Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Solo Events Prioritize Kids

Meghan Markle laughs while wearing a pretty pink dress while looking at Prince Harry during their visit to Bogota, Colombia on August 15, 2024

(Image credit: Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have made a plethora of public appearances in recent weeks. Rather than attending events together, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have favored solo appearances on behalf of organizations and charities they support individually. But Meghan and Harry's solo appearances are very much intentional, and feed into their success as a couple, a new report has claimed.

"It's clear that a twin-track approach is evolving," an alleged friend of the couple told People.

Meanwhile, a "royal insider" told the publication, "The Duke and Duchess have now hit their stride as individuals—not just as a couple. The Duke appears focused on his patronage work, and the Duchess focused on her entrepreneurial track."

Discussing why this new approach had been working for the Sussexes, a friend told the outlet, "An entrepreneurial and enterprise focus is going to be more the Duchess' priority and the Duke will continue to champion his not-for-profit patronages." They continued, "But there will be joint efforts around those cause-driven areas of work."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hold hands in Colombia — "What we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship."

As well as allowing Meghan and Harry to focus on their own projects, the solo approach has been beneficial for them as parents. "[It’s] as much a reflection on parenting priorities, in that one of them stays behind with the children," their friend explained.

An insider also claimed that solo outings help the Sussexes avoid any accusations of one or the other allegedly stealing the spotlight. "The truth is, this couple is damned if they do, damned if they don’t," the insider said.

Fans of the couple needn't worry, though, as Meghan and Harry reportedly plan on making plenty of joint appearances in the future. "With their recent trips to Nigeria and Colombia, as well as their foundation-led events, it is still evident they show up together for the causes they jointly support," a royal insider told People. "What we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship with two working partners, not the contrary.”

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.