Prince Harry said gossip about a secret divorce from Meghan Markle is “definitely not a good thing” as he moved to shrug off speculation about the strength of his marriage.
The Duke of Sussex was asked about stories in the media suggesting he and Meghan had undergone a professional separation during an appearance at The New York Times Dealbook Summit, in New York, on Wednesday night.
The appearance came as Meghan was helping Tyler Perry receive an honor at The Paley Center for Media’s fall gala in Beverly Hills.
Journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin told the prince: “Even as we were in the race coming up to this day I Googled news about you and there are people fascinated by everything you do and all the time.
“They’re fascinated about, ‘Meghan is in California and you are here’ and there’s articles left and right about, ‘Why are you doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?'”
“Because you invited me, you should have known, you should have known that was going to happen,” Harry joked.
“It’s definitely not a good thing. Because apparently we’ve bought or moved house maybe 10 or 12 times and we’ve apparently divorced maybe 10 or 12 times as well,” he said.
“So, it’s just like ‘what?’ So, it’s hard to keep up with but that’s why you just sort of ignore it.
Prince Harry saying šš¾to everyone wishing for the downfall of his marriage is everything I didnāt know I needed on a Wednesday. #NYTDealbbokSummitpic.twitter.com/cU6tAidL0z
ā R.S. Locke / Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) December 5, 2024
“The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls who, their hopes are just built and built and built so its like ‘yes, yes, yes, yes, yes’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them, genuinely I do, I mean that.
“So, yes, I have no doubt that everything I’ve spoken about today in the last 25 minutes will be spun or twisted somehow against me.”
Harry and Meghan Divorce Gossip
The first signs that Harry and Meghan were pursuing solo projects emerged in early 2023 in the months after the prince’s bookĀ SpareĀ was published and theirĀ NetflixĀ biopic was released.
The couple had reached the end of one phase of their professional journey paving the way for new projects and a new direction but U.S. public opinion hadĀ swung against them.
Against that backdrop, Meghan hired Hollywood talent agency WME, whose clients include Rihanna, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Matt Damon, to represent her.
The move signaled she was striking out on her own path and wanted a boost for her as an individual star, rather than promoting herself via her status as part of a couple.
That summer, the Sussexes went quiet, their Spotify deal having collapsed in June, and in the vacuum of information rumors swirled of a secret split, with some websites even citing an $80 million suit. Newsweek fact checked this claim as false.
Speculation died down after they attended the Invictus Games together in September 2023, appearing happy and tactile in each other’s company.
However, rumors returned in October 2024 after Harry undertook a round the world trip without Meghan, with stops in New York, London and southern Africa.
Articles focused on the idea of a professional split while headlines were written in the language of romantic separation with Harry said to want “space.”
“SEPARATE SUSSEXES: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are living separate lives,” one headline read.
Another said: “‘Desperate’ Harry gets serious about repairing his imageāand Meghan is not part of the project: ‘He wants space.'”
This week, Harry and Meghan released a video alongside their annual Impact Report, which shone the spotlight on some of their joint appearances, including footage of them in Colombia in August.
On that tour they were seen grinning as they danced the salsa together and kissed in front of the cameras.
That footage did not stop speculation about their solo appearances a couple of months later and only time will tell if Harry’s latest intervention stops further rumors.
Harry told Sorkin on Wednesday: “I’ve had a lived experience since I was a kid. I’ve seen stories written about myself that aren’t exactly based on reality. I’ve seen stories about members of my family, friends, strangers, all sorts of people.
“And I think when you grow up within that environment, you do find yourself questioning the validity of the information but also what other people are thinking of that as well, and how dangerous it can be over the course of time.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
