Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gone quiet, and this time it is by design. Thirteen days after their Nottingham walkabout was branded “royal theatre,” the Sussexes have cleared their diary of public engagements for the next fortnight while King Charles tours the Caribbean, The Times reported Wednesday, with a source close to the couple telling Hello! that overshadowing the King or Prince William is “never his intention.” The couple, who left Montecito, California, for the Cotswolds in August, are spending the October half-term with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
The timing lines up precisely with the monarch’s travel. Charles landed in the Bahamas on Tuesday to open a nine-day tour that includes a solo state visit to Guyana and ends with him presiding over the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda from November 1 to 4, where Queen Camilla will join him. William flies to Mumbai for the Earthshot Prize in November. The source said Harry does not “set out” to “draw attention” from the royal family and will be “mindful” of the official visit, while conceding the Sussexes cannot always avoid overlaps because they are not given the royal diary in advance.
The retreat follows the loudest two weeks of the couple’s UK return. Their October 15 engagement in Nottingham, where they greeted schoolchildren and worked a rope line, prompted royal commentator Kinsey Schofield to call it “royal theatre without royal authority” and author Robert Jobson to ask on X, “Surely the Palace should act?” The Lord Chamberlain’s letter in September had already told officials the couple are “akin to private citizens” with no official status.
The quiet does not extend to Meghan’s career. Paramount Australia announced Tuesday that she will co-host Junior MasterChef Australia in 2027 alongside Poh Ling Yeow, with filming expected to take her to Melbourne for several weeks in the first half of next year. “I love cooking with my own kids, so seeing what these young stars create in the kitchen is going to be a lot of fun,” Meghan said, calling the offer “an easy yes.” Whether Harry and the children follow her to Australia has not been decided.
‘Her Diary Is Full’: Insiders Say Meghan Is Ready to Step Back Into the Spotlight
The fortnight off may be the calm before a busier stretch. “Her diary is full,” an insider told Hello! earlier this month, adding, “They’ve got the kids settled. Archie and Lili are really enjoying school. She is able to now stick her head above the parapet a little bit more.” The source said the couple expect to make at least one more joint outing before the end of the year, even as the palace keeps its distance.
Tellingly, the Sussexes did not come up at all in the comments under the Royal Family’s own post announcing the King’s departure, where the mood was almost entirely warm. “Bless the King and Queen. Wishing them all the best this visit,” read the most-liked reply, while others offered “Proud of King Charles” and “Here’s to a successful trip. Godspeed.” The lone dissenter kept it to three words: “Another free holiday.” Meghan’s MasterChef news drew a sharper split under Channel 10’s Instagram announcement. “You guys really should read the room and know your audience,” one viewer wrote, and another asked, “Isn’t there a young upcoming chef in Australia who the kids could relate to and aspire to?” Fans pushed back: “A-MAZ-ING! I think the chemistry between the hosts and the warmth they exude will be exactly what the JM contestants need.”
For two weeks, at least, the King gets the stage to himself. The Sussexes say that was always the plan. Their critics will note it took a backlash to prove it.
