Vanity Fair’s February cover story painted a largely unflattering picture of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In the 8,000-word piece, scores of sources detailed how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been incompetent in business ventures, such as their now-defunct Spotify deal, and annoyed their Montecito, California, neighbors. But perhaps the most jaw-dropping allegation of all was that there’d been a rumor Meghan’s team had approached a publisher to gauge interest in a potential new book: a memoir Meghan could write if she divorced Harry.
Nothing ever came of the project, which was reportedly proposed “a few years ago,” and Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, are still very married. Yet, an insider exclusively tells Life & Style that seeing the anecdote in the pages of a respected magazine was a gut punch to the prince. “He and Meghan were aware some type of article was in the works, since journalists were poking around among their friends and colleagues for while, but Harry didn’t expect anything like this; it’s shocked him to his core,” reveals the insider. “He feels blindsided. The accusations are extremely unsettling to him.”
Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Marriage Following Divorce Book Bombshell
When the exposé dropped on January 17, Harry seemingly wanted answers from his wife of nearly seven years. Says the Life & Style insider, “Meghan assured him the whole thing had been totally blown out of proportion.”
An unnamed confidant also dismissed the “distressing” claims. But given that the couple were plagued by split rumors last fall – when they were often in different parts of the world for work and went months without being photographed in public together — it’s no surprise the Vanity Fair piece raised eyebrows.
“The story’s got everyone talking! People in Harry’s world are wondering what on earth Meghan was thinking and are calling on her to explain herself,” says the insider. “Exploring any type of divorce plotline just makes no sense if they’re actually happily married.” Indeed, the insider insists that the former Suits star has no plans to leave Harry or uproot their children, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, as of now. “Meghan convinced Harry she’s in this for keeps,” says the insider. “But the pressure these claims have put on them has been intense. Once again, they’re having to defend themselves and their relationship.”
