Getty/Instagram
When Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex shared her first footage from British soil on September 14, the snapshot it painted was of a rural life relished.
There was video of her walking happily hand-in-hand with her husband Prince Harry amid green forests, snapshots of gumboots splashing in dirty puddles, footage showing Harry teaching their kids Princess Lilibet, five, and Prince Archie, seven, how to fish, plus an astonishing video of a huge herd of deer who crossed paths with a delighted Archie and Lilibet as the camera was rolling.
The montage was everything idyllic about British countryside living, distilled into a few precious seconds and shared to Meghan’s 4.8 million Instagram followers for delighted consumption.
A day later, Meghan followed it up with another post – one that gave a pointed message to those who speculate whether the couple’s marriage will successfully weather life in the country that gave them so much heartache before.
“He’s simply the best,” Meghan wrote of her beloved “H” in a message to celebrate his 42nd year around the sun. “Happy birthday, my love.”
To all intents and purposes, Meghan is thriving in her new UK home, despite a recent stoush with Harry’s father King Charles, over the wording of a letter he sent out clarifying their status as “private citizens”.
Of course, it’s been reported that Harry and Meghan took issue with the label – instead preferring to be known as “public figures”.
Now sources tell Woman’s Day that these new positive posts from Meghan in the wake of the drama marks the start of a new Sussex strategy – one in which she and Harry aim to show his estranged relatives just how it’s done in their own backyard.
“It was a huge kick in the teeth when that letter went out to remind everyone that [Harry]and Meghan are still just private citizens. It felt very pointed and as far as Harry is concerned it has William’s fingerprints all over it,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“But he’s not letting it slow him down, he says it’s only made him more determined to show everyone what he can do.”
Indeed, the insider says that the Duke is “hitting the ground running” now that he has lined up several charitable engagements in the coming months.
Not only is Harry set to attend the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London on September 17, but he will also attend the WellChild Awards in London on September 21.
“He’s saying he’s going to build on the momentum that he had when he was last in the UK and everyone was saying that he was a breath of fresh air and what the monarchy needs right now,” the source tells Woman’s Day.
“Just because he and Meghan are not officially working royals doesn’t mean they can’t devote themselves to service.
“Harry’s always been passionate about making a difference and he feels pretty strongly that he and Meghan have a lot to give and he thinks they can do it in a way that’s a lot less stuffy and more relatable than anything the Royals are doing.”
However, changing public perception after being so vocal about the difficulties the duo previously faced in the UK will be no easy task for former Suits actress Meghan.
Drama enveloped the couple once again on Harry’s birthday, when it was reported that the couple had pulled their children out of school after two days due to lingering security fears.
The debacle sparked a candid assessment from former Met Police Chief Superintendent, Dal Babu, who told the Daily Mail the “saga” was a sign they had “rushed” their move.
“It does beggar belief why they haven’t thought this through. I don’t think he [Harry] has helped himself or the situation by not arranging things in good time,” he told the outlet.
Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection, also weighed in on the drama in an interview with LBC radio.
“If you keep a low profile, most people outside the school wouldn’t know where you are, what they’re doing, and all the rest of it,” he said.
“Do they really need to go in convoy with two little children on the school run? If they only just kept a little quieter, kept a lower profile, they’d be a lot safer in my view.”
But if the rumblings coming from royal insiders are anything to go by, Meghan and Harry may not want to keep a lower profile at all.
Share this post