SOLO SUSSEX
Meghan Markle steps out alone for second time in a week as she and Harry ‘live separate lives’
The Duchess of Sussex recently turned out at a gala in Los Angeles
MEGHAN Markle stepped out alone for the second time in a week with royal experts claiming she and Harry are "living separate lives".
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, visited Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, California, on October 2 to help with a new digital-wellness programme called Social Media U.
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She visited the non-profit organisation as they launched a new digital wellness programme for young people, and the royal discussed her own experiences with social media.
But last week's visit was only made public on October 11, which marks the International Day of the Girl.
The new effort is financially supported by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's charity, the Archewell Foundation, the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, and Melinda French Gates’s Pivotal Ventures
Its aim is reportedly to encourage teenage girls to socialise without screens and urge them to use technology for positive connection and creativity.
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Meghan donned a blue and white J.Crew shirt which she paired with a pair of wide-leg trousers, a brown leather belt by Ralph Lauren and a some brown suede heels by Manolo Blahnik.
She took part in the event alongside Girls Inc. CEO Stephanie J. Hull and #HalfTheStory founder Larissa May.
Her outing marks a second without husband Harry in as many weeks after she made a striking solo visit to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles gala on October 5.
At the bash on Saturday Meghan was seen greeting young fans and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Demi Lovato and The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco.
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Royal experts have previously told The Sun that Meghan and Harry are 'going their own ways' as they increasingly live 'separate lives'.
Speaking on our first-ever Royal Exclusive Live show, Arthur Edwards and Jennie Bond lifted the lid on the power couple's recent time apart.
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry are going separate ways - she's NOT popular | Royal Exclusive Live
Sun legend Arthur revealed how the pair are "doing things separately now" after failing to be spotted together in three weeks.
We last saw the Sussexes together at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles in September, where they posed apart from one another.
Meanwhile Jennie, a royal correspondent for the last 35 years, previously revealed: "Meghan is not popular.
“She doesn't want to come back and they are going their own ways, to some extent".
The trips are thought to be part of a new plan that will see them doing more events separately, a friend said recently.
Harry and Meghan will still do joint engagements - but will also be seen in public alone, more often, as they pursue their own passions.
However, a Sussexes’ confidante insisted: “It is normal for couples to not do everything together.”
Harry and Meghan’s enterprises are said to now be running side-by-side rather than jointly, although they are expected to be seen together at charitable engagements and embarking on foreign visits.
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While it is understood that the Duke and Duchess’s work lives will be separated, insiders told The Sun that they are also spending more and more of their downtime apart.
Harry has barely been at home in Montecito for the past three weeks. He has been seen without Meghan in New York, London and Lesotho.
This series of solo trips for Harry has sparked fears the couple, who have been married for six years, are drifting apart.
This comes after it was revealed Harry spent the night of his milestone 40th birthday without Meghan as rumours continue to swirl.
The duke went on a hiking trip with pals to celebrate his big day - and failed to mention his wife, 43, in his birthday thanks message.
Although sources close to the couple insist it was Meghan who organised the lads’ trip, experts warned it could be a key sign things are not so rosy.
It was also reported Meghan ditched a charity event at the last minute in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband because she was “sick”.
In fact, the mum-of-two has not been seen since September 14 — the day before Harry turned 40.
And, sources claim, for periods earlier this year, she was rarely staying at their luxury Montecito pad.
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Meanwhile, Harry was said to be “moping around” on his own at a local cafe.
Previous claims last year that Meghan and Harry spent extended spells apart were denied by those close to the couple.
Prince Harry’s tattoo shop visit without Meghan is major hint couple could have separate plans for future, warns expert
By Summer Raemason
PRINCE Harry's tattoo shop visit and upcoming solo trip without Meghan is a major hint the couple could have separate future plans, claimed an expert.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, was spotted at a tattoo parlour in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and stayed for over an hour yesterday.
It was also revealed Harry will be jetting to Lesotho and South Africa early next month without Meghan Markle.
This comes after the duke attended at a string of events in New York unaccompanied by his wife, who stayed behind in Montecito, California.
Their separate appearances, including Harry's surprise TV stint and tour of a haunted maze on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, has sparked rampant speculation regarding their future together.
Royal expert Hugo Vickers hailed the upcoming Lesotho and South Africa trips.
He told The Sun: "I rather commend what he's doing with this, because this is more outgoing.
"It's like when he does things with the Invictus Games and things like that.
"But there seems to be a pattern forming, even in these last few days, that he is going out on his own and doing things."
The expert suggested there could be multiple reasons for the divide.
"One could be that, you know. He does indeed wish to establish himself more as the old Harry," he said.
"It could be quite simply that Meghan Markle has responsibilities with her young children, and therefore feels she has to stay at home with them.
But he added: "There is a separation of, you know, of their different engagements, and that he's going to be going more solo, in which case watch this space."
Meghan and Harry have put on a largely inseparable front since quitting the UK and moving to the States in 2020.
But Mr Vickers warned the duke may have grown tired of Meg's presence - and the negativity it attracts.
"It always seems to me that when she's around she's dictating the narrative, and that he kind of is very compliant and just goes along," he said.
"A lot of the things that he says publicly I have always suspected are dictated by her. So I do wonder a little bit whether he isn't trying to establish himself more in his own right."
However, the expert hinted Meghan could still be behind everything.
He said: "It could be that she commends this idea because it gives him more of a profile and sort of ups his game, and therefore, when they go out together in public, they're more valuable."
On the future of Harry and Meghan's relationship, Mr Vickers added "personally think it's quite likely to not end too well for [Harry]".
Regarding rumours swirling their marriage, the expert suggested they may stay together - to preserve their image.
"It is possible that they need to keep stay together to keep their brand," he said.
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