Prince Harry's Thoughts On Meghan Markle's Divorce Are Seriously Eyebrow-Raising

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By now, everyone knows all about Meghan Markle's dating history — and that Prince Harry isn't her first husband. In fact, the British press made sure the whole world was aware of her being a divorcée when she first started dating him. Meghan was previously married to movie producer Trevor Engelson, and Harry didn't exactly enjoy reading the headlines about their former marriage. The prince dedicated some space to the sordid saga in his tell-all memoir, "Spare," smiting the media for how they exploited his beloved for profit. As Harry wrote, "Divorce in 2016 was deemed by the British press to be a scarlet letter." 

What irked the royal defector the most, however, was that the tabloids showed no mercy or remorse for the consequences. "Would they [the press] finally feel some if they caused a divorce? Or would it take another death? What had become of all the shame they'd felt in the late 1990s?" Harry wondered, referring to his mother, Princess Diana's death, which was indirectly caused by the paparazzi, who continued to relentlessly pursue her even after she divorced King Charles III. This dark turn of thought hints at just how distressing the prince found all the stories about his wife's past life.

In November 2016, the media tempest surrounding the Duchess of Sussex reached a fever pitch, with Harry's office issuing a statement to address the derogatory headlines. "Meghan Markle has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," it read, condemning the smear campaigns against her and explaining that the press's complete disregard for his partner's privacy had the prince extremely concerned for her safety. "[Harry] is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," the statement continued, adding, "This is not a game — it is her life and his."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's abrupt exit from the U.K. was, among other things, an attempt to escape the prying eyes of the British press, but it's safe to say that it hasn't been entirely successful. This has partly been the royal defectors' own doing — airing The Firm's dirty laundry during their infamous Oprah interview, releasing a tell-all Netflix docuseries, and publishing a bombshell memoir are all things you should avoid if your goal is to stay out of the spotlight and become uninteresting enough for the media to look for a royal scandal elsewhere. Alas, the Sussexes have done the opposite, so naturally, the tabloids are more interested in them than ever and, in particular, they've noticed that the couple seems to be spending more time apart. 

As a result, divorce rumors have been swirling for a while. In his book, "Yes, Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants," royal expert Tom Bower claims that Meghan thought she was marrying a billionaire but quickly found out Harry was not as rich as she initially thought. There's also speculation that the prince is bleeding money and that Meghan will make a run for it before he's declared a pauper. The Sussexes are also rumored to be in the midst of a lengthy professional divorce, with each pursuing their own ventures with their own staff.

With mounting gossip that they're heading for Splitsville, Harry debunked the rumors publicly at The New York Times' 2024 DealBook Summit. "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?" the prince joked (via People). He added that the trolls hoping to see his marriage crash and burn would continue to be left disappointed.