Their love story began in sun-soaked Botswana, in Africa, with Prince Harry revealing in their December Netflix documentary how he and wife Meghan Markle “camped out under the stars” for five days. It was their third date – full of gorgeous sunsets, watching wild lions and dinners on camp chairs – and the incredibly romantic getaway sealed their fate when the couple fell head over heels in love. Reflecting back on their time there, Harry, 38, said, “That was when it just hit me, like, ‘Okay, this girl, this woman is amazing, is everything I’ve been looking for, and she’s so comfortable and so relaxed in my company.'”

The love-struck pair then returned a year later on another conservation project to celebrate Meghan’s 36thbirthday. Now seven years on from their first trip, and after marking their fifth wedding anniversary earlier this month, the couple haven’t quite hit reality with a bump when it comes to arguing over who takes the bins out or the rising utility costs at their £11.8 million Montecito mansion, but a source reveals that Meghan has put a full-stop to any naughty, or even relaxing, vacations for the foreseeable future.

And keen-traveller Harry, who is now exclusively based at the family home with Meghan, 41, and their two children – Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet – is miffed…

The insider says, “If Harry had his way they’d rent a yacht and go somewhere wonderful, maybe even a five star resort or a glamping trip somewhere ultra-luxe and remote. There’s no question they can afford whatever they want but Meghan’s not keen and says it’ll have to wait. It’s very frustrating for Harry but what’s kept him going is the promise of a big summer vacation somewhere – he’s done all the research, prepared the options and presented them to Meghan to sign off on. But she’s taken a pass on everything and told him this isn’t the time for them to be packing their bags and disappearing out of sight.”

It comes as little surprise then, that Harry has reportedly been spending some ‘me-time’ at the exclusive San Vicente Bungalows in Hollywood – a lavish and super private member’s club, where board members (rumoured to include actress Julia Roberts) have to approve your membership. Stickers are placed over phone cameras and nobody is allowed to approach another member as they flit between the fire-lit lounge, the roof terrace, and the sparkling pool – all reminiscent of something out of the golden age of Hollywood with striped sun loungers and white umbrellas enclosed in luscious greenery. There’s also a fully stocked bar, and Elon Musk – who reclaimed his spot as the richest man in the world again last week – is said to be a member.

It’s a far cry from a tent in Botswana, but Harry’s new Californian life is also drastically different from his life, and home, as a working royal. Ahead of stepping down and leaving ‘the firm’ in January 2020, Harry and Meghan worked to the schedule of tours and appearances they were set by palace officials, while they lived at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The quaint English cottage – which was recently offered to Prince Andrew following Harry and Meghan’s official eviction notice from King Charles earlier this year – boasts five bedrooms, two orangeries, a yoga studio and a vegetable garden. Meanwhile the couple’s new luxury pad has an incredible nine bedrooms and 19 bathrooms, as well as a home cinema, tennis courts, an expansive pool, a chicken coop, a full-sized playground and a ‘children’s cottage’.

But now the source says that even while living in absolute luxury, Harry has realised that the grass isn’t always greener, but that Meghan has put a stop to Harry exploring the US, or even returning to London for an extended period.

They add, “Harry always said he was excited to see as much of America as possible, it’s one of the big reasons he was sold on the move in the first place. The idea was to base themselves in California but take regular little trips around the country and explore the state from top to bottom. Harry would go back to the UK for a longer holiday if he could but that’s a total non-starter for Meghan. There’s so much he wants to do and he’s got this huge list of places to explore but because of their relentlessly hectic schedule most, if not all, of these trips have had to be pushed back or cancelled in favour of staying at home.”

Harry’s wanderlust – which he’ll be forced to exercise with caution following the backlash over the climate-conscious couple’s use of a private jet in 2019 – may also be thwarted as the on-going saga over his US visa continues. Last week, reports revealed that US think tank, The Heritage Foundation – who initially raised concerns over Harry’s visa following his confession to using drugs in in his January memoir, Spare – have now appealed to President Joe Biden’s administration to demand that his application be made public to ensure he didn’t receive ‘preferential treatment’. An admission to using drugs could be grounds to turn down a visa request from a non-US citizen.

And while Harry awaits the outcome of the upcoming court date later this week, Meghan is said to be keeping her eyes on the ball when it comes to their on-going rebrand. The source says, “There’s no sense taking their eyes off the ball right now, every day of work and forward planning is crucial. The last thing she wants is to be packing her laptop and working during a vacation, worrying about Wi-Fi reception so they can attend an emergency Zoom conference in the middle of nowhere – and it simply isn’t an option to turn the phones off and shut down for two or three weeks. It’s one of those cases where he has to be patient and look at the bigger long term picture – which means knuckling down and enjoying what he’s got for now in Montecito. And to be fair to Meghan, she has been pointing out to Harry that it’s not a bad situation to be in!”