Meghan Markle’s continued absence from public life and Prince Harry’s solo engagements has led many to wonder if their marriage might be on the rocks. But while a friend of the couple says they’re just focusing on their respective projects, a royal “expert” has claimed she could be hiding to avoid any questions about her failed projects.
The 43-year-old has faced numerous setbacks upon launching Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio in 2020. Netflix scrapped her animated series Pearl before it could even go to pre-production. She only released one podcast series Archetypes, which ran for 12 episodes despite signing a multi-content deal with Spotify, and it led to the streamer ending their contract in 2022. Earlier this year, she introduced her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard with the help of her celebrity friends, but has yet to release any products to the public due to trademark issues.
Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever, said that Meghan could be taking a break from all the questions about her projects. She told The Express US: “Her withdrawal may also be the fact that her projects have not sufficiently advanced yet. She may not want to face a barrage of questions about these until she has something positive to say. Lying low, to return and make a splash with the launch of both would be no bad thing!”
Likewise, Maclaran noted that Meghan could be stepping aside to let her husband take the spotlight after having been in the public eye for quite a while. She likened her status to a celebrity and that she may need a break.
“I think when she’s been in the public eye so much last year and the first half of this year, it’s not surprising people are asking where she is. It definitely goes with a celebrity status. I think the explanation may lie in her letting Harry step into the limelight without her for a while,“ she explained, adding that the former Suits star could just be tired and needed a break.
“Very possibly she’s whacked after doing so much and let’s not forget the family demands although I’m sure she had plenty of help. So taking a break herself and letting him do the work is understandable,” she said.
Meghan only made calculated appearances in public in the past months, while Harry has been out and about doing charity works in and out of the U.S. The last time she was seen in public was during the launch of new haircare line Highbrow Hippe at Gjelina restaurant on Venice’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard on Nov. 14. She partied with friends seemingly unfazed by the divorce rumors fueled by her solo presence.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex was recently in Canada to promote the 2025 Invictus Games. The couple is also scheduled to attend different events happening on opposite ends of the country on Dec. 4. Harry will be at the New York Times DealBook Conference while Meghan will be at the Paley Honors Fall Gala in L.A. While their continued solo appearances only seem to fuel the ceaseless divorce claims, a friend explained that it’s actually “a reflection on parenting priorities, in that one of them stays behind with the children,” adding that “what we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship with two working partners, not the contrary.”