Speculation swirls about current state of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's marriage

When they tied the knot back in 2018, royal fans the world over expressed great optimism about the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but in the years that have followed, their marital road has been anything but smooth.

No longer working royals, Meghan and Harry reside in California and have been subject to rumors of a widening distance between the two, with royal expert Duncan Larcombe suggesting that the husband and wife are on increasingly divergent paths, as the Mirror reports.

Leading separate lives?

As the Mirror points out, Harry and Meghan have made a mere two joint appearances in the past four months, sparking discussion of a possible rift.

Some royal observers have suggested that the duo have intentionally embarked on a “professional split,” meaning that they believe their business and charitable endeavors will find greater success when pursued individually.

Despite the lack of appearances as a couple, both Harry and Meghan have turned up at various events in recent months, helping keep their names in the press to a significant degree.

Larcombe weighed in on the situation, saying, “I think they're just starting to pursue their own causes and aims. It wasn't that long ago that if Meghan gave a speech, Harry would be sat in the shadows watching her. And we seem to have gone beyond that now.”

He went on, “Whether that's a deliberate ploy or not, we simply don't know. But I do think that the further they are apart in a professional and public sense, the more it will look like they are drifting apart as a married couple.”

Blasting “the trolls”

Amid the swirling speculation about the state of his marriage, Prince Harry was asked some pointed questions last week during an appearance at the New York Times DealBook Summit, as Vanity Fair noted.

Reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Harry whether there might be a positive aspect to the constant scrutiny the pair receives from the media, to which the prince answered, “No, definitely not a good thing, because apparently, we've bought or moved house maybe 10, 12 times. We've apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well.”

Harry went on to lament what he feels is the misconceptions promulgated about him and his wife and the antagonism it creates, saying, “The people I feel the most sorry about are the trolls who -- their hopes are just built and built and built, and it's like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And then it doesn't happen. So I feel sorry for 'em. Genuinely I do. I mean that.”

What comes next?

With Markle reportedly concentrating on getting her recently launched lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, off the ground amid a host of administrative and legal blunders and Harry focusing on charitable work, it seems likely that their public appearances may continue to be carried out in a more individualized fashion.

Whether that professional gulf eventually leads to a personal one, however, only time will tell.