The Reason Lady Victoria Hervey Doesn't Think Harry And Meghan's Marriage Will Last
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are paving the way for a happy, healthy life for themselves — away from the royal family, and on their own in California. It's been a whirlwind for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who got engaged in November 2017, married in May 2018, and welcomed their first child together in May 2019. Later that year, discussions surrounding the couple's role within the royal family began, and, in January 2020, it was announced that they would step down as senior members of the royal family. According to People magazine, Harry and Meghan planned to fully support the queen throughout the process. They had initially planned to spend some time in North America and some time in London during a one-year "transitional period," but that actually never happened. The coronavirus pandemic could be to blame, of course, as Harry and Meghan weren't able to travel to the UK in 2020 because of it.
And so, the one-year mark came, and Harry and Meghan informed the royal family that they didn't have any plans to return to London. In response, Queen Elizabeth decided to strip them of their royal roles, and Harry of his military honors, according to Elle. Regardless, things seem to be going well for the Sussexes, who are getting ready to welcome their second child sometime this summer. And while they appear to be enjoying their freedom, there are some critics that don't think the two are going to last. Keep reading for more.
Did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle rush into getting married?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship has been scrutinized since they first went public — and that hasn't changed. In fact, things have only gotten more intense after Harry and Meghan's sit-down with Oprah Winfrey aired back on March 7. Since then, Harry has continued making appearances and giving interviews in which he openly discusses what it was like for him growing up and living much of his adult life as a prince. The things he has said, however, have turned heads, with many royal experts speaking out about the duke and his wife.
Now, Lady Victoria Hervey — a friend of Prince Andrew — has spoken out, telling Closer that she just doesn't see Harry and Meghan's marriage lasting. Her reason? She thinks they jumped into things too quickly. "I think Harry and Meghan's courtship was way too short... That's why Kate and William's relationship is so successful – they were together for such a long time before getting married," Hervey told the outlet. Of course, only time will tell whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's marriage will last.
Lady Victoria Hervey isn't the only one who thinks that Harry and Meghan's marriage is doomed
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received a fair amount of judgment from Lady Colin Campbell back in April. Just days after Prince Philip's funeral — which Harry attended solo because Meghan didn't receive the "ok" from her doctor to fly, according to People magazine — Campbell told Page Six that she doesn't think that Meghan and Harry's marriage will stand the test of time. "She and Harry won't last. Once she became the royal Duchess of Sussex, it was off with everyone's head," Campbell said, adding that Meghan is "disconnected from reality." Campbell went on to suggest that Meghan has been making calculated moves to ensure that she's protected if and when a divorce happens. "She's picked America and a communal property state and has two children. She's got him. Difficult for him to get out. He's entrapped," Campbell told Page Six.
In addition, Meghan's own half-sister Samantha Markle has spoken out about the duke and duchess' union, and she too is expecting a split down the road. "I see [the marriage] ending in divorce unless they get extensive counseling and can agree to work on being honest, to work on apologies, to work on everyone that they've damaged in the course of this bull-in-a-china-shop two-year spiel," Samantha told TMZ back in mid-March, just after Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS.
Both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's parents were divorced
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle know what it's like to have divorced parents, and many believe that history has a way of repeating itself. Meghan's parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr., met in California, where Thomas was working as a lighting director, and Doria was working as a temp for a production company, according to Showbiz Cheatsheet. The two wound up falling in love and getting married, but got divorced when Meghan was just 6-years-old.
Meanwhile, Harry's parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, had a contentious marriage, and some have even argued that it was arranged, though Diana herself previously denied those claims, according to Showbiz Cheatsheet. The two ended up getting divorced in 1996, about 15 years after their royal wedding. One year later, Diana was killed in a car accident.
According to The Atlantic, there does seem to be a higher rate of divorce amongst people who have divorced parents. "If your parents stay together, they fight and then you realize these things aren't fatal to a marriage. If you're from a divorced family, you don't learn that message, and [after fights] it seems like things are untenable. And so you bounce," sociologist Nicholas Wolfinger told the outlet.
Of course, Meghan was married before she met Harry; she and producer Trevor Engelson tied the knot in 2011, but split just two years later.