A week after their ‘professional separation’ was reported on, Prince Harry has spoken out against the idea that he and Meghan Markle are getting divorced.

In theory, their professional separation was billed as a new PR tactic to improve their individual images. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams claimed the couple’s working relationship was in a ‘very bad state’ and as such they were trialling a ‘professional separation’, which would see them undertake more public appearances on their own.

It’s a turn of phrase that the media was bound to run with, but the crux of the statement appears fair. Short of a joint social media video calling for an end to violence against children that they sent to the United Nations conference in Colombia on 8 November, the couple have not made a professional public appearance together since the start of September.

In August, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex completed their quasi-royal tour in Colombia, where they promoted their charity work about internet safety, learned about Colombia’s culture and history and met the country’s Invictus Games team.

As with most things Harry and Meghan are involved in, the tour was met with a mixed response, especially since they only allowed their own videographers and reporters into most of the events to ensure they were represented ‘accurately’. This prompted questions about why they would want to go on such a high-profile visit if they were worried about their safety and how they would be represented in the media – if not to maintain influence and visibility on a global stage.

The couple was also accused of ‘wasteful spending’ after reports stated the tour cost an estimated $45,000 and they failed to draw in the large crowds usually expected of royal visits.

It was after this trip that Harry and Meghan seemed to deploy project ‘professional separation’ and have been spotted at various events on their own. At the end of November, Meghan hosted a dinner for the Southern California Welcome Project for Afghan women through the couple’s Archewell Foundation. She later released a solo statement thanking her guests for attending and fostering an ‘open conversation centred on gratitude and resilience’.

Meanwhile, Harry was in Vancouver at a series of Invictus Games-related events ahead of the official games which are set to take place in Vancouver and Whistler in February next year. He has also been promoting his new Netflix series, Polo, which debuts on 10 December, about ‘the sport of kings’. While the series is produced by both Harry and Meghan, it is very much Harry’s domain. Meghan is reportedly developing her own show about ‘the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship’ with the platform, although a title and release date have not been confirmed.

‘This is obviously a new tactic,’ Fitzwilliams told GB News. ‘As in every brand the Sussexes want to promote their brand as best they can. They have tried something that has worked with the so-called royal tours of Nigeria and Colombia. Then we have got the solo engagements, so they are experimenting.’

It seemed like a plausible enough strategy. However, as is the case with any story about Harry and Meghan, it quickly mutated into a global headline about the state of their marriage.

During the New York Times’ 2024 DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday, Harry addressed speculation about his marriage head on.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, the founder of the DealBook Summit and a New York Times columnist, mentioned the stories swirling around the prince online and asked, ‘There’s articles left and right about, you know, “Why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?”’

The prince then joked that Sorkin had not invited his wife to the event. ‘Apparently, we’ve bought or moved house 10,12 times,’ Harry added. ‘We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So, it’s just like, “what?”

‘It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls,’ Harry continued. ‘Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.’

Once again, Harry opted to toss his grandmother’s playbook of ‘never complain, never explain’ out the window. ‘Professional separation’ or not, Harry and Meghan remain resolved to defend themselves.

Who can blame them? Ever since they started dating in 2016, they have been subjected to unrelenting scrutiny and criticism from the press and on social media. They have taken conscious steps to remove themselves from that sort of glare, stepping down as senior royals and moving to LA in 2020, and have attempted to reclaim their narrative on several occasions with a podcast, a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, a Netflix series and a memoir – all to little or no avail.

So when Harry was asked about the latest rumour in front of a live crowd, of course he saw it as an opportunity to disappoint those awaiting his downfall. Far from the brink of divorce, he spoke about wanting to be ‘the best husband and dad’ he can be and said that he and Meghan have been focussing their time on the Archewell Foundation.

He even anticipated how his conversation with Sorkin would be misinterpreted and used against him by his critics in the press and the public. ‘For that, I can only apologise,’ the prince joked, ‘but you did invite me, so it’s not my fault.’