Will it be lonely this Christmas for the duke? Royal biographer Emily Andrews takes a look at why the pair seem to be after very different things this year
PHOTOS: ALAMY, GETTY
Their aim, they claimed, was to leave the stress of the royal world behind them and build a brighter, better future. But it has been far from easy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they have struggled to adapt to the harsh realities of the commercial world in Hollywood.
And as time has gone on, it has become increasingly apparent to me that Harry and Meghan appear to want different things.
Harry, 39, has had his ‘say’ with his explosive memoir Spare and accompanying TV interviews. The various brickbats hurled with royal rage ranged from accusing his stepmother, Queen Camilla, of ‘sacrificing’ him for the good of her PR, to his brother, the Prince of Wales, allegedly attacking him in the kitchen, and sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, being cold.
Now he has made it clear that he wants to focus on his charity work with Sentebale, WellChild and the Archewell foundation, and his family.
Yet sadly for him, that family consists of only three people: wife Meghan, and their two children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two.
He’s happiest taking black Labrador Pula to the beach, dropping Archie at pre-school, weaving through the peaceful Californian enclave on his bike and popping out, with Lili on his shoulders, to the Montecito Christmas Santa parade.
Worlds apart
Yet by virtue of his repeated lashing out at the start of the year, the rest of his family are completely estranged.
The Prince of Wales, 41, has not spoken to his brother for a year, the King has been spurned every time he invited his younger son to spend time with him, his relationship with the Queen is non-existent.
Even his royal cousins, with whom he was once so close, have been cut out. I understand that Zara and Mike Tindall view his behaviour ‘very dimly’ and rarely speak to him; ditto Princess Beatrice and Peter Phillips. Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank still remain close friends (the two couples reportedly holidayed in Portugal after the Invictus Games in September) but they are the only ones.
So while this Christmas will no doubt be a joyous, present-filled affair for little Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at their grand Montecito mansion, Harry would be forgiven for feeling a little lonely.
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