10 Red Flags In Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's Marriage

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's life since leaving the royal family has certainly not been boring, especially to outsiders. The couple is constantly making headlines, and they usually aren't good. Whether they're front-page news due to the loss of a major business deal or because of a new development in their relationship with the royal family, Harry and Meghan can't escape the public eye, and it's hard to imagine that such scrutiny doesn't take a toll on their relationship. Although life hasn't been boring for the two, maybe boring would be better than the chaos they're subjected to now.

The royal couple has been through a lot, and while Prince Harry has repeatedly addressed divorce rumors, life doesn't seem to be getting easier for the pair. To see their relationship crumble would be tragic, but there are still red flags in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's marriage that are difficult to ignore.

In order for a relationship to last long-term, both parties need to agree on certain factors, like where the couple might reside. This is especially important when each person in the relationship comes from a different country, like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Harry, of course, hails from England, while Meghan is from the United States. 

While their relationship has weathered the storms that came with renouncing their senior royal status and moving to America, it's possible that Harry and Meghan have different visions of where they'll live in the future, or at least where they'll spend the majority of their time.

In 2024, sources claimed that Harry wanted to move back to the United Kingdom. While Harry later shared that he enjoys living in the United States, a separate source in 2025 shared that Harry would like for his children to spend time in his homeland. "The goal for Prince Harry is simple. He wants to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the U.K. so his children can know his home country and so he can help support his patronages and their important work," a source told Hello!, alluding to a legal battle Harry has been involved in to have more security for his family while in the U.K. Should Harry feel safer in the U.K., he may want to spend more time there, which could lead to tension between him and Meghan, who reportedly wants to stay in the U.S.

Since moving back to the United States, Meghan Markle has tried to take multiple career paths. She started a podcast, "Archetypes," but only recorded a dozen episodes. She and Prince Harry also signed a massive deal with Netflix only to continually push off the release of their content. Furthermore, the Duchess of Sussex started a lifestyle brand, which gathered more and more red flags as time went on. The brand hit more roadblocks in early 2025 after it changed names from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever. Meghan announced the switch on Instagram, saying, "I'm thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into. 'As ever' means 'as it's always been' or some even say 'in the same way as always.'" But soon after her announcement, it was reported that the Spanish town Porreres was considering taking legal action against the duchess as her brand's logo is very similar to the town's coat of arms. Meghan was also criticized for using the name As Ever for her brand as that's already the name of a New York City clothing brand.

While Harry hasn't had nearly as much public career drama, his ventures seemingly aren't what he and Meghan are relying on to keep them afloat. Should Meghan's lifestyle brand underperform or her Netflix series get canceled, she and Harry could suffer in their relationship as the loss of high-paying jobs has been known to detrimentally affect families.

Another issue that can detrimentally affect a relationship is money, or rather, the lack thereof. While both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were living privileged lives before getting together — Harry was born into a family that's worth billions and Meghan was acting on a highly-rated TV series and running a successful lifestyle blog — they've reportedly had cashflow issues since leaving the royal family. While Harry and Meghan have earned lots of money — the two signed enormous contracts with outlets like Spotify and Netflix, Harry started a new job with a non-profit organization, and the duke reportedly got a huge lump sum from the Windsors when he turned 40 — they also have lots of expenses.

When Prince Harry settled his U.K. legal battle in early 2025, sources claimed it was a major win as he and Meghan didn't have much in their bank accounts. "They needed the money. The way (Harry and Meghan) live, and the rate they spend, they would run out of cash sooner rather than later — and it's not like anyone is running to hire them or give them more contracts. As they've proven time and time again, the only time they make money for people is when they've sold out his family and that cow has been milked," a source told Newsnation. While the couple are far from poor, if they are spending more than they're earning, eventually Harry and Meghan's finances will catch up to them, and financial issues could cause a rift in their relationship.

It's no secret that tensions have been high between Prince Harry and the rest of his family for years. The Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle have been open about the issues they faced while living in the United Kingdom, and Harry has not shied away from sharing his feelings toward his family members. In 2021, Harry said in an interview with Oprah, "As I said before, I love William to bits. We've been through hell together and we have a shared experience but we are on different paths ... the relationship is space at the moment and time heals all things, hopefully.

Time hasn't yet healed Harry and Prince William's relationship. Although Harry returns to the U.K. from time to time (and would reportedly like for his children to spend more time there), he doesn't see the royals. Harry didn't see his brother or his father while visiting in September 2024, and King Charles' schedule was too full to see Harry while he visited in May of that year. "The duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon," a representative of Harry's told the BBC. While Harry claimed to be understanding, the longer the issues between him and his family persist, the more chances there are for resentment to build, and any resentment Harry has toward his family could spill over to his relationship with Meghan.

Prince Harry isn't the only one in the relationship with familial issues. Long before the Duke of Sussex had a falling out with the Windsors, Meghan Markle was feuding with her family, and her familial issues have persisted for years. Meghan is estranged from most of her immediate and extended family, and was even sued for defamation by her half-sister, Samantha Markle. Meghan is also not on speaking terms with her father and hasn't been in contact with him in years. Meghan's mother was the only member of her family present at her wedding to Prince Harry.

Despite this lack of communication, Meghan's family still speaks about her to the media. In late 2024, Samantha spoke to the Daily Mail, claiming that Meghan was partially responsible for Samantha not being on speaking terms with her own late mother. Per Samantha, issues within the Markle family worsened when Meghan and Harry got engaged. Samantha also warned that Meghan will regret her actions if she doesn't try to reconcile her relationship with her father before he dies. "Meghan has no idea what she is missing out on because when my dad goes, it will be too late ... When my father passes away, I hope she can feel, and remember he loved her more than life itself — or she will never be able to look in the mirror." No matter who's right within the Markle family, the discord may eventually negatively affect other families, too, especially Harry and Meghan's own.

Every relationship is different, and every person has a different tolerance for certain issues, but it's hard to imagine a relationship surviving if one person is embarrassed by their partner. Onlookers have found Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be embarrassing as a couple at many times throughout their relationship, but the two seem to be getting embarrassed by each other more and more as time goes on. 

In 2023, Harry and Meghan attended Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour" concert in Los Angeles, and those who saw the couple didn't have good things to report. "[Harry] looked miserable," one source told InTouch, alluding to Harry's embarrassment of Meghan who was letting her hair down. "It's led to more tension with Meghan, who's telling him to stop embarrassing them. She had a great time cutting loose and dancing with her mom — to have Harry stiff as a board in the background on a date night was a major buzzkill."

Furthermore, in early 2025, the couple went to Whistler, Canada for the Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded and sick military men and women that Harry has put on for over a decade. Professional singer Michael Bublé joined the event to sing for the crowd, and after he finished, Harry quipped that it was Meghan's turn to sing. The duchess instantly looked embarrassed by the joke. Although it was seemingly all in good fun, instances like that can build resentment if one partner is genuinely upset.

Some couples don't care much about Valentine's Day, but even those who are seemingly unaffected by the holiday still at least spend the day together, which is why many were shocked to see that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent Valentine's Day apart in 2025. Harry was out of town while Meghan was in California with their children. Their holiday spent separately even got the attention of oddsmakers, as the likelihood of whether Harry and Meghan will stay together is up for debate among bettors. As betting expert Shane Orton told the Daily Record, "Harry and Meghan are one of the most famous couples in the world — but the chances of them splitting up are growing every day. For them not to spend Valentine's Day together is a big red flag."

Although they weren't together, Meghan did share a photo of herself and Harry kissing on Instagram, along with a sweet caption. "Back home taking care of our babies, and missing my Valentine, as he continues on at the Invictus Games, changing lives and reminding all of us of the power of healing and resilience through these incredible veterans and their families. Beyond proud of my husband and what he's created. My love, I will eat burgers & fries and fish & chips with you forever. Thank you for you," Meghan said. While it's only one holiday spent apart and Meghan didn't seem too affected by it, more missed holidays could be a signal of a fracture in their relationship.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship, from the outside, has never been easy, and it appears there were people in their lives who were against their relationship before it even began. In the 2019 ITV documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey," which was filmed and aired prior to the couple's exit from the royal family, Meghan said, "When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, 'I'm sure he's great but you shouldn't do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.'"

Meghan's friends knew what they were talking about — once she and Harry got together, their relationship was the topic of every tabloid in the United Kingdom, and outlets around the world were writing think pieces on the couple. Harry and Meghan's documentary revealed how the couple was dealing with the criticism at the time, as it only got worse the more their relationship continued. However, the noise was taking a major toll on the two, particularly Meghan. "It's not enough to just survive something, right? That's not the point of life, you've got to thrive, you've got to feel happy. I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried, I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging," Meghan said. While it seems that Meghan and Harry don't get as much criticism from the media in the United States, they're still subject to negativity from outsiders, and every couple has a limit on what they can handle.

Friendships are important, and the absence of friends can signal and cause many issues in a person's life. As their time living in California has continued, according to sources, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's number of friendships has decreased. "It's clear that several of Meghan's high-profile friendships have cooled over the past few years," PR expert Ronn Torossian told Express in 2024. The expert specifically cited how few celebrities shared that they had received a jar of jam from Meghan when she announced her lifestyle brand, despite a reported 50 jams being sent out, noting that a number of celebrities she once called friends either didn't receive a jar or didn't help by promoting the brand. "Either situation, the lack of public support or the lack of gifting, would speak to the cooling of these relationships and the shrinking of her Hollywood circle," Torossian said.

While Meghan and Harry's Hollywood reputation isn't totally tarnished, their lack of friends in town could be due to a number of factors, such as the criticism they receive from the media and the public or certain celebrities' desires to remain in good standing with Harry's family. "It's not necessarily about Harry or Meghan themselves, but rather the complex and polarizing controversies that continue to follow them despite their attempts to step back from public life," Torossian said. Perhaps people don't want to be around Harry and Meghan, or maybe the two have isolated themselves, but either reason for a shrinking social circle is a relationship red flag.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's behavior on social media is closely monitored, and every post, though just a window into their lives, does give some insight into what goes on behind closed doors. Though Meghan only resumed a solo online presence in 2025 (she abandoned all personal online accounts after joining the royal family, and her online presence since marrying Harry has been limited to joint accounts), her Instagram profile was curated from the start, only showing what appeared to be highlights, and that includes posts with Harry.

Meghan's perfect posts could signal trouble within her and Harry's marriage. "[Only posting perfect photos] might mean that you're either trying to convince yourself or the world that the relationship is perfect, when it's less than ideal, and are avoiding the problem areas that need to be fixed," relationship expert Jonathan Bennett told Brides of this type of social media behavior.