Harry and Meghan are ‘Wildly Unhappy’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be back in Britain, but one veteran celebrity journalist says a change of country may not solve the deeper problem hanging over the couple.

Dan Wakeford, the former editor-in-chief of People and Us Weekly and founder of Celebrity Intelligence, has opened up about reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had become “wildly unhappy” with the life they built after walking away from royal duties.

But Wakeford stressed that the provocative description was not necessarily about trouble inside their marriage.

Instead, he said the unhappiness centered on how their post-royal life in America had unfolded.

“It was their life in America they were wildly unhappy about,” Wakeford told royal journalist Tom Sykes during an appearance on The Royalist.

Wakeford said Harry and Meghan had become frustrated that life in the United States had not developed the way they apparently expected.

“They were wildly unhappy with how things had gone, and they hadn’t gone how they expected,” he said.

The comments add another layer to the extraordinary transformation the Sussexes have undergone since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020.

Harry and Meghan eventually settled with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in Montecito, California, where they launched a series of media, business and philanthropic ventures.

Their new life brought enormous opportunities, including high-profile deals with Netflix and Spotify, Harry’s bestselling memoir “Spare” and Meghan’s growing lifestyle ventures.

But the couple also faced setbacks, intense scrutiny and continuing questions over what their long-term roles would look like outside the monarchy.

In August 2026, Harry and Meghan made another dramatic change, returning to Britain with their children after approximately six years based in California.

The couple have retained their California property, however, suggesting their future may not be a simple choice between America and Britain.

Wakeford believes that question cuts straight to one of the biggest challenges facing them.

“The problem with this couple is you have two people with completely different goals in life and geographical, like, homes,” he said.

According to Wakeford, people familiar with Harry and Meghan continue to describe the pair as very much in love.

The difficulty, he argued, is that the things making each of them fulfilled may not always be the same.

Harry, who grew up in Britain and spent much of his adult life supporting military veterans and charitable causes, appears increasingly comfortable being back on British soil.

Since returning, he has continued making public appearances tied to veterans, humanitarian causes and organizations close to him.

Meghan’s professional identity, meanwhile, remains deeply connected to American entertainment, entrepreneurship and lifestyle ventures. The Los Angeles native built an acting career years before marrying Harry and has continued developing commercial projects since leaving royal life.

That difference, Wakeford suggested, could make it difficult for the couple to settle on one vision of their future.

“They’re not on the same page with where they’re going in life,” he said, pointing to questions over whether they belong in England or America and whether their focus should be philanthropy or a more glamorous Hollywood-centered business empire.

Wakeford argued that those competing ambitions can create friction even when two people remain deeply committed to each other.

Sykes made a similar observation, noting that being in love does not automatically mean two people will agree on where or how they want to live.

Wakeford also traced some of the apparent conflict back to Meghan’s brief experience as a working member of the royal family.

He argued that Meghan entered royal life believing she might have more ability to modernize or reshape the institution than was realistically possible.

From Wakeford’s perspective, the rigid structure of the monarchy proved deeply frustrating for her.

“I mean, from the moment Meghan entered into the royal family, it was obvious that she was naive to the understanding of the structure and what was expected from the royal family and felt that she could change that,” he said.

Harry and Meghan officially stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020 before eventually settling in Southern California.

Their departure sparked years of tension with the royal family, fueled by their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple’s Netflix documentary series and Harry’s explosive memoir.

Their return to Britain has now opened an entirely new chapter.

Recent reports indicate Harry has continued attempting to rebuild some royal and family connections, although his relationship with Prince William remains strained.

At the same time, Meghan continues overseeing business ventures that remain closely tied to her American brand and public image.

Wakeford believes those contrasting priorities are at the heart of the uncertainty surrounding the Sussexes.

The question, he suggested, is no longer simply whether Harry and Meghan love each other.

It is whether they can build a life that gives both of them what they want.

For a couple that once crossed an ocean in search of a happier and more independent future, that may now be the biggest challenge of all.

Harry and Meghan have not publicly responded to Wakeford’s assessment of their relationship or ambitions.