brought up to love fresh snacks. Over the years, the Princess of Wales has revealed that their cousins, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis, love a huge range of healthy ingredients.

As she filmed the A Mary Berry Christmas special in 2019, Kate shared that her youngest son is a big fan of beetroots (despite being just one at the time). In one scene, she said, "We've got carrots, beans, beetroot - a massive favourite - Louis absolutely loves beetroot."

Like his cousins, Louis is also partial to a jam sandwich. Prince William revealed this on Heart Breakfast earlier in the summer, telling the presenters Louis often brings them on the go and "will leave jam fingerprints throughout the car, which is really helpful."

Kate has also shared that Princess Charlotte, like her Californian cousins, eschews a sugary, packaged snack in favour of something more grown up - olives. Back in 2018, when she visited London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, Kate shared Charlotte’s love of olives and pasta while meeting young patients.

She told Rafael Chana some rare details about her and her children's favourite foods, revealing “I used to eat lots and lots of olives when I was little as well. Charlotte likes pasta too."

We probably won’t ever see photos from Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s reunion with King Charles but the Duchess of Sussex has shared a glimpse at another part of their UK visit. Meghan posted a selection of snaps from the family’s trip to Europe, including one that looks a lot like it was taken at Princess Diana’s childhood home, Althorp House.

The tree-lined surroundings have a British countryside feel and Harry reportedly hoped to take his children there. Nestled in the middle of a lake in the Althorp grounds is his mother’s final resting place and if you look closely at what Harry and Archie were carrying, it does seem possible that this picture was from a visit there.

The Princes are furthest away from the camera but you can still see that they’re holding huge bouquets of white and blue flowers.

Princess Diana loved white and cream blooms and in 2017 The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was re-planted with white flowers. It took inspiration from her dresses and the iconic Mario Testino photographs of the late royal.

The inclusion of blue flowers in Harry and Archie’s bouquets also hints to me that they were visiting Princess Diana’s grave. Her favourite flowers of all were forget-me-nots and although you can get them in white, the blue ones are most common.

Forget-me-not season only runs until June and the blue flowers in these bunches look bigger anyway, but they’re the same colour. Unless the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm where the photo was taken we’ll never know for sure, though the signs are that Archie and Lilibet did visit their grandmother’s home and grave for the first time.

The Sussex children grew up with photos of her in their nursery and Harry has shared that "Grandma Diana" were some of his son’s first words. He and Meghan keep her memory alive for Archie and Lili and it was probably a moving experience for him to visit Althorp House with them.

The Duchess has been to Diana’s childhood home before, in 2022, and Prince Harry wrote about what it was like "bringing the girl of [his] dreams home to meet Mum" in his memoir, Spare.

"We hesitated, hugging, and then I went first. I placed flowers on the grave. Meg gave me a moment, and I spoke to my mother in my head, told her I missed her, asked her for guidance and clarity. Feeling that Meg might also want a moment, I went around the hedge, scanned the pond. When I came back, Meg was kneeling, eyes shut, palms against the stone," he declared.

The island and Princess Diana’s grave are both off-limits to the public so they would’ve had complete privacy there. As well as the Harry, Archie and Lilibet picture Meghan shared as part of her "summer holiday" post, there was another one that had a UK-esque setting.

It showed the seven-year-old Prince walking barefoot in the countryside holding a stick, with the sun set gleaming through the trees. Archie was wearing a very similar outfit to the one in the other photo - beige shorts and a blue shirt.

This could suggest it was also taken at Althorp, although some will likely be hoping it was actually snapped at Highgrove before or after their meeting with King Charles.

Piers Morgan has never been backwards in coming forwards in terms of how he feels about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Having walked out of his six-year job on Good Morning Britain in 2021 following remarks he made about the former Meghan Markle - which gained a huge 41,000 complaints to television standards regulator Ofcom - he has not stood down on his forthright opinions about the controversial quasi-royal couple.

Now, he’s hit out at the pair again, accusing them of hypocrisy for discussing the importance of privacy online and then choosing to post pictures of their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, on their social media - albeit with their faces obscured.

He told Woman, 'My old friends the Duke and Duchess of Sussex keep preaching to us about privacy and about the need to be careful online, and how dangerous it is for kids – and then what did they do? They upload photographs of their five-year-old child on social media [for her birthday] to billions of people, immediately recognisable.

'And I’m like, “What are you doing? What is this about? Why would you preach about privacy? Why would you lecture the world to be very careful with children online and then put your own child out there to millions of people?” It makes no sense to me.

'Maybe it makes sense to their fans, I don’t know, but to me, that is a classic example of the kind of double standard that I think is ridiculous. If you are going to start preaching about stuff, at least try and live up to it. Don’t immediately do something which is the complete opposite of what you’ve been preaching about.'

Speaking again on 5’s The Royals Uncensored show, Piers discussed the fact that the pair would likely be coming to the UK with their children for the first time in years, as part of the Invictus Games countdown. As Woman went to press, Buckingham Palace had reportedly withdrawn an invitation for Harry to stay at the royal residence while in London.

Piers said, 'How do you trust these two? And they’re going to bring the kids [to the UK] that they keep preaching to the world about privacy, and how to protect kids online. Meantime, she’s out there, pumping week after week, more and more pictures of their kids... so there’s an absolute hypocrisy there which I find, honestly, frankly, quite sickening.'

It’s not the first time that Piers, 61, has hit out at Harry and Meghan and called them hypocrites. He did so in 2019 - prior to the couple leaving royal life in 2020 - when it was noted that they had been taking private jets while ‘preaching’ about environmental issues. ‘They are making themselves look like rank hypocrites and you can’t, as a royal, do that,’ he said at the time on GMB.

And despite Piers making a career out of giving his opinions - which he now does on YouTube channel Piers Morgan Uncensored, which has 4.4 million subscribers - he believes those in the public eye should stop moaning.

‘I think the celebrity public-figure side shouldn’t whine too much,’ he said. ‘Mick Jagger has it right - never complain, never explain - and the Queen Mother said the same. You rarely heard her speaking in public.

'Let what you do, do its own talking. I think it’s really good advice. People talk too much. I know that sounds pretty rich coming from me, but then I’m supposed to talk too much!’

Additionally, Piers hit out at his former show, GMB - which has found itself at the centre of budget cuts at ITV Daytime - claiming it cannot keep up with the kind of programming he is now doing.

‘Our audience [of the Piers Morgan Uncensored show] is growing exponentially around the world, at exactly the same rate as most mainstream TV shows. I don’t want to mention Good Morning Britain, because, obviously, they don’t have me any more, so understandable that the audience halved, so you get my point.

'Yes, dramatically. I think YouTube is how most young people watch anything. I know because I’ve got four kids, from the age of 32 right down to 14, and it’s all they watch. They don’t watch television unless it’s a major live event.

‘I’ll often do my show from a little cupboard somewhere. Literally, sometimes I will be in the Middle East somewhere, and I’ve got to do a show. I’ll get in the cupboard and put a camera on and get my laptop going. Nobody cares as long as the content is good, and I’m still doing my job.’

With Piers’ Uncensored show seeming to grow and grow, it looks unlikely he’ll be giving up his often controversial opinions any time soon!

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

As Prince Harry carries out engagements in the UK the question that we're all still asking ourselves is: will Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet be flying over to join him? The rest of the Sussex family has stayed in California so far but there has been speculation that they might meet up with the Duke once he leaves London.

It would be a huge moment for Archie and Lilibet and Woman's Royal Editor Emily Andrews assumes that the children will see King Charles if they come to the UK. Writing in the latest issue, she also suggests that it will "be interesting to see whether Meghan posts any pictures of that."

Emily adds, "She knows those images could boost the diminishing popularity of the Sussexes stateside and remind everyone of their royal pedigree and reacceptance into the family."

Since the Duchess of Sussex re-joined Instagram we've seen a lot more of seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet. They regularly appear in pictures and videos taken either in the garden of the Sussexes' Montecito home, or inside helping Meghan cook.

Their faces are always kept away from the camera to give them more privacy. Even so, photos of a possible reunion with Charles would naturally be met with immense excitement online. He's understood to have only met Lilibet once in person and there were no pictures shared of that.

A snap with both his Sussex grandchildren would be the first of its kind to be shared. Emily believes that Meghan is well aware of the positive response she'd get to sharing a picture like this, but that doesn't necessarily mean she'd ever do it.

Balancing privacy and PR is a tricky thing and royal author Tom Quinn has claimed that Meghan and Harry have argued about this before. In Betrayal, he alleged, "Insiders spoke about tensions between them and arguments about their children. Harry was reportedly irritated that Meghan used their children to promote herself."

The author goes on to suggest that Harry wants Archie and Lilibet to be "shielded from the media" and reportedly "insisted" that they shouldn't be photographed. Tom added, "Meghan argued the opposite. The children, she believed, were important for her brand. She spoke of them living as normal Californian children."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's spokesperson has responded to Betrayal, expressing their view that "those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find [Bower]."

Personally, I believe that if Meghan, Archie and Lilibet do visit the UK and see King Charles, we won't see a picture posted on social media. However, Harry and Meghan might at least confirm the meeting took place to quell the public's curiosity.

This would also remind people of their "royal pedigree and reacceptance into the family". King Charles's schedule is always very busy, but a source has claimed to The Mirror that he "would not pass up the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren."

"If there is a way of making it possible, he will do it," they stated.

Read Emily Andrews' feature in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

There was an intriguing story about Frogmore Cottage - which is the former home of the Sussexes - recently.

I remember breaking the exclusive story that the late Queen Elizabeth had given the use of the house to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as a wedding present.

Everyone had expected the Sussexes to move into Kensington Palace (a huge building which is split into apartments) as a married couple, upgrading from Harry’s bachelor pad, the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage in the grounds.

But, as I discovered, things had got so bad between Prince William and Harry, neither brother wanted to live next door to each other.

So Frogmore Cottage, which had previously been split into five staff apartments, had £2.4 million spent on it to convert it back to a single home in 2019.

Now, it’s been reported that three years after the Sussexes vacated the property, any trace of them is to be wiped!

The Crown Estate, who own the property on behalf of the monarch, are looking at plans to reverse the revamp and subdivide the house to let it to royal staff.

Harry and Meghan wanted to keep it as their UK home, but were evicted by the King in 2023, just weeks after the publication of Harry’s vitriolic, tell-all book Spare.

King Charles had wanted his brother Andrew to move there, but he opted instead for Sandringham.

I thought it was very strange that having spent all that money renovating Frogmore (which Harry pointedly paid back after he quit as a working royal) the Crown Estate would potentially rip it all out.

I can understand that it’s a bit tricky (and expensive) to let as one property as it’s within the Windsor security cordon, but surely that’s the purpose of advanced security vetting.

What’s even more bizarre is that I’m told Harry and Meghan are really annoyed about it! They have a lovely home in California - why do they care what happens with Frogmore?

But it’s the symbolism, isn't it?

The fact that not just them but even the very memory of them, and their marital home, is being removed.

First of all they were evicted (and Harry really wanted to keep it as his UK base). Now they are being erased.

Sure, it can be dressed up as ‘repurposing’ for staff accommodation. But it’s a virtual expunging from royal history. As if the ‘Harry and Meghan era’ never existed.

And that’s got to hurt.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

There has been a lot Prince Harry has lost or given up since he moved to the US, including his honorary military roles and HRH title. However, despite all the changes there's one part of himself he's refused to give up. When he was a working royal the Duke of Sussex was Patron of English rugby and was also a huge supporter of the English football team.

This is something he's carried through into his LA life as despite this summer's FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by the US, Harry's loyalty to England squad is rock solid. So much so that he's inspiring Prince Archie to support his father's home team too.

We saw the seven-year-old proudly wearing a red, white and blue English football shirt in the Father's Day photo Meghan posted on Instagram this year.

The picture showed both Archie and Lilibet hugging Harry tightly, and we got a good glimpse of the rose design on the Prince's shirt. Some people might've expected Archie to support the US football team since it's a home World Cup for them but clearly Prince Harry stepped in to steer his son in another direction.

Sport is one of the ways the King's younger son can show fierce patriotism for his home country despite not living there anymore. It's a connection to the UK for him and now for Archie too, giving father and son something they can enjoy together like Prince William and George when they go to watch England or Aston Villa play.

Archie is getting into playing too, as Meghan recently shared a spring-to-summer photo round-up which included a sweet snap of him and Harry kicking a giant football.

Football isn't the only game Prince Harry is determined to get Archie involved in, though. The Duke of Sussex used to be Patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League before his patronages were stripped. Rugby is a big passion of his and even when his son was a toddler, Harry had visions of Archie playing it too.

"What I need is a few mini rugby balls that I can then get Archie involved with the game because at the moment it's impossible to find any," he said in summer 2020. "But I've got a little space outside, which I'm fortunate enough to have so I need to get him playing some Rugby League."

Rugby isn't nearly as popular in the US as it is in the UK, so once again this is Harry introducing his son to part of his heritage. Perhaps they'll both be excitedly cheering England on in their matches throughout the World Cup.

As President of FIFA, Prince William could possibly make the trip to America this summer to watch a game in person. Meanwhile, reports have alleged that a UK visit could be on the cards for the entire Sussex family very soon.

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet haven't been to the UK since 2022 so this would be a big moment for them. Even though they've spent very little time there, Prince Harry has always tried to give his children an upbringing with British elements.

The Sussex siblings have been raised to call their father "Papa" just like their Wales cousins do, even though "Dad" is far more common, particularly in America. They call Meghan "Mama", though when they've written her a letter before they've addressed it "Mummy". She's said she loves this, adding that it's "very British".

The Princess of Wales often sends subtle messages through her outfits and Carole Middleton is surely well aware of how fashion can tell a story. I'd imagine she puts just as much thought into what she wears for big occasions so her dress on Day 3 of Royal Ascot caught my attention.

She and her husband Michael enjoyed a day at the races together and Carole wore a knee-length peppermint-green coat and dress by Kate's go-to designer Catherine Walker. It featured neat lapels and darts running down the jacket to give it extra shaping and volume.

The colour is perfect for a summer capsule wardrobe and Carole Middleton has owned it for years. It's actually the same dress she wore to Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding in May 2018 and it seems to be the first time she's been seen in it since then.

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There's no way that Carole didn't think this connection would be spotted given the amount of press coverage Royal Ascot always gets. She still wore the green two-piece and many people might be surprised to see this throwback link to the Sussexes.

Prince Harry has been very open about wanting to reconcile with the Royal Family, however it's thought that he and Prince William haven't seen each other since 2024. As she's the Princess of Wales's mum, it's natural to see Carole as being aligned with the Waleses instead of Harry and Meghan.

However, the Duke and Duchess's wedding day was a joyful occasion, years before they stepped back as working royals. Perhaps wearing this same coat and dress is a way for Carole to nod back to these happier times and mint green is often associated with tranquillity and healing.

There could also be a much simpler explanation for her choice. How many times does someone get to re-wear something as luxurious and formal as a jacket and dress set? It's not like Carole is a royal herself, so she might not have many opportunities to enjoy this design compared to Kate who goes to a lot of big events.

On Day 2 of Ascot she stepped out in the pink Catherine Walker Mother of the Bride coat dress she wore to Pippa Middleton's wedding in 2017. Wedding re-wears are sensible if she doesn't want these pieces to stay in storage at home.

I think the Princess of Wales's mum probably has a big collection of wedding outfits, though, so she could still have picked others over the mint green one. Maybe this suggests that Carole chose her style for both practical and meaningful reasons.

The colour of her jacket and matching dress is also beautiful for the heatwave, bringing to mind refreshing mint ice cream. This shade of green works well with white and cream for contrast and you can also lean into the pastels and pair it with blush or lilac.

At Ascot we saw Carole Middleton styling her co-ord with neutral accessories, all from British clothing brands. Her raffia top handle bag and suede slingbacks from Emmy London added texture to the look and she also wore a wide-brimmed cream Catherine Walker hat with a mint green flower decoration.

If the rumours are to be believed, it would be bigger than Spare. The ultimate first-hand account, not merely a publishing phenomenon but an extended multi-platform event including interviews, streaming components and global rights deals.

Meghan Markle's autobiography. For years it has been talked about as a potential project, never fully confirmed.

Indeed, buried right at the end of a Vanity Fair piece on the Sussexes last year was a reported rumour that Meghan's team had quietly floated the concept of a post-Harry divorce book to publishers.

The conversations (and, yes, supposedly, there were conversations!) were intended to gauge publisher interest in a hypothetical tell-all in the event of a future split.

Vanity Fair was quick to say that it was all purely exploratory (no manuscript, written proposals or offers) and any discussion was just to assess the appetite for such a memoir.

The appetite would surely be huge, and - given that Prince Harry received a reported £16 million in advance for his autobiography - so would the financial offers!

After all, neither she nor Harry has ever really gone into detail about some of their most damaging claims against the Royal Family, or who or what made Meghan feel suicidal and how she feels about it all now.

But it's widely believed Meghan keeps a diary and detailed records.

According to one publishing insider, 'Voice notes on her phone at 1am. Written journals. Structured reflections. She has been documenting everything since before Megxit.'

Its release would surely be bigger than Harry's Spare, which became the fastest selling non-fiction book of all-time, shifting more than 1.4 million copies on its first day of release in January 2023. By the following year, sales were in excess of six million. Publishing experts say Meghan's book could surpass even those numbers.

Although presumably a Meghan memoir would explore her life prior to joining the Firm - growing up as a child of divorce, struggling to make it in Hollywood before winning the part of Rachel Zane in Suits - it would of course be the past 10 years, since her relationship with Harry became public, that would generate the most headlines.

We already know from the couple's Netflix documentary how deeply hurt Meghan felt by the way she claims she was treated by Harry's family, by the press and by her own father.

Meghan also has a network of powerful Californian friends upon whom to call.

Neighbour Oprah Winfrey was the first to help Meghan and Harry tell their 'truth' on primetime TV - prompting that genius line from the late Queen Elizabeth that 'recollections may vary'.

Watched by 17 million Americans, 11 million Brits and millions more worldwide, the CBS interview in March 2021 was a global cultural event.

Meghan also counts Mellody Hobson as a mentor. Co-chief executive of Ariel Investments and former chair of Starbucks, the 57-year-old is married to Star Wars film-maker George Lucas and is a stellar networker in the world of finance and media. Such is her influence, she can open just about any door in Hollywood.

Another influential pal is Nicole Avant, a former diplomat who is married to the Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Although the Netflix relationship has cooled - the Sussexes' five-year £74 million deal was only extended in a non-exclusive arrangement and the streamer pulled out of Meghan's As Ever lifestyle business - the personal relationships are still good.

Nicole, 58, has reportedly long been an advocate for Meghan - particularly behind the scenes in the notoriously tricky la-la land of Hollywood.

It's she who is thought to have fostered conversations about how a potential Meghan memoir could be developed in partnership with Netflix.

Meghan reportedly sees the book as an opportunity for a reset, and she would like to highlight what she sees as her success in America, as well as tell her version of events.

But the timing is risky.

Harry is desperately trying to mend his relationship with his father King Charles, and a new Meghan memoir could derail that. Thus, any publication is not believed to be imminent.

Harry wants to stabilise and improve relations with the Royal Family and is said to be pleased that Archie, seven, and Lili, five, have occasional chats and video calls with their grandfather.

So Meghan knows a book is a risk - but it's also leverage.

You can bet your bottom dollar that much of her memoir is already written. It's really just a question of when she'll decide to publish...

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

When Prince Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back as working royals in 2020 the world reacted with dismay and there was speculation over how the Royal Family truly felt about it. Days later Queen Elizabeth declared in a personal message that Harry, Meghan and their son Archie "will always be much loved members of [her] family".

Nevertheless, it's now been suggested that she was slightly "worried" about what the Sussexes would do after their high-profile royal exit. Writing in the latest issue of Woman, royal correspondent Duncan Larcombe alleges that there was a condition set out by the monarch.

"Her Majesty made it clear to Harry that he and Meghan would leave with her blessing as long as they understood leaving royal life meant exactly that," he writes.

Duncan understands that "she was worried the Sussexes would continue with public engagements" but without coordinating their work to "prevent them overshadowing the actual work of the family". This half-in, half-out approach to royal life was something that Prince Harry and Meghan had reportedly hoped for.

However, Queen Elizabeth didn't share this vision for the Sussexes' future and left them in no doubt about her feelings. Writing in The Windsor Legacy, royal author Robert Jobson described a summit held at Sandringham House in January 2020.

"The answer from the top was clear: no halfway role was possible. They were either in or out," he claimed, adding, "Her Majesty's ruling deepened the existing tensions in the family, particularly between Harry and William."

Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex followed the rules set out for them at first, in recent years the thing Queen Elizabeth was "worried" about is seemingly coming true. The couple's Australia trip in April garnered both praise and criticism, particularly when it came to the elements that were similar to a traditional royal tour.

The visit came just before King Charles and Queen Camilla's US State Visit. Then in May, Meghan visited Switzerland for the inauguration of The Lost Screen Memorial which is dedicated to children who lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media.

A few days before, the Princess of Wales undertook her first overseas visit since her cancer diagnosis in neighbouring Italy. The working royals coordinate their engagements carefully but since Harry and Meghan stepped back who knows if there's any sort of communication like this between them all.

There's inevitably a lot of direct comparison when Sussex visits and royal engagements occur around the same time. So it's understandable that Queen Elizabeth might have been concerned about the institution's work being "overshadowed" by headlines concerning Harry and Meghan.

Her dedication to the monarchy and the Commonwealth was one of her strongest character traits and her grandson praised it in a statement following her death in 2022.

"In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen - and in mourning her loss - we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty," he declared.

Read Duncan Larcombe's feature in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Donning a sombre and razor-sharp designer black suit, Meghan Markle looked dressed for business. Her speech on the devastating effect of social media on kids was emotional and entirely fair.

Behind her in Geneva’s Place des Nations was the Lost Screen Memorial - an installation of 50 illuminated light boxes, each showing the home-screen photograph of a child who lost their life to online harm.

No one could fault the sentiment.

"Children today are being shaped by systems designed to capture attention at any cost: relentless algorithms, exploitative engagement and endless exposure to harmful content that they are not seeking out."

Few parents would dispute that.

And yet… this was not just a message about the evils of the internet. This was the Duchess of Sussex trying to step back into serious public life.

After trying (and some would say failing) to be a lifestyle hostess on the Netflix show With Love, Meghan, selling us jam with her As Ever range and attempting to be a producer, Meghan was asking the world to take her seriously again.

Not as a duchess, not as a fashion horse, but as an advocate.

As someone close to her told me, "Of course she cares about these issues, as all parents do, particularly when she’s personally suffered so much trolling at the hands of social media and the internet.

"She has always held strong opinions and wants to use her platform to drive change."

Indeed, it wasn't so much her stepping back into the political space as much as the timing that surprised me.

For it came in the same week as the Princess of Wales had enjoyed a stunning return to international tours since her cancer diagnosis and treatment two years ago.

As one royal source sniped to me, "It’s almost as if the duchess can’t help herself. Catherine goes to Italy for her work in children’s early years, is greeted by adoring crowds wherever she goes and is feted to the rooftops.

"So then Meghan appears to try and do the same or go one better. I understand that she always saw the princess as a rival, but regardless, she always seems to have to make a point.

"Catherine is learning about best practice in children’s education, whereas Meghan is trying to take on the big tech companies."

The contrast couldn’t be more marked.

The princess drew genuine crowds - thousands filling the town square in Reggio Emilia, people craning out of windows shouting her name, the streets of a small Italian city brought to a complete halt.

She drew the crowds because of what she represents - the Royal Family.

Meghan, of course, left and for the past six years has been repeatedly telling us that she was silenced. She had so much to say, but according to her, the institution wouldn’t allow her to say it.

Now she wants to make a difference.

Yet it’s harder to take this repositioning seriously due to Meghan’s own use of her children on social media.

The day before she gave her speech, alongside Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, she posted a picture of her daughter Lili, who’s about to turn five, to her 4.5 million followers.

Yes, the adorable redhead had her back to the camera and was sitting on the floor of Meghan’s walk-in wardrobe, surrounded by what looked like thousands of pounds worth of designer clothing (thought to be a Giorgio Armani blazer on the rail, dozens of high-end garments behind her, plus a pair of Dior heels and Manolo Blahniks on the floor).

The caption credited Lilibet as ‘Mama’s little helper’.

But this is something we’ve seen from Meghan time and time again.

A tease of her children’s faces - a side glimpse, a video of backs of heads in the pumpkin patch, emojis to conceal their faces at Disneyland, a family photo in the garden.

Normally in an apparent bid to drive business for her brand and lifestyle business (the candles are even numbered to mark her children’s dates of birth).

It seemed bizarre to me that Meghan would use her own four-year-old child to encourage interest on her huge social media platform, just as she was about to tell the world that big tech is preying on kids.

Driving engagement was key - and on the very social media platforms that Harry has described as being run by people who are ‘evil’ and ‘wicked’ and who ‘farm children’s minds’ for profit.

Harry has complained for years about his life being ‘commercialised’ since he was a teenager. Yet it seems Meghan is doing similar, I’d argue, to boost her brand.

Her kids have royal titles, have royal names and a monarch as a grandfather. The very thing she claims to hate is the thing she is using to promote herself.

No wonder she wanted to remind the world of her agenda for change.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Just over a year on from Prince Harry publicly declaring he'd "love" a reconciliation with his family, the Sussex family still hasn't visited the UK all together. However, royal author Ingrid Seward doesn't believe that a royal invite from King Charles is totally off the table for Harry, Meghan and their children this summer.

It would mean going a little further afield than Clarence House, though, as she thinks that Balmoral Castle in Scotland is the "only" place this meeting could happen.

"The only place that really I think they could meet if the King is to get to know or at least see his grandchildren, is at Balmoral," Ingrid claimed to The Mirror. "It's the only time the King has time and the Sussexes could be accommodated there because there's lots of cottages on the Estate."

The last time Archie and Lilibet were in the UK was in 2022 and Lili turned one during the trip. Four years later and that's still the only time she's met King Charles in person, so he'd no doubt be delighted to spend more time with her and Archie if they fly over.

As Ingrid mentioned, His Majesty has more free time than usual when he's at Balmoral as he usually goes there in August for his annual summer break. During this time he carries on with certain royal duties but public engagements are pretty much paused for the whole Royal Family.

Balmoral Castle is set on a 50,000 acre estate and Ingrid explained that Harry and Meghan "don't have to stay in the castle", although they "would expect to, but that's fine". She also believes the couple would "make sure" that their visit wouldn't coincide with the Prince and Princess of Wales going up to Scotland to see the King.

Whilst Charles and Harry have seen each other privately in the past few years, relations between William and his brother are as distant as ever. However, Ingrid thinks it's "not that difficult" for the two families to avoid each other, so a possible Sussex visit "can be done fairly under the radar".

Because Balmoral closes to the public over King Charles's summer break and he's generally not doing engagements, there's a lot more privacy up there for him and photographs are rarely taken. King Charles still has his round-the-clock security too which might give Harry and Meghan reassurance about Archie and Lilibet's safety whilst they're there.

Out of all the royal residences, Balmoral was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth's favourite home and she also spent her summers there, hosting various members of her wider family. Meghan, Archie and Lili have still never been to the castle but Prince Harry considers it a very special place to him.

"To me, Balmoral was always simply Paradise. A cross between Disney World and some sacred Druid grove," he wrote in Spare.

If King Charles does invite the family to join him at the Balmoral estate - and Harry and Meghan accept - then perhaps Archie and Lilibet can experience some of what their dad did as a child. It would also be a massive step for the royals after everything that's happened, so keeping it "under the radar" might be easier said than done.

Despite the number of royal guests at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding, the Duchess's anniversary throwback photos only featured one of them. King Charles can be seen standing in St George's Chapel to the left of Meghan in the third of the daytime pictures taken by photographer Chris Allerton.

As he wasn't the main focus of the snap, you could easily think this was a coincidence but royal expert and author Ingrid Seward believes otherwise. She thinks Meghan's choice speaks volumes about how she's feeling about her father-in-law and her and Harry's place in the Royal Family.

"Meghan doesn't do anything without purpose, so she's sending a message, isn't she?," Ingrid claimed to The Mirror. "The message is, 'We're still very much part of your family.'"

She continued, "That's what Harry and Meghan need because I don't think they knew when they cut themselves off - with Harry's book and the Oprah interview - just how alienated they were going to be."

King Charles is the head of the family and he and Prince Harry met face-to-face last year for tea at Clarence House, which some hoped could be the start of a tentative reconciliation. Meghan's relationship with her father-in-law isn't scrutinised as often as his bond with his sons, but Ingrid described the King as "very caring towards her".

According to the royal expert, the pair's relationship at the beginning "meant a lot to Meghan". This was reflected in his special role at the Sussexes' wedding, where he partially walked his daughter-in-law down the aisle instead of her father Thomas.

She walked down the first half of the aisle alone before King Charles joined her from the Quire until she reached her husband-to-be at the altar. In her and Harry's Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess described how this came about.

"Harry's dad is very charming and I said to him, 'I've lost my dad in this'," Meghan shared. "Him as my father-in-law is very important to me, so I asked him to walk me down the aisle."

Meanwhile, Harry said in the documentary, Prince, Son And Heir: Charles at 70, that his dad "immediately" said "I'll do whatever Meghan needs and I'm here to support you". So much has happened since then and she and Charles last saw each other in person at Queen Elizabeth's funeral which was both a very sad and very public occasion.

Writing in the latest issue of Woman, Royal Editor Emily Andrews says that since Harry's tea at Clarence House, she's told father and son "speak on the phone every so often".

"The King also occasionally speaks to and video-calls his Sussex grandchildren Archie, seven, and Lili, four, whom he has only met a couple of times," Emily claims.

Duchess Meghan's public "message" that they're still part of the family is particularly interesting given how open Harry's been about wanting to reconcile with the royals. It's a subtle detail that could actually be very significant, hinting she's aligned with her husband on building bridges with King Charles.

The Met Gala is fashion's biggest night. Held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, it's a red-carpet roll call of who's in (and who's out).

Earlier this month, the A-list turned out in force: Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Rihanna, Zoë Kravitz, Margot Robbie, Blake Lively, Madonna - the list goes on.

But there was one name missing - Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

It was hugely surprising on two counts. The first because she's just launched herself as a fashion influencer (selling her 'look' online), and the second because two of her besties, Katy Perry and Serena Williams, were also there.

What better way to advertise her brand than by hobnobbing with the great, the good and every fashion designer worth their sequins?

But I believe the reason she wasn't invited is that she's reportedly upset the most powerful woman in fashion: Dame Anna Wintour, Vogue supremo and inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada.

Anna is a huge royalist, supported the King and Queen on their US state visit and was reportedly not amused by Meghan and Harry's bashing of the Royal Family.

It's she who is responsible for the guest list (incidentally, she has invited the Princess of Wales several times, but Kate has always gracefully declined) and she did not extend an invitation to Meghan.

And that's not the only door that's shutting. It was once rumoured that Meghan was hopeful of high-end fashion house Dior signing her (for big bucks) as an ambassador, but that did not happen.

And despite Meghan inviting herself to Balenciaga's Paris show last autumn, with her spokespeople gushing that she was a long-time friend of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, that brand has not signed her either.

One source said, '[Harry and Meghan] have truly lost the plot. I hear she's spiralling badly because she knows nothing is working. The whole thing about her [As Ever] stuff selling out isn't true any more. I don't think either of them are happy.'

I'm told other high-profile friends who could have helped them have also walked away due to their unfortunate habit of falling out with everyone.

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos was said to have 'grown weary' of the couple and, according to Hollywood bible Variety, reportedly said he would not sit for a call with Meghan without a lawyer on the line (Netflix has denied this).

Even when he and wife Nicole Avant posed for pictures with Meghan at a Netflix event, after the unflattering Variety piece, many of them mysteriously disappeared from the picture agency. Word on the street was that Meghan was unhappy with how she looked.

Pictures, again, were a source of dispute with the über-influential Kardashians.

After Kim and her mum Kris Jenner posted, then deleted, pictures of Harry and Meghan at Kris' 70th birthday party, the Kardashians were said to be furious about the Sussex briefings that they had not agreed to public pictures.

The reality was that Harry was unhappy because it was Remembrance Day weekend in the UK, and he worried that it looked disrespectful to be partying while all the other royals were solemnly remembering our war dead at the Royal Albert Hall.

As if to cement their persona non grata status, the couple were absent from all of King Charles' engagements in America.

President Trump reinforced their unpopularity when he said that there are 'too many things' stopping Harry returning to the family fold, adding, 'That wife of his. Boy, what she's done to that guy.'

Another source in their orbit claims the pair are 'wildly unhappy'. It's clear that many of their projects have not gone to plan. Perhaps they want different things work-wise?

Harry reportedly even wants to move to the solitude of Montana. Meghan is carefully watching their spend, while Harry is thought to lack 'basic awareness' of what things cost, having been brought up in a palace with no bills to pay.

I've reported before on their expensive lifestyle - and how they've recently gutted their Sussex operation. From 16 full-time staff, they are now down to a chief of staff each, a charity consultant, two TV executives, a communications chief in the UK and a press agency, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis, in the USA.

It's ironic that apparently one of the main reasons Meghan wanted to leave the UK was that she discovered that Prince William would ultimately fund them. Once she found out that, as King, William would be responsible for how much money they received, she apparently wanted out.

But Harry clearly misses the UK, his family and being a working royal. As I reported last week, he still thinks he is one, yet is making a buck at the same time. The path appears to be set - 'working royal' engagements plus commercial ventures that will lean on their status.

For, as one associate said, 'They don't have a choice at this point. They really need the money.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't set foot on UK soil as a couple since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022 but they made sure to include a very British detail in their wedding anniversary celebrations. Harry and Meghan marked their 8 year anniversary at home with Archie and Lilibet and whether they made it themselves or commissioned it, they all enjoyed a special cake.

In her Instagram Stories Meghan confirmed it was elderflower and lemon - the same flavour as the Sussexes' three-tier wedding cake. It even had a fresh flower on top too. The original masterpiece was crafted by Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery, who previously described the flavour of the elderflower buttercream as "quintessentially spring and British".

Elderflower grows wild in the UK and even though the couple broke with royal tradition with their surprising flavour choice, the final cake still paid tribute to Harry's home country. Usually royals go for long-lasting fruit cakes, like the Prince and Princess of Wales's and you save tiers to be used as christening cakes.

Harry and Meghan's children were fully involved in the anniversary celebrations and likely got to enjoy a slice of the new lemon and elderflower cake. We got to see a glimpse of their gifts for their parents and a handwritten card, with the envelope reading "Mama and Papa".

Interestingly, this is a subtle sign that Archie and Lilibet are being raised with little nods to their British heritage. Prince Harry and Prince William both call King Charles "Pa" and he in turn used to call Prince Philip "Papa". We also know that the Wales kids use "Papa" for William.

Harry has kept up the custom with his kids and you'd think that they might use "Dad" instead which is far more popular in America and more casual. Archie and Lilibet also call Meghan "Mama" but they've also called her the "best mummy" before.

The Duchess revealed as much on Jamie Kern Lima's podcast where she read out a letter from her children, with a little help from Prince Harry. Perhaps "mummy" and not "mommy" was used because it was him writing it, although Meghan actually said she loved that they chose this spelling because it was "very British".

Prince Harry appears to have nostalgia for British life too, as he apparently told singer Joss Stone how "wonderful" the schools are in the UK and "how important community is for children". Even though the family are well and truly at home in California, there's still a sense of both worlds.

The couple's wedding anniversary was the perfect opportunity to nod to this with their lemon and elderflower cake and in Meghan's Instagram Stories we also got to see what her husband got her for their bronze anniversary. Appropriately enough, it was a bronze statue of two penguins and the reason for the present was clear.

Beside the gift was a picture of Prince Harry and Meghan wearing penguin onesies at their engagement party back in 2017.

"When Mama and Papa got engaged, we had a party with all of our friends, and we said, 'Everyone wear an animal onesie,'" Meghan told Archie and Lilibet. "We were penguins. Because we're together for life."

The Duchess of Sussex has gone all out for her and Prince Harry's 8th wedding anniversary and shared two posts on Instagram featuring never-before-seen snaps. Taken by the brilliant photographer Chris Allerton, there's so much emotion captured in the pictures, but there's one photo of the Sussexes in St George's Chapel that caught my eye.

It's the second snapshot in the "daytime" post and shows Prince Harry pointing at the flowers in Meghan's bouquet as she beams down at it. It's easy to miss the significance of this moment and it's tricky to make out the exact flower he's gesturing to.

However, the bouquet was something he was personally involved in and it paid tribute to his late mother. At the time of Harry and Meghan's wedding Kensington Palace confirmed that he "handpicked several flowers" from their "private garden".

These were added to the bouquet designed by Philippa Craddock. The statement also announced that the spring blooms "include Forget-Me-Nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales' favourite flower" and "the couple specifically chose them".

Although blue Forget-Me-Nots are most common, the flowers also come in white and these ones fitted in beautifully with the rest of Meghan's all-white bouquet. Other flowers in the arrangement were sweet peas, jasmine, lily of the valley, astrantia and astilbe, as well as the traditional sprig of myrtle that royal brides have had since Queen Victoria's reign.

It's possible that any of these were the blooms Harry picked in their garden, though I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to pick Forget-Me-Nots because of how sentimental they are to him. This would also make sense that they're grown there because of Diana's connection to Kensington Palace, her former home.

Perhaps it was these flowers that Harry was specifically pointing to in the Chris Allerton picture shared by Meghan, as the others are pretty but don't necessarily have that emotional pull to them. This quiet moment at St George's Chapel would also have been an opportunity for the groom to properly look at the finished bouquet in all its glory.

The Forget-Me-Nots weren't the only way Princess Diana was included in the wedding day. Meghan's engagement ring features diamonds from her collection and for the evening reception, the Duchess of Sussex wore one of her late mother-in-law's rings.

The emerald-cut aquamarine ring is stunning and Meghan's gone on to wear it several times since her wedding day, including in December 2022 for the Ripple of Hope Gala.

It's clear how much thought went into the smallest details at the Sussexes' wedding and we got to see so many other special moments in Meghan's posts too, including the couple kissing on the dance floor at the reception and boogieing up a storm.

Their first dance was to Land of a Thousand Dances and in their Harry & Meghan Netflix series the Duchess described it as a "whirlwind".

"I just really wanted the music to be fun. Even our first dance," Meghan said, adding, "It was like a whirlwind, it was so great."

Looking solemn and reflective, Kate Middleton laid a wreath to honour Australia’s war dead on 25 April. In another sign of how much trust the King places in her and how she is stepping up as a senior royal, he asked her to represent the Royal Family for this year’s Anzac Day commemorations.

During a moving ceremony at the Cenotaph in London, the Princess of Wales laid a wreath to remember all those from Australia and New Zealand who served and died in military operations.

It is a national holiday and day of remembrance in both countries (similar to our Remembrance Sunday), and Kate later attended a service of commemoration at Westminster Abbey. What a difference to Meghan Markle, who had visited Australia just a week before…

There she was accused of 'cashing in' on her royal title, using visits to a children’s hospital and Bondi Beach as PR capital to boost a new fashion venture.

Although Meghan is not a working royal, she and Harry acted as though they were on a non-royal ‘royal tour’ of Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra - where, let’s not forget, Charles is the King and head of their Armed Forces.

A royal source said, "The Princess of Wales quietly showed everyone how it was done last weekend. Dignified, respectful and showing up to honour all the military of Australia and New Zealand. It’s a fitting riposte to the Duchess of Sussex.

"She is arguably only as famous as she is because of her title gained from marrying into the Royal Family. And she is using it to profit personally. Catherine is revered because she is all about public service and duty, never about herself."

Indeed, I’m told that the Prince and Princess of Wales were quietly ‘horrified’ about Meghan ‘selling’ the outfit that she wore to meet survivors and emergency responders of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

She appeared moved to tears while hugging and meeting those who had survived the Hanukkah event last December where 15 people were killed and 40 injured.

But she attracted huge criticism when, shortly afterward, her £1,480 ‘beach chic’ look of striped shirt and white trousers was posted on a fashion website where she is paid a percentage from sales.

Prince Harry and lifeguards were also in the picture - which was later changed to one of just Meghan next to a car, wearing the same outfit. But the damage was done.

Meghan’s page on fashion platform OneOff, where she is billed as 'Meghan, Duchess of Sussex', features dozens of pictures of her in recent months, many pointedly showing her hand-in-hand with the late Queen’s grandson (still fifth in line to the throne), all with links to buy her outfits.

Every time someone buys an item, the website receives a 10 to 25% cut - which is then split with Meghan.

It’s also highly likely that the duchess would have got much of her Australia wardrobe for free, as this is standard practice with fashion influencers. They are ‘gifted’ free outfits in return for featuring them on their social media platforms.

But for royal women, the rules are different.

The fundamental principle is that no gifts (ranging from clothes, jewellery and handbags to even cuddly toys or kitchen equipment) should be accepted that would, or would appear to, place the royal under any obligation to the donor - for example, receiving free clothes with the expectation that they be worn to a public event and thus give the designer publicity.

In the past, the Princess of Wales has bought clothes online, borrowed clothes from favoured designers (via her stylists and PAs) or paid cost price to have clothes made for her. She doesn’t receive ‘freebies’, although a company could get round the rules by, say, sending her a handbag as a Christmas or birthday gift.

And obviously she doesn’t get paid when the ‘Kate effect’ means her outfits then sell out.

Royal expert Richard Palmer said the sale of Meghan’s Bondi outfit online reflected badly on the Sussexes. "This is perhaps the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand," he said.

"I think this will have alarm bells ringing at the Palace. They can say it’s nothing to do with the institution because Harry and Meghan aren’t publicly funded members of it - but they are the King’s son and daughter-in-law and any suggestion of cashing in on royal status reflects badly on the monarchy."

But Kate quietly reminds Meghan how it should be done, arguably the biggest call-out someone could ask for…

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Was it all just one long 'Yah boo sucks' to the actual working royals? Or was it to show them that, actually, despite being denied the option of being 'half in, half out' at the Sandringham Summit six years ago in January 2020, Meghan and Harry have got exactly what they wanted?

For their ‘royal tour’ to Australia two weeks ago looked, well… extremely royal. And while they have denied that the trip was to seek publicity, they certainly found it.

They were feted at a children’s hospital in Melbourne, Meghan served lunch at a women’s refuge, Harry talked about fatherhood and mental health at an Australian rules football club, they sailed round iconic Sydney Harbour and Harry donned his medals for a sombre Last Post ceremony and wreath-laying at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

It was a veritable royal-tour bingo full house. Except there was also money to be made.

Ahead of the tour, much was made of their paid-for speaking engagements - Harry at a mental-health summit (although aides later insisted he didn’t receive a fee) and Meghan at a women’s retreat, earning her an estimated £130,000.

But, as became clear, this was the tip of the iceberg for Meghan’s money-making plan - perhaps explaining why she changed clothes so many times, had so many photo opportunities and was even a guest judge on MasterChef Australia.

Hours after she was meeting cancer sufferers and serving food to homeless women, it was revealed that Meghan was ‘merching’ the very clothes off her back via a new AI celebrity fashion portal that she is now investing in. Not just her £660 Karen Gee dress (an Australian designer, of course), but her £575 Real Fine Studio earrings and even her Christian Dior shoes.

Every time someone buys an item, the site gets a 10-25% cut - with Meghan receiving half. I’m not sure ‘tacky’ even begins to cover it. And it certainly explains why this initially ‘private’ and ‘low-key’ visit turned into a media circus. Meghan had to be seen to be believed - and sell her clothes!

Her page on the OneOff platform, where she is billed as 'Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’, features dozens of pictures of her in recent months, many pointedly showing her hand-in-hand with the late Queen’s grandson (still fifth in line to the throne), and all with links to buy her outfits.

Lest we forget (and, of course, recollections do vary), the late Queen said the Sussexes could not be ‘half in, half out’ royals because working royals cannot earn their own money (or merch their status), in order to preserve the clear blue water between public service and personal gain.

Despite the couple’s denial that the trip was for publicity, at Buckingham Palace there were eye-rolls and heavy sighs about the predictability of it all.

One Palace source said, "It’s pretty outrageous behaviour, particularly in a realm where the King is Head of State, to drum up all this publicity for their commercial endeavours with royal-tour choreography.

"The whole point about being a working royal is that they do it for others and for public service, not their bank balance."

So is it time they were stripped of their royal titles?

After all, in the giddy MasterChef Australia introduction, Meghan can be seen beaming from ear to ear after being introduced as ‘royalty’ and ‘the Duchess of Sussex’.

The only reason the Sussexes are famous is their relationship with the Royal Family - a relationship they have continued to monetise and, in my opinion, trash for five years, ever since they hung out their dirty laundry for Oprah Winfrey in 2021. No wonder the real royals are wary of seeing them.

Their former biggest paymasters - Netflix and Spotify - seem to have tired of them. So now, they are reduced to hawking their titles to anyone who will pay - rehashing the sob stories of ‘I was the most trolled person in the entire world’ (Meghan) and ‘I didn’t want this job, it killed my mum’ (Harry).

Which begs the question: Harry, what are you doing? The titles you insist broke you, the titles you refuse to relinquish and demand for your kids, are the titles that booked you those lucrative conference spots!

Certainly, the Aussie media were pretty hostile. One Melbourne newspaper ran a headline that read, ‘No One Cares About Sussexes’ “Faux” Tour’, while The Sydney Morning Herald put it more bluntly: ‘Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM. Does anyone seriously believe they are coming to our shores for reasons other than financial and reputational?’

And a comment piece in Melbourne’s Herald Sun described the couple as ‘grifters’ and criticised their ‘preachy brand of empowerment’.

One furious Australian told Woman, "They have no shame. They’re definitely not getting the same kind of welcome as last time. She went on MasterChef… they must be desperate. No half in, half out. He behaves as if he’s a working royal and he wants what Granny said wasn’t allowed.”

An online petition calling for no official support or taxpayer funding for the couple’s visit attracted over 45,000 signatures. The trip was privately funded, but police in Victoria and New South Wales confirmed they provided security as part of their “core policing business” and to ensure public safety.

It all looked very ‘half in, half out’ by stealth. Whether Harry and Meghan have the last laugh, with it providing wealth, remains to be seen.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Prince Harry has let it be known he’d 'love' to bring his family to Sandringham this summer. Those close to Team Sussex also say he believes an invitation from the King would allow him to bring Meghan, Archie and Lili with him to 'spend some time with the family' at the King’s private estate.

It’s thought the visit could coincide with an Invictus Games one-year-countdown event in Birmingham on 10 July, ahead of next year’s competition in the city.

So many questions... My first thought was why was Harry allowing his people to brief the The Sunday Times about his wishes, instead of calling his father himself? After all, the King may not have a mobile phone but the Buckingham Palace switchboard can put him through any time, anywhere. Why say anything at all publicly?

Harry has only seen his father twice since the coronation three years ago, Meghan hasn’t seen him since the late Queen’s funeral in 2022, while Archie and Lili have barely seen their grandfather at all. Why would Harry use the court of public opinion (again) to try and tug at the emotional heartstrings?

Of course the Palace is wary, and after all that’s happened could this be Meghan’s sweet revenge?

With their careers, credibility and collateral collapsing in the US, what are the Sussexes really after? Their partnership with streaming giant Netflix has all but come to an end, but would they still hope to turn up with a camera crew in tow for their big UK return?

Although the King and Harry are now talking, there is still a huge issue of trust (or lack of it). But the King has not seen Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, for four years, since they visited the UK during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. He is still receiving treatment for cancer and is not expected see them on his official three-day tour to America next week.

The King is known to be a doting grandfather to William and Kate’s kids - George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, eight this week - and I’m sure would want to know his Sussex grandchildren better.

But one of the key sticking points for Harry is, and has always been, the issue of safety.

Harry, 41, is waiting for a decision on his security in the UK from the Home Office and has repeatedly said he doesn’t feel it is safe to bring his family into the country unless he is reinstated with armed police protection.

The Sussexes had their security downgraded after stepping down from royal duties and moving to America in 2020. It’s thought an invitation to the huge and private Sandringham estate would come with a royal security package from the King.

Meghan is also said to be keen to come to the UK this summer for the one-year-to-go Invictus event and potentially bring their children, too. Though not long ago it was reported that she 'never wants to set foot' in her husband’s homeland again. She has attended similar events previously in Canada and Germany, and sources have said she wishes to do the same in the UK, provided safety concerns are handled.

The couple do have private security (led by a former Metropolitan police detective) but Harry wants armed cops protecting his family while they’re here.

But I did wonder whether the Invictus Games - and indeed the King’s health - have prompted the Sussexes to be more conciliatory.

To me, it’s obvious that King William will, at the very least, strip Archie and Lili of their prince/princess titles. And given William can bear a grudge and also, in my opinion, be utterly ruthless, he could also strip Harry and Meghan of their titles under the guise of a more modern and streamlined monarchy.

Far easier, then, for Harry to heal the rift while his beloved, forgiving Pa is still alive.

So imagine the Sussexes' disappointment when a source close to the King bluntly replied, 'If Harry truly wishes to see his father, he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, since low trust and bitter experience in this regard remains one of the principal barriers to progress.' Ouch.

With no other welcoming words from the King, it’s looking a lot like a non-starter, especially if William and Kate have anything to do with it, since they spend much of their summer holidays with the kids at their Anmer Hall home on the Sandringham estate.

Having said that, the King is a softie at heart. And wouldn’t he - and us all, really - like to see the rift with Harry and Meghan mended?

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

It’s easy to look at the photographs of Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australia visit and think that they were met with excitement by the Australian public. They certainly made an impression and were greeted positively by so many people, yet there are also other factors when it comes to measuring the trip's success.

Unlike the last time the Sussexes were Down Under in 2018, this time the couple undertook no walkabouts. These occasions are usually an excellent indication of public interest and mood, and an associate professor at Flinders University believes Prince Harry and Meghan’s itinerary "minimise[d] the risk" of negativity.

Giselle Bastin, who has a research interest in the relationship between Australia and the monarchy claimed to the BBC, "They didn't turn up at great big advertised opportunities to see them, at least not in the form of walkabouts".

"So they've managed to minimise the risk of people having a negative reaction, or hecklers calling out or booing them or anything like that," she continued.

Giselle expressed her belief that the visit was "very carefully controlled so that they just sort of spontaneously appear at places". In her view, "If they think it's gone well, it's because nothing has gone wrong."

Whilst they didn’t engage with giant crowds, they still made an impact and Michael Hartung, chief executive of Invictus Australia praised how much Harry and Meghan do for charitable causes.

"A lot of criticism is thrown their way and what we've seen this past week is they do a hell of a lot for charity and organisations like us, where their presence here in Australia has made a significant impact on our work," he said, adding, "It really does make a difference."

Like is so often the case where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are concerned, this four-day visit appears to have divided people. Like Giselle mentioned, large-scale walkabouts would definitely have opened them up to more potential criticism, not least because these are a hallmark of any royal tour.

The Australia trip raised eyebrows with how similar certain aspects were to an official royal visit despite Harry and Meghan stepping back as working royals in 2020. In Woman magazine, a senior source based at Buckingham Palace alleged to royal expert Duncan Larcombe that the Sussexes are "acting outside the rules" Queen Elizabeth set for them then.

Meanwhile Duncan himself wrote that his sources believe "King Charles and William feel very strongly that Harry and Meghan need to be reined in" and that "their 'royal visits' could pose a possible problem for the rest of the family".

Royal tours are high-profile diplomatic trips and are carried out at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The working royals are representing the UK abroad and their engagements aren’t blended with private, paid events. The same is true of State Visits like the King Charles and Queen Camilla will undertake to the US from 27th April-30th April, followed by His Majesty’s royal visit to Bermuda from 1st-2nd May.

King Charles and Prince Harry aren’t expected to meet during this time and this makes sense as the monarch’s recently-released schedule is packed. Traditional walkabouts apparently aren’t featured in the programme, but this is allegedly on the advice of the security services.

From the moment Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed their four-day Australia trip people couldn’t help but compare what they had planned with a traditional royal tour. Perhaps it didn’t help that the last time they were Down Under as a couple was when they were working royals on this kind of official overseas visit.

This time around the Sussexes aren’t representing the monarch and their itinerary is a mix of supporting charitable causes and private, paid events. This combination has raised eyebrows and in the latest issue of Woman, a senior source based at Buckingham Palace claimed, "Harry and Meghan are now acting outside the rules set down for them by Queen Elizabeth".

The late Queen apparently set these down "when they first chose to give up royal duties" in 2020. At the time, it was confirmed in a statement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not use their HRH titles as they weren’t working royals any longer.

Buckingham Palace also made it clear that with the Queen’s "blessing" the Sussexes would continue to "maintain their private patronages and associations", but could "no longer formally represent" her. Beyond this, it’s not clear which "rules" Queen Elizabeth set, however the statement makes a distinction between what they *used* to do and what they are going to do now.

Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australia trip isn’t a royal tour but it does bear some resemblance to one and this hasn’t gone uncommented upon. It’s also been widely reported over the years that the couple initially hoped to have a half-in, half-out arrangement rather than stepping back as working royals entirely.

Their four-day trip is a mix of royal-esque visits and business which is perhaps similar to how they might’ve imagined this working. Queen Elizabeth is said to have been very much against the idea of anyone being half-in The Firm and made her feelings plain at a summit held at Sandringham House in January 2020.

"The answer from the top was clear: no halfway role was possible. They were either in or out," claims royal author Robert Jobson in The Windsor Legacy. "Her Majesty’s ruling deepened the existing tensions in the family, particularly between Harry and William."

No other working member of the Royal Family maintains separate careers alongside their duties. The Duchess of Edinburgh used to have her own PR company and Prince Edward had been head of his own production company at one point.

Neither have these businesses now and although Sophie says she did "miss it very badly for a while", she later put her experience to good use as a senior royal. She told Harper’s Bazaar that she tries to use her skills "without overburdening the organisations [she’s] involved with – because [her] opinion is only one opinion".

The Edinburghs play a key role in supporting King Charles and Queen Camilla and go on plenty of royal visits overseas as part of this. Prince Harry and Meghan’s time in Australia will culminate with the Duchess speaking at a women’s retreat.

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This week the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Australia. It was the first time since their hugely popular - and successful - visit in 2018.

During their four-day visit, the pair made headlines, with Harry candidly addressing his "disconnection" when Meghan was pregnant and Meghan revealing some of the private struggles she faces every day.

I was there when they headed Down Under as working royals and it was announced on their arrival that they were having their first child.

On the surface, it was a great trip.

Crowds came out in their thousands; Meghan baked banana bread for their hosts; they even brought much-needed rain to the Outback, and I remember chatting to Aboriginal girls who said that a woman of Meghan’s colour was an inspiration to them all.

But behind the scenes it was a different story.

Palace staff had scrambled to try to cover the trip after relations had broken down with some senior courtiers. The staff who did come seemed stressed, overworked and never entirely sure whether or where Meghan would turn up.

There were apocryphal stories of late arrivals for engagements due to the duchess not being happy with her hair or wardrobe; of fallings-out with Sir David Beckham and Harry refusing to be pictured with him at the Invictus Games (from memory, this was never actually communicated to poor Becks, so he was left to wonder what was up with Harry), and the initial rumblings that Harry had seriously fallen out with his brother, Prince William.

The tour can probably be summed up in a line Meghan was alleged to have said when she spotted the cheering crowds. According to author Valentine Low, she was heard to quip, "I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this." (You were, Meghan, BTW, via the UK and Australian taxpayer!)

This time, their tour is purely personal, taking in 'private, business and philanthropic' engagements. The financial highlights (for the couple, at least) include a weekend women’s 'retreat' to be held in a Sydney hotel where the duchess is the guest speaker and VIP tickets cost around £1,700 a head.

This reportedly led one royal insider to comment acidly, "She’s basically Fergie now."

Harry spoke at a mental-health event in Melbourne. Crisis support service Lifeline Narrm announced that he was to be a speaker at its InterEdge Psychosocial Workplace Safety Summit, which took place on 15th and 16th April.

It’s been suggested that Harry will pocket £30,000 for his gig, while Meghan’s, hosted by Aussie podcast, Her Best Life, is likely to pay less.

It’s a long way from those crowds I saw on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Prince Harry and Meghan's romance first became public in 2016 and since then, the Duchess of Sussex said she has faced an onslaught of online abuse every single day. She opened up about her private struggles with trolling during a visit to Batyr, a mental health engagement programme at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

Prince Harry joined his wife for this visit, where Meghan discussed the realisation she came to after being the "most trolled person" in the world. In a conversation with young advocates she declared, "Every day for ten years, I've been bullied and attacked, and I was the most trolled person in the entire world. Man or woman. But I'm still here."

Whilst the Duchess was a public figure before her relationship with Harry thanks to her role on hit show Suits, her profile and the scrutiny of her every move skyrocketed when they were linked. After their marriage things only increased and Megan described a heart-breaking realisation she had about the way things stand with the "

"When I think of all of you and what you're experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realise that, no, that industry, that billion dollar industry, is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks," she shared. "That's not going to change."

Her advice to the advocates was that "you have to be stronger than that" and spoke of how she'd been given a gift that helps her navigate life as someone targeted by trolls. A friend gave her a little bag with a quote on it that the Duchess of Sussex looks at "every single day".

It says, 'My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are and how you are to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness and to allow humour to lighten the burden of your tender heart.'

Duchess Meghan declared that this is her wish for all of the advocates too, encouraging them that they can do it. Given everything she’s experienced for a decade, she knows this could be easier said than done, saying, "I will personally tell you it's not easy, but you can do it."

She and Harry have been incredibly open about their mental health over the years and advocate for online safety, frequently talking about the impact social media can have particularly on young people. The Duchess of Sussex only returned to social media herself last year and her posts have comments turned off, likely to keep any potential bullying off her page and protect her wellbeing.

In December 2025 Australia restricted social media use for under-16s and during Meghan and Harry’s visit to Batyr, the Prince praised the country for doing so. He also lamented that it had come to this.

"Australia took the lead," he said. "Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban… from a responsibility and leadership standpoint - epic."

"It should have never, ever got to a ban," Prince Harry added. "Because the companies themselves have to be accountable, and there’s no way that young people should be punished by being banned from something that should be safe to use."

The Duchess of Sussex’s fashion sense is widely admired but her green look in Australia felt cooler and more contemporary than a lot of the sleek tailoring and floor-sweeping gowns she’s worn recently. Meghan and Prince Harry are undertaking a visit, likened by some to a royal tour, and on Day 1 she stepped out in a knitted vest, maxi skirt and collarless suede jacket at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.

This was an outfit that is actually easy to recreate more affordably - something that can’t be said about every royal ensemble. Taking a leaf out of Zara Tindall’s book, the Duchess is clearly keen to champion Australian designers whilst in the country and her suede cocoon jacket and column skirt were both by St Agni.

Recreate Meghan's Outfit

Alongside trench coats and blazers, suede jackets are a popular outerwear style for spring and the texture of the material adds softness and dimension to an outfit. This is especially key if you’re dressing in primarily one colour like Meghan.

She tends to steer away from bright shades with her everyday wardrobe, but this look shows that you don’t have to go vibrant to embrace a pop of colour. Khaki is more muted than most of the spring/summer fashion colour trends for 2026 and it has a warmth to it that particularly complements neutrals like tan, cream and brown, though red also looks great with it.

Once inside the museum with Prince Harry, Meghan took off her jacket and this gave us more of a glimpse at her knitted vest too. On a cooler spring day a sleeveless knit can be the perfect top and hers was taupe, with a high neckline and ribbed detailing.

A vest like this is slightly more sophisticated than a basic cami top and can be just as versatile, tucking effortlessly into skirts, trousers and jeans. You can also layer over them with cardigans and jackets for extra warmth without overheating, thanks to the sleeveless silhouette.

Longer skirts work well with vests like Meghan’s, as they provide extra coverage to balance out the lack of sleeves and this combination together can sometimes resemble a chic midi dress. If you want a sleek, streamlined look then I’d advise sticking to column or pencil skirts and to accentuate the waist, a flared or A-line design would be ideal.

Another clever trick Meghan used with this outfit that’s worth copying is keeping to a minimal colour palette, which makes it look more understated and elegant. Many of the royals like doing this and the Duchess also matched with Prince Harry’s khaki shirt.

Everything looked considered and although we might never know for sure, it’s possible they both went for khaki green as a subtle nod to military uniforms, given where they were visiting. They were given a tour of the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum and were shown artwork created by an army reservist, before getting involved in a model-making activity with veterans and their families.

This was Day 1 of their four-day visit to Australia and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last there together back in 2018 when they were still working members of the Royal Family. This 2026 trip will see them visiting charitable causes as well as private, paid engagements.

Prince Harry and Meghan are in Australia for four days on a visit some have likened to a royal tour. The couple, who stepped back as working royals in 2020, last went to the country together in 2018 and this time their itinerary is packed with everything from visits to charitable causes to private, paid visits.

They could've chosen to start off anywhere, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent a powerful statement when they began their tour in Melbourne. They headed to the Royal Children’s Hospital on the morning of Day 1 - a hospital which Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles visited during their royal tour back in 1985.

The medical centre is one of the country's foremost children’s hospitals. Other royals who have visited before include the late Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, who toured the paediatric care hub and officially opened it in 2011.

With so many different places the couple could have visited on Day 1, it’s perhaps not a coincidence that they followed in the footsteps of Harry’s late mother and his father. In a podcast interview in 2022, Harry told retired rugby player Gareth Thomas of his intentional decision to continue the legacy and work of Princess Diana, even after stepping back from royal duties.

He explained, "I think once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, I can't turn my back on that. Then add in the fact that my mum's work was unfinished, I feel obligated to try and continue that as much as possible."

The Duke and Duchess's visit came 41 years after Diana's and was declared a major success by the Board Chair of the hospital, Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO, who told People, "Look around and you can see the crowds of people, the smiles on their faces and what it means to them."

"Everyone is absolutely delighted. You can’t measure the morale boost, but it is palpable," she continued.

The Sussexes will also travel to Canberra and Sydney during their time in Australia and all eyes are on the couple right now, with a lot of scrutiny over the schedule. Emily Andrews, woman&home's royal correspondent, thinks it's "quite confusing" that they're doing public visits "as this is categorically not a royal tour" and they're not representing King Charles or the Royal Family.

Harry and Meghan are said to have hoped to take a half-in, half-out approach before they stepped back as working royals. Queen Elizabeth, it is claimed, was not a fan of this idea, which royal historian Hugo Vickers explores in his biography of the late monarch.

"[Harry] wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family," alleged Vickers in Queen Elizabeth II. "In the new year of 2020, the three private secretaries, Sir Edward Young, Sir Clive Alderton, and Simon Case, went into summit mode on the Sandringham estate and drafted their proposal."

"[Harry] went to Sandringham for the meeting and was told it was either all in or all out. He returned to Canada - reluctantly out," the author added.

This week the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are visiting Australia. Initially I was told by their people that this was NOT a tour; rather a series of 'private business meetings', looking at 'potential supply partners and chains' for Meghan's As Ever brand with 'not much media'.

When I asked if Harry was even going to do anything (aside from a corporate speaking engagement at a mental health summit), we both joked that he could do some surfing or maybe something with Invictus. So imagine my surprise, when I was sent their four day public itinerary last week, to see it looked like a carbon copy of the royal tour playbook.

And far from 'not much media', the couple are taking a reporter and photographer from the Press Association (which files to all national and international media) to provide ample coverage of their four days in three cities (Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney).

Engagements such as visiting Canberra's national war memorial complete with last post ceremony, a children's hospital, a women's refuge, sailing around Sydney harbour and watching a rugby match easily tick off a royal tour bingo full house.

I was with Harry and Meghan the last time they visited Australia - in 2018 when they were still working royals. But this time they're combining money-making speaking engagements.

So I do think it's quite confusing for them to do these public visits (the Melbourne hospital is even called the Royal Children's Hospital) as this is categorially not a royal tour as they are not representing the Royal Family, nor Australia's monarch. I wondered why they've suddenly decided to do so many royal-type public engagements.

Is it in the quest for more (and frankly better than they've had recently) PR? Back in 2018 they travelled Down Under as working royals, having just announced that they were having their first child. On the surface it was a great trip.

Crowds came out in their thousands; Meghan baked banana bread for their hosts; they even brought much-needed rain to the Outback and I remember chatting to Aboriginal girls who told me a woman of Meghan's colour was an inspiration to them all. But behind the scenes was a different story.

Palace staff had been scrambled to try and cover the trip after relations had broken down with some senior courtiers. The staff that did come seemed stressed, over-worked and never entirely sure whether or where Meghan would turn up.

There were apocryphal stories of late arrivals for engagements due to the Duchess not being happy with her hair or wardrobe; of fallings-out with David Beckham and Harry refusing to be pictured with him at the Invictus Games (from memory this was never actually communicated to poor Becks so he was left to wonder what was up with Harry) and the initial rumblings that Harry had seriously fallen out with brother William.

In fact, the tour can probably be summed up in the quite amazing line from Meghan (according to the author Valentine Low) that when she stepped out onto the Sydney Opera House steps and saw the cheering crowds, she quipped to an aide: 'I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this.' Well…. Now she is.

This weekend is a 'Meet Meghan' three day wellness event hosted by popular Aussie podcast Her Best Life at a Sydney hotel where the Duchess is the guest speaker (VIP tickets cost £1705 a head). This led one well-placed royal insider to acidly comment: 'She's basically Fergie now' - a reference to the former Duchess of York's insatiable chasing of money after she left the Royal Family.

It's not known how much she's being paid, although Aussie media suggest that her involvement is also to promote the new Soho House Sydney, set to open in the coming months. So I do think the Sussexes need to stick to their lane. If they want to make money, make private visits.

If they want splashy positive PR, visiting a royal hospital last visited by the then Prince and Princess of Wales, return as working royals. But they shouldn't try to do both. Will the Aussies love them or loathe them? We'll find out this week!

Behind closed doors Queen Elizabeth was seemingly not afraid to put her foot down if she felt her family needed to be told off. According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, who met the late monarch over 40 times, she once "got in her car" and went to talk to the Duchess of Sussex after receiving a report from the head gardener at Windsor.

He was asked about the alleged incident on the Daily T podcast and claimed, "She apparently was rude to one of the under-gardeners and the head gardener went up to the Queen and reported this and the Queen got in her car and went down and tore a strip off her because you cannot be rude to staff."

In Hugo’s view, Meghan Markle had "been rude to the gardener, so she needed to be ticked off, put in her place" by Queen Elizabeth.

As of now, the Duchess of Sussex hasn’t publicly commented on the historian’s remarks regarding this supposed telling-off. However, this isn’t the first time reports have circulated about Queen Elizabeth rebuking Meghan over her approach to certain aspects of royal life.

Writing in The Windsor Legacy, royal author Robert Jobson claimed that the Duchess’s choice to wear a Dior dress with an "estimated £60,000 price tag" during a visit to Morocco "drew the Queen’s ire" when she read about it. She apparently "later let Meghan know" that an outfit this expensive "was an ill-judged choice".

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is said to have made her feelings clear to Prince Harry about who had final say over the Duchess’s wedding tiara. His alleged "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets" comment is now well-known, but the monarch reportedly disagreed.

"Her Majesty did not approve. 'Meghan cannot have whatever she wants,' she was reported to have replied. 'She gets the tiara that she's given by me’," claimed royal author Robert Lacey.

In his memoir, Prince Harry denied he ever uttered such a remark at all and Meghan ultimately wore Queen Mary’s Bandeau Tiara for their wedding. Whilst these reports claim she might have had words with Meghan occasionally, the Duchess of Sussex has always talked glowingly about her late grandmother-in-law.

She called her the "most shining example" of female leadership a few months after Queen Elizabeth passed away and expressed "deep gratitude" for having got to spend time with her. The monarch was also known to step in and scold other family members, including Prince William, when she felt it was necessary.

He previously reminisced in the Our Queen at Ninety documentary about getting reprimanded when he was younger.

"We were chasing Zara around who was on a go-cart, and Peter and I managed to herd Zara into a lamppost. And the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her, and I remember my grandmother being the first person out at Balmoral running across the lawn in her kilt," he said, sharing that she came "charging over" and gave them an "almighty b*********".

Queen Elizabeth was also spotted telling the Prince of Wales to "stand up" when they were on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour in 2016. He’d been bending down to chat to George but immediately straightened up in response to his remarkable granny.

On the day Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2022 the world looked on as her nearest and dearest made the trip north to Balmoral to her bedside. King Charles is understood to have called Princes William and Harry and asked them to head to Northolt Airport to travel to Scotland.

However, according to Tom Bower’s biography, Betrayal, Meghan’s plan to accompany her husband was deemed "unacceptable" by Charles. So much so that he allegedly phoned Harry again, unable to stop thinking about the Queen’s "disappointment".

"When Charles heard that Meghan intended to come, he called Harry. That was unacceptable, said Charles," Bower claims, adding, "Underlying Charles’s anger that fateful morning was his mother’s disappointment that the Sussexes had attacked the very institution which gave them so much."

The royal biographer suggests that "since Meghan had refused the Queen’s invitations to Balmoral" extended during Her Majesty’s lifetime, she was apparently "unwelcome at her death".

"Sharing his grief with Meghan, who maligned the monarchy, was unthinkable, said Charles. He believed that, to her dying day, his mother was shocked by Harry’s disloyalty," adds Bower.

The Sussexes’ spokesperson has already responded to the release of Bower’s biography, stating that the claims are "deranged conspiracy and melodrama" and that the author has "long crossed the line from criticism into fixation". Nonetheless, in his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry also describes the call with King Charles over Meghan’s intention to come to Balmoral with him.

He remarks that his father started to explain his reasons for the Duchess staying behind "but they didn’t make any sense at all" and were "disrespectful". It was also revealed to him that the Princess of Wales would not be coming, so Meghan wouldn’t be the only royal wife absent.

In Kate’s case, royal expert Russell Myers claims in William & Catherine that she stayed behind in Windsor to be there when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis got home from their first day at their new school and to tell them the sad news.

The King’s supposed "anger" that day the Queen died perhaps makes sense given how much scrutiny the royals had been under in general since Harry and Meghan’s departure and Oprah Winfrey interview. The prospect of losing his beloved mother likely only increased the sense of pressure and reflectiveness.

It’s thought that Meghan has still never been to Balmoral and there are various reasons why she and Harry might not have gone during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, including the distance after they relocated to the US. She attended the Queen’s funeral and has always been full of admiration when she talks about her husband’s grandmother.

"There’s been such an outpouring of love and support," Meghan said to Variety a month after the Queen’s death. "I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time."

"Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her," the Duchess declared.

I confess I was slightly flabbergasted by the news that Netflix and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had consciously uncoupled.

Netflix had, of course, already 'dumped' Meghan and Prince Harry last year after their five-year media deal came to an end (the arrangement is now a 'first look' at any Sussex project.)

But the $350bn streamer had invested a lot of money 12 months ago in Meghan's lifestyle and jam-not-jam brand As Ever. Then I received a WhatsApp from Team Sussex telling me that As Ever and Netflix were breaking up.

And the reason? Because Meghan was being ‘held back' by a ‘cautious' Netflix. Say what?!

Team Sussex were busy spinning that the duchess, 44, was relieved to be able to ‘go it alone'.

One of her team told me, 'Netflix do sell merchandise [for hits] like Bridgerton or Squid Game, but it's only a side hustle to them. We've been pushing to do more as As Ever has grown exponentially over the past 12 months and they just wanted to play it very safe.'

Do we really think that the streaming giant would dump a 'hugely profitable business' (again, her team) just 12 months in? And ask for repayment of their investment?

Seems unlikely to me.

The move comes months after Netflix axed her lifestyle show With Love, Meghan after two series, and amid some scathing reviews. It also follows closely on the heels of that website glitch in January that revealed unsold stock totalling £16.3 million, including 220,000 jars of jam.

Could it indicate As Ever is struggling? Currently they only ship to the US, so if she does want global coverage, then I guess a big stock list is necessary.

But as I wrote a couple of weeks back, Meghan and Harry have a very expensive lifestyle to maintain.

I estimated it costs in the region of £4-5 million a year. That is a LOT of jam - sorry, spread - she needs to sell. This month, the Sussexes are off to Australia for 'business meetings' and separate speaking engagements in Sydney and Melbourne.

Maybe that's how they will fund their life now - and good luck to them.

Looking at pictures of Harry and Meghan’s recent visit to Jordan (just before Israel and the US started bombing nearby Iran), I was reminded how good they are at (that bit of) being royal.

Invited by the World Health Organization, they radiated sympathy and good cheer with a dose of Hollywood glamour.

Playing football with kids: check. Holding hands with victims: check. Visiting a refugee camp for displaced Syrians, supporting a centre for recovering addicts and writing Post-it messages of encouragement: check, check, check.

Meghan channelled some of her 'dress-down, caring Princess Diana' wardrobe in khaki, beige and black.

Yes, I know they’re no longer working royals, so this was not an official trip. But it’s undeniable that Harry, especially, is very good at this.

He connects with new people quickly, empathises consistently and finds it easy to communicate with those who’ve suffered great pain - authentically.

I know Harry and Meghan rather sold their family down the river with Oprah, Netflix and Spare, but it’s hard to deny that they are great in this kind of public tour.

After Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace and the tarnishing effect on his poor daughters, royals outside the scandal have never felt so welcome.

While the King, Queen, William and Catherine were forced to stop much of their royal travel (and engagements) due to cancer and ill health, Harry and Meghan visited Colombia, Nigeria and Canada - and they’re off to Australia next month.

Their Jordan trip drew attention to the WHO’s work in helping refugees - as well as the non-profit World Central Kitchen, where they’ve donated their own money.

We can all scoff that it’s about them - but Harry does want to use their platform for good. I’m told he wakes up every morning and says: ‘What can I do to help?’

If they were still part of the Firm, they could visit women’s shelters and charities that combat sex trafficking - which would garner far more column inches than poor Camilla, who’s been working in this area for ages. (Her recent speech on the abhorrent violence against women for International Women’s Day was seen as a thinly veiled attempt to show the Crown is taking all this seriously.)

I have an idea. Meghan clearly wants to do the ‘girl boss’ thing, sell her flower sprinkles to the world, and never return to royal life (while keeping the titles, naturally…). But why can’t we have Harry back? He would be given a new lease of life and be utterly brilliant, just when the royals need it.

More from the palace

Preparations are under way for the King and Queen’s state visit to the US in April - but should they go? The King seems to be our only 'Trump card' with the US president in what feels like an increasingly fragile and insecure world.

Some politicians have called for the visit to be cancelled, but I think they have to go - even if the visit is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Americans getting rid of the Royal Family to become a republic.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

We’ve arguably seen more of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet over the last year than at any other point in their lives. They're often in adorable snaps and videos on the Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram account, including recently-shared behind-the-scenes clips of Meghan’s As Ever brand shoot with "Mama’s little helpers".

Whilst their faces are still angled away from the camera, it’s a notable change from the approach Meghan and Prince Harry used to take. According to Tom Bower’s new book, Betrayal, insiders have suggested that there have been "arguments" over Archie and Lili’s exposure to the media.

"Insiders spoke about tensions between them and arguments about their children," the book claims. "Harry was reportedly irritated that Meghan used their children to promote herself. He believed they should remain shielded from the media to avoid the exposure he had suffered as a child."

Meghan had begun her speech after arriving on Day 3 of the Invictus Games Dusseldorf in 2023 by explaining she "had to spend a little more time getting [their] little ones settled at home" before making the trip from California. Reflecting upon the insider reports of "arguments", Tom writes that she and Harry had "opposite" views about Archie and Lili being photographed.

"Worried about security, Harry insisted that their children should not be photographed. Meghan argued the opposite. The children, she believed, were important for her brand. She spoke of them living as normal Californian children," the royal author alleges.

The Duchess reportedly also "demanded that in time, her little prince and princess should have the same exposure as William and Kate's children". They're all the King's grandchildren, but Prince George, Charlotte and Louis are significantly higher in the royal line of succession and have grown up as some of the most-photographed kids in the world.

Their public presence will only increase as they get older and Prince William ascends the throne. Comparatively, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are able to lead much more private lives in California, as Harry and Meghan aren’t working for The Firm and aren’t often at royal occasions.

Tom Bower suggests that "eyewitnesses speculated that the tension between the couple was resolved, or perhaps not" in their hotel suite. Since then, the Sussexes’ allegedly very different views over their children being photographed seem to have aligned. There’s surely no way that Meghan would feature Archie and Lilibet as often as she does on Instagram - minus their faces - if Harry were still "insisting" otherwise.

In a recent edition of her Royal Insider column, Woman’s Royal Editor Emily Andrews expressed her belief that the children "are part of Meghan’s 'perfect family' brand".

"Their team would argue that carefully controlled images of their children are totally compatible with both Harry’s campaigning (and wish for privacy) and Meghan’s quest for sales," she stated. "I would say that’s for the birds. Many celebrities rarely mention their children, let alone post pictures of them."

The publication of Betrayal has already attracted a considerable amount of attention, including from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex themselves. Responding after the release of extracts in recent weeks, their spokesperson stated their belief that investigative biographer Bower had "long crossed the line from criticism into fixation".

"This is someone who has publicly stated, 'the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,' language that speaks for itself," they said. "He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have an extremely expensive life. Their annual cost of living in America is estimated to be around £5 million a year, when mortgage repayments for their Montecito mansion, security, staff and estate maintenance are added up.

Meanwhile, it's suggested Meghan's As Ever lifestyle range is in trouble, being given away for free at Netflix headquarters after a huge unsold stockpile was revealed in January, despite the gifting period over Christmas and New Year.

Prince Harry has spent millions on court cases - the bill for his failed attempt to get the Home Office to pay for his security in the UK was estimated at £1.5 million. And the ongoing court case in London’s High Court against the publishers of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday is estimated to run to £38 million in costs.

Although the Sussexes netted a deal with Netflix thought to be worth £74 million, they were let go last year. With their costs soaring, would Harry now be tempted (or forced) to write Spare 2?

After all, his initial biography netted him a cool £16 million as part of a potential four-book deal with Penguin Random House. It did sell extremely well - royalties were reportedly around £4 to £5 million.

But given that the Sussexes have spent roughly £30 million, so far, funding their lives in America, I could foresee the necessity of another big deal. Particularly after Meghan's cookery and lifestyle show was dropped after just two series.

She had high hopes that her As Ever brand would include the Netflix show, cookery books, a podcast and a lifestyle range (everything imaginable has been patented, from garden tools to tableware to pet accessories) - much like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.

But in the end, she has been left with her online sales of jam, candles, wine, and her famous flower sprinkles.

There has long been debate about how well the brand is selling. Meghan, perhaps conveniently, has never released any sales data, but has said that the first two 'drops' of fruit spread sold out last year.

But then, in January, the As Ever website accidentally revealed the unsold stock totals, which added up to £16.3 million ($21.7 million). This included a staggering £900,000 ($1.2 million) worth of edible (and much-derided) flower sprinkles.

Although the issue has now been resolved, the website briefly displayed inventory that included approximately 220,000 jars of jam, 30,000 jars of honey, almost 90,000 candles, 80,000 tins of flower sprinkles and roughly 70,000 bottles of wine, including Sauvignon Blanc, rosé and brut sparkling wine.

It was also revealed in a snarky piece by the New York Post that countless products were 'being given away for free' to Netflix employees at the company’s LA headquarters. This and the overstock, along with the fact that Meghan currently only sells her products in the US and not worldwide, suggests that her As Ever sales are not going to put even a tiny dent in the Sussex costs.

The couple seemingly have no media deals left - after they were dumped by Spotify and branded 'grifters' by one of the top executives - despite the gloss applied by Team Sussex that this allows them to do other things (Meghan has reportedly starred as herself in an upcoming Amazon MGM film).

And although the Sussexes have cut costs by letting several of their Archewell staff go and effectively shutting the charity arm of their organisation, the couple’s super-rich Californian lifestyle does not come cheap.

Indeed, they are said to have mortgage payments of around £350,000 a year, while staffing costs come to an estimated £180,000 and estate maintenance upwards of £75,000.

That’s even before their private security, which would likely cost £1.5 million to £2.25 million, property taxes of approximately £110,000 and private school fees of more than £70,000.

Yet Sussex supporters maintain that As Ever is set for global expansion - hence the huge overstock as it prepares to meet future demand.

"While it’s normal for a business not to talk about sales data, I think it’s fair to say that the glitch that led to this data being revealed points to a business that isn’t just successful - it’s flying, literally off the shelf," one told People magazine.

Meanwhile, Harry’s paying job with coaching company BetterUp, and his fees from speaking at conferences with sustainable tourism firm Travalyst, don’t pay enough to cover the couple’s costs, and he seems most passionate when he is undertaking his charitable endeavours.

But trips to meet with World Health Organisation teams in Jordan, which the couple visited last month, are hardly going to fill the Sussex coffers.

Maybe it’s time for another book, Harry... But he knows that if he does write another, he can kiss goodbye forever to family reconciliation.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

It’s clear that the Duchess of Sussex has put all her organic free range eggs in one proverbial money-making basket. Her jam, wine and homeware line ‘As Ever’ launched with huge fanfare last year and was to be the golden egg (if you’ll excuse the continued fowl puns) in the Sussexes' commercial schemes.

Their exclusive Netflix deal was over, Spotify had dumped them, the two books signed up to the Archewell media slate had no producers with no signs of filming starting soon and it was clear that With Love Meghan was not going to be recommissioned.

Added to this was the ‘restructuring’ of their Archewell charity, which essentially meant letting staff go to save costs. Selling her As Ever products depended on her restoring her status in America and making repeated appearances at star-studded events.

This she did all through last autumn and winter. Engagements in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Washington, New York and Paris (remember that front row appearance for Balenciaga?) culminated with the Christmas cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

Or, as she would call her make-or-break-bid for commercial success, ‘her own next chapter.’

So imagine how flabbergasted I was to receive a Whats-App from Team Sussex telling me that As Ever and Netflix were breaking up.

And the reason? Because Meghan was being ‘held back’ by ‘cautious’ Netflix (who had invested a whole load of money in the brand). I think I was cooking my kids’ tea and I literally dropped the fish fingers when I saw that.

Alongside a breathless statement from the Duchess saying she was thrilled to now ‘stand on her own’ while Netflix had an even stranger claim that ‘it was always intended’ that Meghan would ‘continue independently’. Right….

Let’s remind ourselves of what Meghan said just last February when she announced the rebrand from American Riviera Orchard and said Netflix was ‘not just’ her show partner but also ‘partner in my business, which is huge.’

The idea that Netflix would pull out of a soaraway successful business feels…. Unlikely.

This, coupled with the fact that a website glitch in January revealed unsold stock totalling £16.3million including 220,000 jars of jam, makes me think As Ever could be struggling. Sure - I could be completely wrong.

But what’s also strange is Harry and Meghan’s upcoming visit to Australia. I assumed she was going to launch As Ever, given that currently it’s only sold in the USA. But while she may be having ‘meetings with potential partners and supply chains’ (says her spokesman), the focus of the trip seems to be a speaker’s event at Sydney’s Coogee Beach.

I’m assuming the Aussie podcast hosting the £1,705 a ticket three-day event where Meghan will be the guest speaker is paying for her airfare and expenses. Harry is also doing a speaking event in Melbourne - rumoured to be earning him £30,000.

I know that launching a business takes a huge amount of time and effort, with many bumps in the road along the way. But it does rather feel as if the Sussexes are a long way from where they wanted to be when they left as working royals six years ago.

I confess I’m confused. One of the reasons the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they were walking away from royal life in 2020 was their right to privacy.

I remember when Meghan was pregnant (with Archie). The Sussex’s office refused to say where, how or when they had their first baby. It was only after they’d got back home to Windsor that it was announced Meghan had even gone into labour - and it didn’t name the private Portland Hospital where she’d already given birth.

Which, frankly, I completely understood. Why on earth should Harry and Meghan make their kids public property?

The modern-day 'custom', started by Princess Diana, of posing on the steps of the Lindo Wing just a day after what could have been a complicated labour seemed utterly bizarre to me. (After the births of both my children, I was in no position to even walk, let alone pose in heels and a full blow-dry.)

So I just don’t understand why Meghan is now posting pictures of her kids on Instagram. The latest was a Valentine’s Day picture of Harry holding five-year-old Lilibet - with her face clearly visible.

The photo came in the same week as Harry hitting out (again) against the evils of social media for kids. He was in Los Angeles, offering emotional support to parents at the heart of a landmark California trial in which Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube are accused of designing 'addiction machines' that harm children’s mental health.

At times near tears, Harry’s sincerity is not in doubt, and as I’ve said here before, I salute him for his stand, which makes it even more inexplicable that he’s tacitly supporting his wife’s use of their children on social media.

Make no mistake, Archie and Lili are part of Meghan’s 'perfect family' brand - their baking, crafting and even just their faces being used on platforms to sell her As Ever products.

Meghan’s entire ecosystem is being sold through her personal and As Ever channels on Instagram - a platform that her husband must surely loathe.

Their team would argue that carefully controlled images of their children are totally compatible with both Harry’s campaigning (and wish for privacy) and Meghan’s quest for sales.

I would say that’s for the birds. Many celebrities rarely mention their children, let alone post pictures of them. We don’t even know the names of our Prime Minister’s kids, let alone what they look like.

This feels like complete hypocrisy to me - just another example of the Sussexes having their cake and eating it.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

The best trench coats instantly make even the simplest outfit feel put-together and yet we often think of them as a purely spring/summer style. This doesn’t have to be the case and the structured silhouette of Meghan Markle’s navy trench looked sensational when she attended the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on 25th January.

This Heidi Merrick piece was made from 100% wool, meaning that the Duchess of Sussex was kept cosy, yet it still had all the classic elements we know and love about a cotton trench coat. Just as the Princess of Wales and Zara Tindall love supporting British clothing brands, Meghan flew the flag for California-based Heidi Merrick with this coat, yet it had an English twist.

Shop Wool Trenches

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The Fog Coat is described as being "inspired by English tailoring" and it’s maxi-length, with raglan sleeves that are roomy enough for a jumper to go underneath. This is exactly how Meghan styled it, as we got a glimpse of her knitwear later on during the Cookie Queens film premiere.

The coat had a rounded collar rather than the lapels we often see on trenches, and a belt that cinched in the waist. This was a clever touch and if you’re going for a more oversized or roomy trench, it's worth picking a design with a belt as it gives extra shaping and definition to balance things out.

Wool coats like the Duchess’s are an investment for your winter capsule wardrobe, but they’re breathable as well as warm, and you can wear something this classic well into spring too.

Man-made fabric trenches can be more affordable and would also bring the cosiness you just don’t get from a cotton one. Whichever material you go for, a trench is such a useful outerwear option as they help transform even the most low-key of outfits into something that looks more put-together.

At the Sundance Film Festival, the Duchess of Sussex wore black Veronica Beard flared jeans and a beige cashmere jumper underneath her navy coat. The trench elevated things and this type of coat looks lovely as a contrast against the casualness of blue denim too.

The length can make a big difference, and Meghan’s maxi coat was leg-elongating and would complement maxi or midi dresses or skirts as well as trousers and jeans. A pea-length trench is equally versatile, whilst mid-length coats look elegant with hemlines that fall to the same point.

Ultimately, though, how you style a trench coat is completely up to your signature style and is more about what makes you feel confident and chic. Beige, camel and black are the most popular colours for cotton trenches and these are also great options when you’re choosing a thicker coat too.

These neutral hues work with pretty much any other colour and don’t feel specifically seasonal, so it makes styling quick. Duchess Meghan is a fan of pared-back, minimal outfits and the day before, she went to the Sundance Film Festival wearing a chocolate brown belted coat.

She and Prince Harry were there as they worked on the Cookie Queens documentary, which explores the tradition of Girl Scout cookie season and follows girls striving to be top sellers.

The Duchess of Sussex went with Prince Harry on several overseas tours before they stepped back as working royals and a choice she made on one of them apparently didn’t go down too well with her grandmother-in-law. In February 2019, Harry and Meghan went on a three-day visit to Morocco.

As is almost inevitable whenever any of the senior royal women go anywhere, Meghan’s outfits received plenty of attention. None more so than the custom Christian Dior dress she wore to a reception at the British Ambassador’s residence in Rabat.

Writing in The Windsor Legacy, royal author Robert Jobson states the Duchess of Sussex’s expensive wardrobe was "raising eyebrows". He claims her Dior dress with an "estimated £60,000 price tag drew the Queen’s ire when she read about it in the press".

According to Jobson, Queen Elizabeth "later let Meghan know that such an expensive outfit was an ill-judged choice" after this revelation. The late monarch was famously practical and relatively frugal with her own clothing, with Princess Anne saying in 2022 that they’d discussed the difference between fashion and I style.

"She didn't do fashion but she certainly does style, and style tends to last longer," Anne added.

Perhaps growing up in wartime also inspired Queen Elizabeth’s preference for classic pieces and not being ostentatious with her clothing. Her warning to Meghan over wearing such an expensive gown on an official tour wasn’t the only time that the monarch and Duchess are said to have disagreed on matters of style.

It’s been widely reported that Meghan Markle wished to wear a specific tiara for her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. As Jobson describes it, "the Queen’s trusted dresser, Angela Kelly, refused" to allow this "over concerns about its Russian origins".

He writes that the "stress was eating away" at the Sussexes and claims that Harry "even snapped at Kelly, leading the Queen to explain to Harry that the tiara could not be used by Meghan". It was "not only a question of provenance, but also due to seniority".

As the wife of Prince William, who is now first in the line of succession, Kate is higher ranking than Meghan and so is Queen Camilla. The Duchess is also not a Princess by birth unlike Harry’s cousins Eugenie and Beatrice, and Eugenie was allowed to wear the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara at her own wedding five months later.

Despite the suggestions made in The Windsor Legacy, Harry recalled the tiara-choosing process as going a little differently in his memoir, Spare. He and Meghan went into the Queen’s private dressing room with her and Angela Kelly and were shown options.

"Granny said to Meg quite tenderly: Tiaras suit you. Meg melted," he wrote, saying that the tiara she picked was "seemingly made" for his now-wife.

The Duchess of Sussex wore Queen Mary’s Bandeau Tiara on her wedding day which is pave-set with large and small diamonds and has a detachable brooch at the centre. It was made in 1932 for Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary, and Meghan is the only royal in recent generations to wear it on her wedding day.

Prince Harry has taken a very different path in life to his big brother Prince William and this also applies to how he first met his wife. There was no friendship-turned-romance at university to bring the Sussexes together like Kate and William. Instead, Harry hadn’t even met Meghan, let alone asked her on a date, when he first laid eyes on her.

Writing in his best-selling memoir, Spare, the King’s younger son recounted how he came across a video of a mystery woman whilst scrolling through Instagram in 2016. This woman was, of course, Meghan Markle and she was in the clip with Harry’s friend Violet von Westenholz.

"They were playing with a new app that put silly filters on your photos. Violet and the woman had dog ears, dog noses, long red dog tongues hanging out. Despite the canine cartoon overlay, I sat up straighter. This woman with Violet... my God," he wrote.

His mesmerised reaction to seeing his now-wife led him to watch the video "several times", adding that he’d "never seen anyone so beautiful".

"She believed life was one grand adventure. I could see that. What a privilege it would be, I thought to join her on that journey. In that moment I felt there might be only one face for me," the Duke of Sussex declared.

Meghan has since described her and Harry’s romance as a "modern fairytale" and it’s hard to argue that this chance glimpse and the meeting that followed sound like they’ve sprung from the pages of a love story. With hindsight, the Prince’s response to seeing Meghan made what happened next almost inevitable.

He described sending Violet a message asking to be introduced to Meghan and she obliged.

Before long, the royal and the Suits star had connected, exchanged numbers and were exchanging so many messages that Harry felt he was "texting like a teenager". The Duke of Sussex said as much when he reflected on a visit to the home of entrepreneur Sir Keith Mills.

He said he was texting Meghan "throughout the long drive and up the stairs into his guestroom" where he "locked the door and remained holed up".

Harry wrote, "I sat on my bed texting like a teenager until it was time to have dinner with Sir Keith and his family. Then, after dessert, I quickly returned to the guestroom and resumed texting."

Texting turned into a date at exclusive members’ club, Soho House, and from there the romance blossomed, leading to them enjoying a week-long trip to Botswana on what was technically their third date.

Within a little over a year, the couple were announcing their engagement. The news is said to have prompted Prince Philip’s harsh warning to his grandson and concern from William about the speed things were going, though Harry and Meghan happily tied the knot in May 2028.

Royal author Robert Jobson has suggested in his book, The Windsor Legacy, that King Charles was delighted about his son’s new relationship but by the time they got engaged, was a little more "restrained".

"Charles initially thought Meghan was good for Harry," he declares. "She pressed all the right buttons, said the right things. He liked her, as did Camilla. But by the time of the engagement announcement, his enthusiasm seemed to have waned. When staff offered their congratulations, his response was notably restrained."