Prince Harry has suffered a fresh blow after a difficult start to the year. Initially, it seemed that 2025 would be an exciting time for the Duke and his wife Meghan Markle, but they've faced some big setbacks. The Duchess was forced to postpone the launch of her series due to the devastating wildfires in LA, then the couple were both brutally branded "disaster tourists" after helping out at a food distribution centre for victims.

Just days later, a scathing 8,000-word article about the couple in the American magazine Vanity Fair emerged. The cover piece, titled 'American Hustle', set out what life was like ­'Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Big Business Ambitions, 5 Years After Their Royal Exit'. It contained troubling claims about what it's allegedly like to work for the Sussexes, complaints from their neighbours in Montecito, and the bombshell allegation that a member of Meghan's team had reached out to a publishing house to "gauge interest" in a post-divorce book. And now a former royal staffer has shared their thoughts on the article - along with their own 'firsthand' assessment of the Prince.

Paul Burrell worked as Princess Diana's butler from 1987 until her death in 1997 and spent a lot of time with Harry and Prince William when they were children. Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, he reflected on the couple's situation. He claimed: "Vanity Fair is a prestigious title so to print such a damning article about Harry and Meghan is quite a precedent. I've never met Meghan myself, but how can so many other people be wrong? It's not possible. I know from firsthand experience how difficult Harry can be. I know how petulant he can be and how spoiled he is, because I've experienced that myself. He's always lived in a bubble.".

Harry and Meghan have not publicly responded to the Vanity Fair article, but according to The Times, the couple have denied the 'distressing' claims behind the scenes. Royal PR expert and former communications secretary to the late Queen, Ailsa Anderson, claimed that the pair's decision to not respond is likely down to the fact that they would "start adding fuel to the fire" if they were to do so. She told a recent episode of Hello!'s A Right Royal Podcast: "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." Ailsa continued: "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.".

In its explosive article, Vanity Fair quoted sources who claimed Meghan could be "really, really awful" when things did not go her way at work and that projects often went poorly due to the couple's 'demands'. Other claims include the suggestion that Harry underestimated the impact his explosive memoir Spare would have on relations with his family, that Meghan has 're-parented' Harry , and that the couple lacked ideas when it came to their Netflix and Spotify deals.

One producer, said to have worked with the Sussexes, accused them of "naivety", while an unnamed worker who reportedly collaborated with Meghan and Harry on their Spotify deal said: "The thing you're escaping is the reason you're compelling.". The former employee further said that Meghan and Harry "didn't do what celebrities do on podcasts, which is turn on the mic and talk. They wanted a big theme that would explain the world, but they had no ideas".

The article also quoted sources who are said to be neighbours of the couple in Montecito , saying that Harry and Meghan 'entitled' and 'disingenuous'. But those close to the Sussexes have pointed to comments made by actress Sharon Stone when they first moved to Montecito back in 2020, who said that the couple would wave to people in the street and had become a "giving, caring, participating part of our community.".