Meghan Markle Has \201cMoved On\201d from the Royal Family Drama, Royal Author Says, But Prince Harry Is \201cStill Brooding Over the Past\201d

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published June 4, 2024

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are celebrating their daughter Princess Lilibet’s third birthday today, and are likely still riding the high of her birthday party, held this past weekend at their home in Montecito, California. California—Meghan’s home state—has been Harry and Meghan’s home base since stepping back as working royals in 2020 and relocating from Harry’s native United Kingdom to Montecito, where they live with Lili and their son, Prince Archie.

News broke today that, per People, Harry and Meghan haven't been invited to Trooping the Colour (the British monarch's annual birthday parade) for the second year in a row. Over four years after their step back, Meghan has “moved on” from the royal family, but Harry is “still brooding over the past,” royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror. “Meghan appears to have moved on to some extent, but then, she was only part of the royal family for a relatively short time, and she has far more to focus on in the States than her husband has,” Quinn said. “She’s the main driver for their commercial enterprises in the States where, having taken the dog for a walk each morning, Harry has little to do beyond brooding over the past.”

Now, to be fair, Harry has projects of his own, including an upcoming show about one of his long held passions, polo, for Netflix. Meghan, too, will explore a passion of hers—cookery—in a Netflix show of her own; the couple are also jointly producing projects like a film adaptation of Carley Fortune’s novel Meet Me at the Lake for Netflix. Meghan is also launching her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, supposedly imminently. The couple also traveled together to Nigeria last month, and Harry said on the trip that he was hopeful that there would be more trips to come; he also stays busy with his Invictus Games, and he and Meghan have a nonprofit, The Archewell Foundation. So, again, in all fairness—Harry has work to do beyond walking the dog. Just saying.

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Quinn previously told The Mirror that Harry is devastated about his estrangement from his older brother, Prince William, and wants more for his own kids Archie and Lili: “We know that Harry’s deepest upset concerns not just his lack of relationship with [Prince] George, [Princess] Charlotte, and [Prince] Louis, but his own children’s lack of a relationship with their cousins,” Quinn said. “Harry and Meghan would love to get ‘round the problem—they would love it if the cousins could meet regularly and have a positive relationship as they grow up, but they cannot see a way to do it while they themselves, Harry and Meghan, are estranged. Harry has said that he hopes the cousins can at least be friends as adults.”

In response to Quinn’s assertion that Meghan has moved on from the royal family more than Harry has, Louella Alderson told The Mirror that made sense: “Given Harry was born into the royal family in Britain, it’s understandable that he would have a strong emotional attachment to his past as part of the royal family,” she said. “On the other hand, Meghan was born and raised in America, and it would feel more like home to her—so it makes sense that she has an easier time moving on from their time as working members of the royal family and is focused on her opportunities in the U.S.”

Alderson specializes in relationships, and pointed out that the divide between how quickly (or not quickly) the two are moving on from the past doesn’t have to be a wedge in their marriage. “This doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t supportive or understanding of each other’s experiences and feelings,” she said. “As a couple, they may be able to navigate these differences and find ways to support each other in their respective pursuits. It could simply be a matter of balancing individual ambitions with their shared commitment as a married couple.”

She concluded that “Communication and understanding between Harry and Meghan will ultimately determine how they navigate these differences.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.