SEPARATE LIVES

Has the shine come off their fairy tale, questions royal biographer Duncan Larcombe

• 'Meghan's dreams have all come true, but what about Harry's?'

The Duke of Sussex is said to have taken a ‘three-week break’ from his wife while following causes close to his own heart.

This included a solo trip to the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho, home to Prince Harry’s beloved Sentebale charity which helps the ‘forgotten’ child victims of AIDS and HIV.

He also made a visit to New York to attend a host of events while the Duchess of Sussex was nowhere to be seen.

But perhaps most significantly, the 40-year-old prince publicly marked his landmark birthday in September on a hiking trip with pals, rather than with Meghan and their two children.

Meghan, meanwhile, has been busy working on her American Riviera Orchard brand for which her husband has little or no involvement.

Veteran royal expert Phil Dampier, who has followed the royals since the 1990s, recently said: ‘They do seem to be going their separate ways… I think we all have our doubts whether the marriage will last 10, 20, 30 years.’

Though sources close to the couple have tried to play down the gossip that all might not be so rosy in paradise, the recent weeks have sent the rumour mill into overdrive and raised eyebrows among some of those who know them well.