Prince Harry is reportedly ‘back to his old self’ without Meghan Markle, his ‘comfort blanket.’
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry has attended a string of events without wife Meghan Markle and has been doing them with confidence as an expert says the "old Harry" is back
Prince Harry is back in the spotlight after a string of solo appearances in recent weeks. The Duke Of Sussex returned to the UK for a fleeting trip and then went on to South Africa while his wife Meghan remained at home in California with their children. It’s rare we see the Duke without his wife at public events, but some experts and sources claim he appears more confident when solo and without the attention being on Meghan. With his big smiles and charming nature, one expert says that we could even be seeing signs the old Harry is back – perhaps for the first time since his dramatic exit from the royal family four years ago.
“Ever since moving to America, it’s taken Harry a long time to feel comfortable and confident enough to go out on his own and he is really enjoying this new way of life,” a source told us. “Before he always used Meghan as a bit of a security blanket as he felt quite lost in his new role, which was completely different to his old royal life and what he had been used to. He was always happy to let Meghan take the limelight as she thrived in big public events and he would take her lead.”
The source thinks, “He did feel overshadowed at times but he was happy for that while he adjusted to a whole new way of life.”
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe echoed this sentiment and said Harry normally takes a ‘back seat’ when he’s out with Meghan.
“We know that Harry is very defensive of Meghan and we’ve seen him on some jobs where he hasn’t looked his normal self when he’s with her,” he told us.
Harry’s trip to South Africa comes ahead of his brother, Prince William’s, scheduled visit. William’s 2024 Earthshot Prize awards ceremony will be in Cape Town on November 6, meaning the estranged brothers could visit South Africa just five weeks apart.
But for Harry, the trip was prefaced by a visit to London by himself for the WellChild Awards – and Duncan says this was another example of Harry excelling on his own. “We saw him being brilliant with children and being really charming”.
The London visit, which was fleeting, comes after Harry made it clear earlier this year that Meghan and their children; Archie, five, and three year old Lilibet, would not travel to Britain as he fears for their safety. Following their exit from the royal family and move to the US, Harry and Meghan lost their royal protection service. And he told ITV earlier this year that this has him worried.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor… whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Whatever the reason for Harry not bringing Meghan along to his recent trips, this could be a glimpse of his new working image, or as Duncan puts it, the royal going back to his past.
“We’ve seen a glimpse at the old Prince Harry,” he said. “When Harry was doing solo jobs before he met Meghan he was by far the best at it. William is good but Harry had that X Factor that I don’t think many people have had over the years. We don’t see even glimpses of that when he’s with Meghan working.”
