Why Royal Experts Believe Prince Harry Is Struggling In LA
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have resigned from their official royal family duties, but that doesn't mean the British media has stopped obsessing over them (which was sort of the whole point of Megxit in the first place). In April 2020, two royal "experts," Angela Mollard and Zoe Burrell, wondered aloud on the ROYALS podcast about how Harry was adapting to Los Angeles life, per The Express. Their conclusion? Mollard and Burrell both think he must be having a hard time these days.
They have no concrete evidence that Harry is suffering in any way (although Harry's pal Jane Goodall suggested something similar recently). In reality, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been spotted out and about in their adopted home, volunteering with charities helping people affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and taking Zoom calls with their respective organizations. Throw in the ever-sunny Cali weather and the fact that they're renting a gorgeous multi-million dollar house until they buy something, and it seems like there really is no reason to speculate that Harry is in trouble these days.
But why let cold, hard facts get in the way of a little royal gossip?
Royal experts are concerned about Harry's mental health
Referring to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, royal experts Angela Mollard and Zoe Burrell said on the ROYALS podcast that they think it is "quite hard" for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, per The Express. Mollard added that the pandemic was helping families get closer, but that Harry and Meghan were too far away for that: "He is separated from his family at a time when the rest of the world is using Zoom or WhatsApp to chat with each other. I can hardly see that happening, he must feel very separate. He doesn't have friends in LA, she does."
Mollard continued, "She has Doria, she has her family. While Meghan might have been feeling equally as removed when she lived in the U.K. For Harry, friends and his brother have been the people that have supported him through the years since his mother's death. To have that stripped away I think will be very discombobulating for him." She also added that she thinks Harry is "suffering from irrelevancy," explaining, "Right now, the world is not focused on them. He can't do the work that he wants to do."
That may not be 100% accurate though, considering that some of the first things Harry and Meghan did when they arrived in Los Angeles were to continue on with their charity work, per InStyle. And as for his family? Well, he resigned from them after all, right?
Prince Harry reportedly doesn't even want to be near his family
It's hard to know who to believe when it comes to the real story about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's move to Los Angeles. But it is safe to say that it was a choice the couple made together and they're united in their motives.
According to People, Meghan and Harry's hand was "forced" when it came to resigning from their official royal family duties. "This is not how they wanted to handle this, but Meghan and Harry's hand was forced. There is so much bad blood in that family — it's toxic. If relationships had been better, things would have been different," a source claimed at the time.
The British media and hordes of "royal experts" and talking heads were also reportedly a driving force behind their move, so it's hard to know if you can take what they say seriously. The source also told People that Meghan was "deeply hurt" by the negative press that hounded her since she met Harry and felt like the royal family didn't support her enough.
Again though, given how tightly the royal family holds the intimate details of their lives, it's likely that the public will never know the full extent of why they decided to step back from royal duties and how they're coping.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seemingly sad to leave the royal family
That's not to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven't been publicly supportive of their family. In fact, in their Instagram post announcing their break with their family, the couple wrote, "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
For her part, Queen Elizabeth also released a statement, per People, saying, "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."
Whether or not Harry is having a hard time adapting to Los Angeles living, he and his family are likely still in touch judging by those statements, so royal experts can probably stop fretting.