Prince Harry 'finding himself as the spare' in marriage with 'ruthless' Meghan Markle
Harry and Meghan have very different ambitions for the future it's claimed
As they celebrate seven years of marriage, there are growing signs that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s personal bond remains strong, but their professional paths are diverging.
Some royal insiders have suggested that Harry, 40, is beginning to feel like “the spare” in more than just his royal role.
Once seen as the ultimate modern royal power couple, Harry and Meghan’s early ventures post-Megxit, including their nonprofit Archewell, multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, and their shared tell-all moments like the Oprah interview, painted them as a united front.
But today, their careers appear to be moving in different directions.
Prince Harry feeling like ‘the spare’ in marriage with Meghan Markle
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that Prince Harry is now playing a secondary role to Meghan’s more ambitious and media-driven ventures.
“Harry is increasingly finding himself as the spare in a relationship with Meghan,” Richard said. “[Their marriage] undoubtedly involves mutual affection, but their priorities differ widely. Meghan likes glitz and glamour and is absolutely ruthless, as the interview on Oprah showed so clearly.”
According to Richard, Meghan’s ambition to become a “billionaire influencer” and A-list celebrity is clear.
Her solo projects are pushing her brand far beyond the couple’s original joint identity.
Meanwhile, Harry remains more grounded in charity work, especially through projects like the Invictus Games, Travalyst, and support for landmine removal charity The HALO Trust.
“Invictus means a lot to him,” Richard continued. “It was a joy to see him at the WellChild Awards last year. He genuinely enjoyed being with the children. It seemed as though the ‘old Harry’ was temporarily back.”
However, Richard pointed out that Harry has not been without missteps. He cited the duke’s “angry and resentful” BBC interview earlier this month and the fallout from his bombshell 2023 memoir Spare.
Richard claimed that Harry “lacks Meghan’s ruthlessness”.
Meghan Markle’s business moves in 2025
Meghan has made bold moves in business and branding. She recently launched lifestyle brand As Ever with a carefully curated selection of artisanal food products, including teas, flower sprinkles, and jars of honey.
She’s also expanding her media presence with Confessions of a Female Founder, a podcast featuring candid chats with female business leaders.
Despite Meghan’s growing media profile, Richard warned that her path to billionaire status won’t be easy.
Harry is increasingly finding himself as the spare in a relationship with Meghan.
“She has very few A-list friends. Her declining popularity in the United States is partly due to the bullying allegations,” he said. “And partly because, as was pointed out by critics of her With Love, Meghan cookery show, she is too self-obsessed. The talent isn’t there, the ambition is boundless, the self-love infinite, and it shows far too obviously. The novelty has worn off. If you preach love but rubbish the royal family, which you married into, you might not make the fortune you seek!”
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal, reportedly worth £80 million ($100m), saw them work together at first with their docuseries Harry & Meghan. But in recent projects, the divide is more visible.
Heart of Invictus was Harry’s passion project. Meghan did not serve as executive producer.
Meanwhile, With Love, Meghan was a Meghan-only show, with Harry making just a fleeting cameo in the final episode. A source confirmed neither he nor their children will appear in the next season.
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