Meghan Markle is “feeling the strain” of the professional separation from Prince Harry following his series of solo engagements, according to a source.
Over the last few months, in a new move for the duo, both husband and wife have conducted a series of independent events, concentrating on their own interests and initiatives.
In September, Prince Harry jetted to New York to “advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives” including The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst.
He then quickly stopped in the UK to attend the WellChild Awards ceremony, before heading to Lesotho in Africa to support the work of his charity, Sentebale, co-founded in 2006 by the Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The charity supports children and young people living with, or who are at risk from, HIV.
A Sussex insider told GB News:: “They haven’t done themselves any favours by doing so many separate events but this is what they have decided to do as it works best for them at the moment as a couple and they both feel they can shine at events that are close to their hearts.
“But it does upset her [Meghan Markle] that, while Harry was getting praised for all of his appearances, she is getting criticised for what she says, what she wears etc and it brings back hurtful memories of when she was a royal.”
One solo engagement conducted by Meghan in October saw the Duchess attend the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles gala, where she mingled with other celebrities including Demi Lovato, Kaley Cuoco, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jimmy Kimmel and Colin Hanks.
In an update on the Sussex website, Meghan revealed she was invited to the poignant event as a special guest.
The statement read: “This weekend, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex attended the biennial Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Gala, an inspiring event dedicated to celebrating the exceptional services provided to children across LA.
“Invited as a special guest by CHLA’s president and CEO, Paul Viviano, The Duchess was proud to stand alongside esteemed guests in support of this vital cause.”
The statement also highlighted Meghan’s personal connection to with the hospital.
It added: “The Duchess has a long-standing connection with CHLA, having visited the hospital on several occasions to meet with patients and participate in the annual Make March Matter campaign.
“Her presence at the gala underscored her commitment to advocating for the health and well-being of children around the world.”
Earlier this month, Meghan also supported young girls and promoting digital wellness at an event in Santa Barbara, California on October 2.
The Duchess of Sussex had stepped out for a solo event to visit Girls Inc based in Santa Barbara to engage with young girls about growing up in the digital age. She was also there to support the partnership with a tech advocacy group to bring their new ‘Social Media U’ program to students across the country, starting with the central California city.
Despite Meghan attending the event without her husband, the couple’s business relationships are said to still be running side by side and there is nothing to suggest that the pair won’t be conducting joint engagements in the future.
It comes as a source told Express.co.uk following their series of solo engagements, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly sit down with their US-based team to thrash out a new PR plan.
The source said: “The success of Harry’s solo endeavours has shown that a new strategy might be needed.”
Harry and Meghan are also set to launch two separate Netflix shows focusing on their own interests in the next coming months. Netflix have already dropped the trailer for ‘POLO’, Harry’s series, by Archewell Productions and Boardwalk Pictures, that follows “elite global players and offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of the sport”.
