Harry and Meghan weren’t invited for Christmas. But how are things really going in Montecito?

It’s been a tough few weeks for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. First came the news of Donald Trump’s shocking win in the US election last month, with the President-elect’s imminent return to the White House being described as a nightmare for the California-based duo.

Just last week the couple were under fire as a High Court judge warned he was “concerned” about the high costs of Prince Harry’s phone hacking case against the publishers of the Daily Mail, with it being said they would total more than £38 million.

Though they haven’t shied away from the public eye this week — both attended events separately last night. And it fast led to speculation about whether they have ‘professionally separated’, with this being the latest in a line of solo appearances this year. The Duchess of Sussex was at The Paley Center for Media Gala in Berverley Hills, with friend Tyler Perry, while Prince Harry was solo at the New York Times’ 2024 DealBook Summit.

The topic of what this meant about the couple’s status wasn’t swerved at Harry’s event, as host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked the Duke to respond to ‘fascination’ about their ‘independence’. Harry laughed it off, saying it was just the latest in a long line of rumours: “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?’”

Scrutiny on the couple and their social and familial standing isn’t set to die down, however, as reports suggest that, once again, they have been snubbed by the royals for Christmas. It is said that Harry and Meghan haven’t been invited to join the family festivities at Sandringham.

Given recent events, it’s hardly surprising that the Sussexes have been excluded from this important family get together. The couple haven’t spent Christmas with the royal family in the UK for six years and are instead expected to spend the holidays in America with their children, Archie and Lilibet. With the King and the Princess of Wales’s back-to-back cancer diagnoses, 2024 has been a monumentally difficult year for the royals and the King is said to be “delighted” the whole family will be together for Christmas — it’s been reported the monarch is overseeing the planning himself.

Charles is unlikely to want the drama-loving Sussexes to overshadow the event with their headline-grabbing antics. It was recently reported that the King is afraid to build bridges with his son in case he ends up getting dragged into Harry’s court case against the Home Office. Prince Harry is also set to argue at trial next month that his father “acted to discourage and stymie him” from pursuing legal action against News Group Newspapers (NGN), which owns The Sun and The Times. It has emerged that the Duke is one of just two remaining claimants still pursuing legal action against NGN after 39 others settled their cases. Only Prince Harry and Tom Watson, the former deputy Labour leader, have chosen to push on towards a trial, which is scheduled for January.

No Trump cards to play

With the launch of Polo on Netflix this week, which is sadly not the latest Jilly Cooper adaptation but a rather less interesting horse and mallet documentary, the pair would have been hoping for some good press. Not so. In fact, while any news from across the pond seems to have been — unsurprisingly — dominated by Donald Trump of late, spare a thought for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are likely to still be grappling with the President-elect’s imminent return to the White House.

Meghan recently revealed that her family’s “low key” Thanksgiving plans last week would involve “a great meal”, playing games with the kids and someone bringing a guitar. What japes. But these, and Christmas, are being overshadowed by Trump’s return to power. The King may well be looking to distance himself from his younger son in light of Trump’s recent re-election in the US too. They’ve had several run-ins with him over the years — now it’s being suggested that Trump’s win could even lead to the Duke being kicked out of America altogether, over thoughts that he may have lied about drug use on his visa application.

There’s been no love lost between Trump and the Sussexes over the years. Back in 2020, Harry and Meghan released a video urging American voters to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity”, with many considering the comments to be an endorsement of Joe Biden, thereby going against the political neutrality demanded from members of the royal family. In response to the video, Trump stated he was “no fan” of Meghan and that he wished “a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it”. Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan was more explicit about her views on Trump, describing him as “misogynistic” and “divisive”.

Hardly surprising, then, that Trump doesn’t seem inclined to help Harry out now that he’s potentially landed himself in hot water regarding his visa. Trump has even said he would consider deporting the Duke and Duchess and their two young children if Harry was found to have lied on official forms. “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen,” Trump said in February. “That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own.” Meanwhile, in October Trump’s son Eric said, “Truthfully, I don’t give a damn about Prince Harry and I don’t think this country does either.”

The couple appear to be skating on thin ice, with their popularity plummeting over recent months both here and across the pond. “I give a lot of talks to Americans and they all dislike Harry and Meghan,” says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of royal biographies including the recent My Mother & I. “They hate that they let the Queen down.” Other insiders suggest that many people are now indifferent to them. “Ultimately, I think Eric Trump has the right idea when he says Americans don’t care about Harry,” says Kinsey Schofield, an LA-based royal expert and host of the To Di For Daily podcast. “We lost interest in Harry and Meghan after realising we had given them way too much credit over the years.”

As for their reputation in Hollywood, that doesn’t seem to be faring any better. “Currently, they are definitely not doing well in LA’s social scene,” says Jane Owen, a renowned Hollywood publicist. “Quite frankly, they were given every opportunity to shine in Hollywood. They had a huge deal at a top streaming network with a massive budget and an audience eager to listen and watch. They have done worse than nothing — they have actively destroyed the opportunities they were given. I’ve always said Hollywood could be compared to high school in terms of how people behave, and to use that analogy they’ve become the most unpopular kids in school.”

Another well-placed LA insider agrees: “People in Hollywood are definitely wary of working with them right now, and everyone knows Archewell is a revolving door when it comes to staff. I wouldn’t advise anyone to take a job there right now.” There have long been questions over the alarming rate at which Harry and Meghan appear to get through members of staff at Archewell. When Christine Weil Schirmer quietly quit her job as head of communications at the end of last year, she became the tenth staff member to leave in three years — since the couple married six years ago, they’ve gone through a staggering 18 members of staff. The latest casualty was Harry’s chief of staff Josh Kettler, who stepped down from his role in August after just three months.

“Harry and Meghan’s clout has taken a hit over the past year,” says Stacy Jones, founder of LA marketing agency Hollywood Branded. “Hollywood operates on trust — trust that a project will deliver, that a partnership will be beneficial and that public perception will remain positive. Losing the Spotify deal in 2023 lingered into 2024, and without a major win this year, they’ve struggled to regain their footing. However, access isn’t the issue for Harry and Meghan — it’s enthusiasm. They’re not going to struggle to get a table at a top restaurant and their presence will always generate buzz at events, but Hollywood’s excitement about them has cooled compared to their early days. The industry is weighing the risks and rewards of collaboration more carefully, especially after a few public missteps and underwhelming results.”

Building the right bridges

It would seem a new PR strategy is needed if the couple are to revive their dismal reputation — and fast. Royal insiders have noticed that the Duke and Duchess seem to have been trying something new of late, carrying out more solo engagements rather than operating together. In September, the Duke conducted eight solo engagements in as many days, including flying to London to make an appearance at the WellChild Awards, the charity he has supported as patron for 16 years.

“Harry and Meghan have made a definite decision to do separate engagements for the time being,” says Phil Dampier, a royal correspondent of nearly 40 years and author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan in Their Own Words. “He’s been trying to build bridges with people over here, looking up some of his old friends, and Meghan’s keeping a fairly low profile until she’s ready to launch [her lifestyle brand] American Riviera Orchard. I think it’s a wise move.” Others suggest this is a way to rekindle the warm feelings the public had towards Harry before he met Meghan. “People have a history with Harry and are more likely to forgive him for the past few years,” says Schofield. “People are invested in him and have been since he was a child. He is clearly who the public wants and prefers.”

There are also suggestions that the couple are poised to spend more time in the UK and Europe now that Trump is heading back to the White House. It’s been reported the Sussexes have bought a home in Comporta, Portugal, in the same ultra-private compound where Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, have a place — a move some insiders have suggested could be a good back-up plan if Trump does decide to kick them out of the US. “I’m told that the place in Portugal is more of an investment to build up their property portfolio, but it’s a good base for them if they do come back to Europe,” says Dampier.

So, what’s next for the couple? Harry’s polo documentary is released this week, but it’s been reported that some Netflix executives are already grumbling about how little the prince appears in the show — tellingly, neither Harry or Meghan make an appearance in the recently released trailer, which promises to show off “dirty, sweaty boys riding”. Meghan’s cooking show for the streaming platform is next in the pipeline, with some suggesting that may be released at the same time as American Riviera Orchard finally launches.

The latter remains shrouded in secrecy — so far, all we’ve seen of it are a few of her high-profile friends sharing photos of themselves with jars of homemade jam and dog biscuits bearing the company logo on social media. It’s said the project is so secret that only a select number of staff in the Sussex office are allowed to know what it entails. “I think professionally a lot rides on the success of Harry and Meghan’s upcoming Netflix projects,” says Schofield. “A year ago, we were debating whether or not Meghan would run for office and now we’re debating when she might sell her first jar of jam. It’s such a fall from grace that it’s hard to even process.” This week, it was leaked that unable to find any suitable candidates, Meghan has decided to appoint herself CEO.

As for whether relations with Harry’s family are starting to thaw, that remains up in the air. Those in the know suggest Charles will be keen to reconcile with his son eventually. “I don’t think the King would want to go to his grave being estranged from his son,” says Dampier. But any hopes of a similar resolution between Harry and the Prince of Wales is firmly off the table. “I was recently told that while Harry thinks he is owed an apology from the royal family, William is patiently waiting for one from his brother,” says Schofield. “While the brothers are at war and Harry remains so litigious, there is no hope for a royal return.”

“As 2024 winds down, Harry and Meghan have a moment to reassess and recalibrate their strategy for 2025,” says Jones. “Their best bet is to focus on substance over spectacle. Delivering on projects that align with their core values — whether it’s through Netflix, philanthropy or new ventures — will go a long way in rebuilding trust and excitement. Partnering with well-established Hollywood players could also help stabilise their footing. They don’t need to be everywhere; they need to be in the right places. The media spotlight isn’t going anywhere — it’s how they choose to use it in 2025 that will determine whether they reclaim their place as impactful Hollywood players or remain a polarising headline.”

Luciana Bellini is a journalist based in London and Los Angeles

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