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Prince Harry’s so-called “Spare” curse, royal experts say, seems to have followed the Duke of Sussex to Hollywood.
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions. Harry’s nuclear tell-all, published in 2023, has also kept him estranged from his family.
Meanwhile, the experts point to Meghan Markle’s expanding business pursuits in California, where the Duchess of Sussex has focused on building an entrepreneurial empire in her home state.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival held at Spring Studios on Oct. 9, 2025, in New York City. The couple reside in California. (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
“Prince Harry has essentially traded one hierarchy for another,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” claimed to Fox News Digital.
“In the royal family, he was the spare to Prince William,” she shared. “In Hollywood, he risks becoming the supporting character to Meghan Markle’s ambitions. The entertainment industry rewards relevance, star power and personal branding.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is seen here attending the “Cookie Queens” premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on Jan. 25, 2026, in Park City, Utah. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex executive-produced the movie through their company Archewell Productions. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“Meghan has consistently demonstrated a clearer strategy and stronger command of that ecosystem,” said Schofield. “Harry, by contrast, has struggled to define a role beyond being ‘Prince Harry,’ which leaves him vulnerable to fading into the background.”
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Schofield said Harry’s move to California was meant to represent “freedom and reinvention.” However, the 41-year-old royal has struggled to carve out his own identity beyond airing grievances, she added.
“California seems to have left Harry unmoored,” she said. “He is far from his family, his military community and the institutional structure that once gave him direction. While he enjoys the privileges of wealth and privacy, there is a visible lack of grounding. To the public, he appears less settled than solid.”
A courtroom sketch of Prince Harry made on Jan. 21, 2026. The royal made history in 2023 when he became the first senior royal in more than a century to testify in court. (Reuters/Julia Quenzler )
Schofield’s comments came just days after a Hollywood insider told Page Six that Harry appeared to pull off a whiplash-worthy shift — going from fighting back tears in London’s High Court over alleged privacy violations to mingling with Hollywood’s elite alongside Markle at the Sundance Film Festival.
From left: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Alysa Nahmias and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the “Cookie Queens” premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on Jan. 25, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“For Harry to go from the hearing — and pleading for privacy — to then go to Sundance just days after is nuts,” the insider told the outlet.
The source pointed out that during this testimony in court, Harry accused British tabloids of making his wife’s life “absolute misery.”
On Jan. 21, 2026, a BBC reporter at London’s High Court described Prince Harry as “clearly very emotional” as he condemned how his private life had been “commercialized” by the media. (Reuters/Julia Quenzler)
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell for comment.
The father of two has previously said his late mother, Princess Diana, would have “wanted” him to start a new life in America. Royal experts, however, say that decision has come at a steep personal and professional cost.
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Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing intense intrusions by the British press and a lack of support from the palace.
After moving to the wealthy coastal enclave of Montecito, California, they aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” which revealed private details about the royal family, further strained relations with the palace.
A person at home in Edinburgh watching the Duke of Sussex being interviewed by ITV’s Tom Bradby during “Harry: The Interview,” on Jan. 8, 2023, two days before his controversial autobiography “Spare” was published. (Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)
Today, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, remain estranged, royal experts say. He is also reportedly distant from his father, King Charles III.
Harry has publicly defended his decision to write “Spare,” saying he was sharing his truth and that his conscience is clear about telling his story.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending the Sunday morning church service at St. Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, on Jan. 25, 2026. (Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
Schofield said “Spare” continues to haunt Harry, adding that the memoir has left the duke adrift in California, with little sense of purpose beyond his work with the Invictus Games.
“The irony is that by naming and monetizing the wound, he has reinforced it,” she said. “The grievance has become his brand. Instead of transcending the role of ‘spare,’ he continues to orbit it. In Hollywood, where perception is everything, that narrative risks defining him permanently.”
Britain’s Prince William visits the headquarters of Matter, a pioneer in sustainable technology, in the city of Bristol, south-west England, on Jan. 22, 2026. According to royal experts, the Prince of Wales and his younger brother Prince Harry are not on speaking terms. (Alastair Grant/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“Meghan is operating with intention, more than Harry is. She is building lifestyle ventures, media projects, and positioning herself as a modern influencer and entrepreneur. Harry, meanwhile, feels reactive. Meghan is at least trying to create lanes. Harry is trying to find one. That contrast is becoming more noticeable as their professional paths diverge.”
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage at the “Cookie Queens” premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on Jan. 25, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Page Six reported that the multimillion-dollar deals Harry and Meghan struck with some of Hollywood’s biggest power players have quietly unraveled, raising fresh questions about his long-term prospects in California.
Ahead of the release of Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” in 2023, leaked storylines captivated the public. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023)
“He simply looked silly in a cameo role in Meghan’s ill-fated cookery series,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said, referring to the “Suits” alum’s Netflix show “With Love, Meghan,” which reportedly will not return for a third season.
“With Love, Meghan,” which premiered in 2025, is reportedly not returning for Season 3. (Netflix)
“He also suffered a major setback when he lost the charity Sentebale, which he co-founded in his mother’s memory,” Fitzwilliams said. “He and Meghan are also resented by the British press for their criticism of the royal family. Their brand is known worldwide, yet so far, they have struggled to gain traction as A-listers in Hollywood.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that many who know Harry believe he misses his closest friends in England.
In late 2022, Netflix released a docuseries titled “Harry & Meghan.” It featured the Duke and Duchess of Sussex speaking out about their struggles with royal life. (Paul Edwards – Pool/Getty Images)
“I would not be surprised to see him return, even if only for a short time each year,” she said. “But any return would be personal in nature, as there is no foreseeable scenario in which he resumes royal duties — particularly given how strongly Prince William opposes it.
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Prince Harry arrives at London’s High Court on Jan. 21, 2026, to lead a group, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, accusing the Daily Mail’s publisher of privacy invasion through unlawful tactics. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo)
“The shock value from the royal family’s more lurid revelations has faded. Harry remains trapped in the past. Anything tied to the royals will always draw some interest, which actually underscores how difficult things are for Harry and Meghan, as even their titles no longer seem enough to attract audiences to lackluster projects.”
“I don’t see a major comeback for Harry — certainly not while he leans into a victim narrative,” Fordwich continued.
Prince Harry is seen out for a walk with his dog on Jan. 4, 2023, in Montecito, California. (MEGA/GC Images)
“Meghan is embracing Hollywood, while Harry has effectively become her ‘spare.’ He still struggles with the spotlight, making him less marketable on his own. And as his ongoing legal battles against the media in the U.K. show, he’s leaning into victimhood — a stance that isn’t appealing in Hollywood, leaving him more of a supporting act.”
Meghan Markle is seen here attending the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 04, 2025, in Paris. The Duchess of Sussex has been keeping busy expanding her As Ever lifestyle brand. (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for Balenciaga)
An unnamed source echoed that sentiment in comments to Page Six.
“Harry’s not really doing anything in America,” the source told the outlet. “It seems he’s still very wrapped up in the past.”
Prince Harry was a surprise guest of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Dec. 3, 2025. ((Scott Kowalchyk/CBS News via Getty Images)
“I think Harry’s banking on speaking engagements for income right now.”
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From left: Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Royal Salute Polo Challenge benefitting Sentebale at Grand Champions Polo Club on April 12, 2024, in Wellington, Florida. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)
The report noted that Harry’s local friends are mostly people he’s met through Meghan, aside from his longtime friend, Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras. They are frequently seen at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
Royal experts insist it’s not too late for Harry to get his life back on track — but only if he returns to the role he knows best.
The Duke of Sussex returned to London’s High Court on Jan. 20, 2026, as part of his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
“His best pivot would be toward Africa — or leaning more into Invictus, where he always appears most engaged,” Fordwich said.
Prince Harry launched the Invictus Games in 2014. The event was inspired by the Warrior Games in the U.S. and was created to use the power of sport to support the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans. (Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“Meghan understands how to package a narrative and build a brand,” Schofield said. “Harry has yet to prove he can do the same without relying on royal controversy. The public appetite for grievance-driven storytelling has cooled.
“If there’s a comeback, it will require reinvention — less victim narrative, more tangible purpose. Right now, the Sussex brand feels stalled, and Harry appears caught between royal identity and celebrity ambition.”
Prince Harry is raising his two young children in California. One of his passion projects that keeps him busy is the Invictus Games. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
“Harry stands at a crossroads,” Schofield reflected. “He can continue chasing relevance through proximity to controversy, or he can build an identity rooted in service, philanthropy and genuine leadership. The latter would require humility and patience — qualities Hollywood doesn’t reward quickly. But it’s the only path that offers long-term credibility.”