Six years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left Britain and the working royal life behind, the promise of their California chapter was a clean break, independence and the freedom to define their own path. A recent in-depth report suggests the reality has turned out to be considerably quieter and lonelier than that vision implied.
People close to Harry who have spent time with him in recent months have described him as adrift and isolated in Montecito, the sleepy Southern California enclave the couple has called home since leaving the United Kingdom. While Meghan has been actively chasing new ventures and expanding her professional profile, Harry appears to be filling his days with a much smaller and less defined existence than the one his departure from royal life was supposed to unlock.
The collapse of shared purpose
Part of what has sharpened that sense of drift is the unraveling of the couple’s joint philanthropic project. Their Archewell Foundation, which had served as a shared professional anchor, is being wound down in its current form. The organization laid off much of its staff shortly before Christmas in 2025, and those who worked there described being blindsided by the news. The couple reportedly plans to shift toward grant-giving and similar dispersals rather than continuing to run a full nonprofit operation, a move former employees said was driven by a desire to reduce overhead.
The effect on the couple’s day-to-day dynamic has been notable. With Archewell no longer functioning as a joint workplace, the two are reported to be collaborating far less than before. In its current form, the dissolved foundation has left them with little shared professional ground to stand on.
Meghan moves forward, Harry waits
While Harry navigates this quieter stretch, Meghan has remained active. Her lifestyle brand, As Ever, recently ended a partnership with Netflix following a year of collaboration, and she continues to pursue new business opportunities. Reports suggest she may eventually write a memoir of her own or engage more directly with American public life, though those close to her indicate she has been careful to avoid any topic that might generate controversy.
Harry’s professional picture is murkier. He is reportedly considering new entrepreneurial ventures of his own, though those plans remain early and undefined. In the meantime his days in Montecito are described as a mix of time with his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, socializing with entertainment executives who have homes in the area, playing polo and taking on occasional paid speaking engagements.
Invictus remains his clearest identity
The one area where Harry’s sense of purpose appears intact is his continued involvement with the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded veterans that he founded and has championed throughout his post-royal years. For those watching his situation from a distance, Invictus represents the clearest and most credible expression of what Harry does well, and some observers have suggested that leaning further into that work may be the most grounded path forward for him.
A second book and a royal rift that lingers
Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare was a defining and deeply controversial moment in his public life, and reports suggest he has privately indicated there may be enough material left over for a follow-up. There is no indication, however, that he is actively pursuing one.
The broader backdrop to all of this is a rift with the Royal Family that shows no signs of closing. His relationship with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, remains strained, and multiple recent accounts have framed Harry as someone still very much defined by what he left behind rather than what he has built in its place. Whether that changes in the months ahead may depend on what he decides to build next, and whether he decides to build anything at all
