Face of the Day

Prince Harry and Meghan’s rocky start to 2025 has become a full-blown PR crisis in the wake of a damning new exposé, with sources close to the pair describing the latest claims as “distressing”.

Earlier this month, their joint and unexpected appearance at a volunteer hub in Los Angeles became a lightning rod for criticism – with one Hollywood filmmaker even describing them as “disaster tourists” – and the catastrophic wildfires caused Meghan to postpone the launch of her new Netflix series.

Then came the sledgehammer hit: on Friday, Vanity Fair dropped an 8000-word article with a series of explosive, unflattering allegations about the Duchess of Sussex, made to the reporter by “dozens of people who have worked with and lived alongside the couple” and “over many months”.

With Meghan on the cusp of finally launching her major new post-royal rebrand as a homewares and lifestyle guru, the timing couldn’t be worse – and according to the UK’s Times, sources close to the couple have admitted the latest brutal claims are “distressing”, though they added that they have “dismissed” them.

Worse still is the fact the article was published by Vanity Fair, who has typically been supportive of the Sussexes in the past, and even featured Meghan on its cover in 2017 in a flattering profile piece, titled: “Wild About Harry”.

Clearly, the tides have now turned. In the latest article, the Duchess, 43, is portrayed as a ruthless employer, with one staffer revealing they had not believed previous bullying claims about her but quickly changed her mind after being hired, admitting it could happen “any given Tuesday”.

NZ Herald