Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be ‘distressed’ following the release of the 8,000-word article

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have endured a challenging start to the year. At the beginning of January, all signs pointed to 2025 being an exciting and joyful chapter for the royal couple. Meghan had triumphantly returned to social media and announced the upcoming release of her highly anticipated Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.

However, just a week later, the picture-perfect start took an unfortunate turn. Meghan was forced to postpone the launch of her series by two months due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Shortly after, the couple found themselves at the centre of a scathing 8,000-word article in the American magazine Vanity Fair. The piece portrayed Meghan, once again, as a difficult employer, while Harry was said to have made few friends in Montecito.

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Meghan Markle was pictured before the Vanity Fair article was released, helping those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires

Despite reports from sources close to the Sussexes that the couple were “distressed” by the article, Harry and Meghan have chosen not to respond publicly – a decision that royal PR expert and former communications secretary to the late Queen, Ailsa Anderson, believes is a wise one.

Speaking on this week’s episode of A Right Royal Podcast, which you can listen to below, Ailsa shared her professional insight: “If you start adding fuel to the fire, then you’re just elongating a story. So, I think there are times to stand up and be counted, and there are times to say nothing.”

She adds: “I think actually they’re right. Just let it go and move forward. Otherwise, they’ll be creating a story, a further story of their own making.”