Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly have a new way of handling online gossip.
According to showbiz reporter Sarah Louise-Robertson, this is one of the reasons the Duke of Sussex, 40, dismissed any divorce rumors outright and why the couple have been pursuing separate business endeavors.
“Meghan clearly reads social media comments that people say about them,” Louise-Robertson told GB News.
“As does Harry, who is notoriously brittle and thin-skinned,” the journalist continued. “So some things got through to them and they’ve decided, ‘right, we’re going to try this new approach.’”
Added Louise-Robertson, “When you’ve been away from each other as much as they’ve been, this is how these [divorce] rumors start.”
In recent months, the “Suits” alum, 43, and the prince have deliberately parted ways in their work life to garner a positive response for the Sussex brand.
Louise-Robertson noted that the couple’s decision has “echoes of Charles and Diane.”
“You’ve gone from being joined at the hip on the red carpet to not being seen with each other at all in public,” she said.
Host Patrick Christys weighed in on Markle and Harry’s choice, taking a moment to acknowledge the “difficult” position the Sussexes find themselves in.
The GB News anchor called them “hyper mobile” members of the world’s wealthy elite, meaning they “don’t have to be joined at the hip the whole time.”
On Wednesday, Harry publicly addressed rumors that he and Markle are getting divorced after tying the knot in 2018.
NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin asked the royal member about the speculation at The New York Times’ 2024 DealBook Summit.
“I Google News-ed you, and there were people fascinated by everything you’re doing, all the time. They’re fascinated by Meghan is in California right now, and you’re here,” Sorkin said, alluding to Markle’s plans to attend the Paley Honors gala in Beverly Hills that same night.
“And there’s articles left and right about, you know, ‘Why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?’” the journalist probed.
Prince Harry, who lives in Montecito, California, with Markle and their kids Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, simply replied, “Because you invited me, you should have known!”
“True,” Sorkin responded. “Is that normal for you? The second there’s an article — she’s in California, you’re in New York — they say, ‘Well, what is happening with these two, right?’ Is that a good thing for you, in a way, that there’s so much interest in you?”
The prince replied, “No, that’s definitely not a good thing.
“Apparently we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times. We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?’” Prince Harry quipped with a laugh.
“It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls,” he went on. “Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.”
Harry also said that he had “no doubt” his sit-down with Sorkin “will be spun or twisted somehow against me, and maybe you yourself will be trolled relentlessly.”
“For that, I can only apologize, but you did invite me, so it’s not my fault,” he exclaimed.
Of his relationship with the press, Harry reflected on his the media frenzy surrounding his late mother, Prince Diana and the turbulent marriage she shared with his father, King Charles III.
2024 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala, California. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
“I’ve had a lived experience since I was a kid,” the Duke told Sorkin. “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.”