OH, NO! Will this give the Duke and Duchess of Sussex yet another reason to be resentful?
I hear that Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells for Meghan’s birthday next month.
To add insult to injury, it did ring them for the birthday of beleaguered Prince Andrew in February, even though he’d stepped down from royal duties.
They are due to ring for Princess Anne’s birthday, 11 days after Meghan’s. And they will chime again to celebrate the Duchess of Cambridge turning 39 in January.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visits the University of Johannesburg on October 1, 2019, in South Africa. Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells for Meghan’s birthday
A spokesman for the Abbey, where Prince William and Kate were married in 2011, tells me: ‘The bells are usually rung to mark the birthdays of senior members of the Royal Family, and through the line of succession to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.’
However, Harry is sixth in line to the throne, two places ahead of Andrew.
Meghan currently lives with Harry and their one-year-old son Archie in an ultra-luxury Beverly Hills hideout that belongs to Hollywood tycoon Tyler Perry – after moving from Canada to LA in March.
The couple left Britain to stay in a $14.1 million waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada last Christmas.
They are due to ring for Princess Anne’s birthday, 11 days after Meghan’s. And they will chime again to celebrate the Duchess of Cambridge turning 39 in January. The Abbey is pictured
They carried out their last public royal duty before walking away from the monarchy at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.
It comes as royal author Tom Quinn told the Daily Star that while the Duke of Sussex ‘doesn’t hate’ LA – he is struggling to find his ‘role’ in the US.
He said Harry getting ‘swept up in Meghan’s positive energy’ has always been a problem in their relationship.
‘Harry does feel slightly lost because he is now experiencing in America what Meghan was experiencing here’, said Tom.
The bells rang for the birthday of beleaguered Prince Andrew (pictured on July 15) in February, even though he’d stepped down from royal duties
He went on to explain that while Harry was ‘swept along’ by Meghan’s ‘positive’ energy when they tied the knot in May 2018, he has since been struggling to ‘fill the days’ in LA.
‘It’s always been a problem, early on in the relationship, Meghan is a dynamo, she’s full of positive energy that would sweep Harry along but once the honeymoon is over, you still have to fill the days’.
The author went on to claim that after speaking to sources close to the couple, he believes Harry is ‘really struggling’ with his living situation, and is finding it difficult to find work.
Harry was ‘swept along’ by Meghan’s ‘positive’ energy when they tied the knot in May 2018, he has since been struggling to ‘fill the days’ in LA, according to a royal author
He added that while he ‘doesn’t hate’ living in the US, he is experiencing the same confusion the Duchess of Sussex faced while living in the UK.
Earlier this week, the Duchess faced criticism from London-based veteran royal photographer Arthur Edwards, 79, who claimed she had ‘no intention’ of living in the UK after marrying Prince Harry.
He alleged that staying in the UK was not in Meghan Markle’s ‘plans’ – despite spending £2.4million of taxpayers’ money to refurbish Frogmore Cottage.
Speaking on TalkRadio, he explained: ‘All that house refurbishment at Frogmore and the money that they spent on that, she had no intention of staying here.
Arthur – who has been photographing the Duke of Sussex since the day the royal was born – also described seeing a change in Prince Harry’s behaviour towards the media.
The couple are currently living in an ultra-luxury Beverly Hills hideout that belongs to Hollywood tycoon Tyler Perry with their one-year-old son Archie
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2019
‘Unfortunately for the last couple of years, he has gone completely sour,’ he said. ‘He didn’t talk to me for a year. I’ve been photographing him since he was born, and it was down to her.’
He went on to explain how the media requested to organise a meeting with the Duchess on three occasions – but it never happened.
‘I think the moment she married Harry it was ‘”right, let’s get out of here as quick as we can,” he added. ‘I mean, it was ridiculous.’
After heading to LA at the start of the pandemic, the photographer claimed the way in which Meghan changed clothes and went straight to Heathrow Airport to fly to Los Angeles suggests she ‘had no intention of staying in the UK.’
He added: ‘It’s not in her plans and she is dragging Harry along and unfortunately, he’s gone along with it.’
It comes just days after the photographer claimed Prince Harry’s criticism of the Commonwealth shows he has ‘lost the plot’ and ‘should stop listening to his wife.’