Prince Harry and Meghan’s friends ‘forced to pick sides’; Sussexes avoid Hollywood because…
Harry and Meghan haven't been showing up to big events or hanging out with the A-listers as much as people thought they would. Expert explains why.
A royal expert is puzzled by the apparent absence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the A-list social scene. While the couple has built relationships within certain circles after relocating to the US, their presence at high-profile events or among A-listers has been less frequent than anticipated. Experts suggest that this may be due to the lifestyle they aspire to lead in California, coupled with the likelihood that many people feel pressured to choose sides.
Why Harry and Meghan ‘avoid’ mingling with Hollywood A-listers
While various reports have suggested that celebrities no longer want to associate with the royal couple, expert Katie Nicholl thinks it might be the opposite. She expressed disbelief with the couple’s choice of less prominent celebrities to hang out with, instead of big names like "Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow."
“Perhaps that is all part of their desire to live a life that is a bit more below the radar,” she explained on Vanity Fair’s Dynasty podcast. “One that doesn’t end up getting them papped or featured in all the celebrity magazines.”
The expert thinks that the couple still has a lot of Hollywood pals, “and actually, in Montecito, they’re able to do that,” she added. “I’m sure there’s a whole plethora of VIP dinner parties that are taking place at theirs that we have no idea about.”
Friends forced to choose between Sussexes and Royals
Aside from their high-profile neighbourhood, which includes names like Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry, and Orlando Bloom, Harry also has a long list of royal friends he grew up with. However, according to Nicholl, the royal feud has majorly impacted his and Meghan’s circle of friends, with many likely feeling pressured to pick sides.
“I think the ties have been severed. I think there is a sense that, possibly, friends, close friends, society friends, [and] celebrity friends have sort of had to make a little bit of a choice.” She recalled “being told by someone at the palace there was this sense that you had to put your stake in one camp or the other.”
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The expert highlighted the absence of Prince Harry at the wedding of his close friend, Hugh Grosvenor, as a prime example of this. Notably, Prince William played an usher role in the wedding, while Harry was absent despite being invited. The expert suggested that the potential awkwardness of the brothers sharing the spotlight at such a high-profile event might have influenced the decision.
Harry “was basically asked to stand down from that wedding.” Why? “Because it would have been very awkward to have had the two brothers at a society wedding like that, together. So I think they probably have lost some friends in all of this.”