Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently the subject of a scathing cover article by US glossy magazine Vanity Fair, which has delved into their lives five years on from Megxit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be rattled by a scathing takedown of their post-royal life – but will always have to face one huge dilemma, royal experts have claimed.

Not only are the Sussexes’ having to deal with Donald Trump, who once suggested he could deport Harry from the US, officially becoming US president today, they are also the subject of a brutal cover article by glossy US magazine Vanity Fair, which has previously been supportive of the couple.

The story, headlined ‘American Hustle,’ delves into Harry and Meghan’s lives five years since they decided to quit as working royals, and the allegations have sent shockwaves across the internet.

Harry and Meghan quit as working royals five years ago ( 
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Getty Images)
The damning piece contains more troubling claims about what it’s allegedly like to work for the couple. These follow previous bullying accusations against Meghan, which she has always strenuously denied. Other claims include that Harry underestimated the impact his explosive memoir Spare would have on relations with his family, that Meghan has been forced to ‘re-parent’ Harry and that the couple lacked ideas when it came to their Netflix and Spotify deals.

According to The Times, the Sussexes have dismissed the allegations with a source close to them describing them as ‘distressing’. In the past, staff members have also spoke out in defence of the couple, describing them as caring employers.

But according to royal historian and expert Dr Tessa Dunlop, none of the criticism of the couple’s work endeavours since leaving the royal fold “should surprise us”. She told the Mirror: “It has only been five years since they broke free of the British monarchy, post-Sandringham summit. It was never going to be easy to leave the Royal Family, an institution with a millennia-long reputation for looking after their own.

“Harry is like a fish out of water because he was born to be royal, to exist in a privileged world where all he had to do was be polite. That is no longer enough; with no commercial track record, the prince has to keep the fires burning in 13 fireplaces in that Californian mansion.”

Prince Harry during a solo appearance in September ( 
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Getty Images)
While former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond also said: “I think the most perceptive comment [in the Vanity Fair article] is a quote from a former Spotify employee explaining that Harry and Meghan’s dilemma is that ‘the thing you’re escaping is the reason you’re compelling’.

“It really does hit the nail on the head. People are interested in them because they are part of the Royal Family – but that is what they are trying to get away from. So what’s left that makes them interesting now?

“Vanity Fair concludes that Harry and Meghan cannot win, no matter what they do. And that’s tough. I think the couple will be annoyed and disappointed by a magazine which has supported them until now publishing such a comprehensive – and in parts damning – analysis of their lives.”

As well as exploring what happened during production of Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes – with one insider claiming the duchess could be “really, really awful” when things did not go her way at work – it also delves into Harry’s life, with a source saying he doesn’t really want to be famous and would rather just do charity work.

The Sussexes in Colombia last summer ( 
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Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)And Tessa added: “Where you well may ask, is Harry in all of this? Harry is sidelined as a lonely, litigation-obsessed, immaculately mannered chap who ‘looks like the kind of guy who would, frankly, happily work for charities for the rest of his life and would be very happy if Meghan made all the money’.

“Well, he did come from a state-funded institution renowned for charitable works. You can take the prince out of the palace but retraining is a little hard after a life-long existence in a glad-handing, philanthropic gilded cage where you are forced to be famous.

“It is an unedifying read, that singles out Harry as friendless, marooned through his own poor decision-making, miles from home with a controlling wife who he is not relaxed around. A media circus surrounds the Sussexes, one that they depend on, that traps them in Montecito, a place full of famous people who don’t like the fact Harry and Meghan have put their town on the map. By all accounts, they are branded ‘local villains’ in their own Californian neighbourhood. Although it all depends on who you talk to. Sharon Stone has since come out in support of the couple.

“Harry and Meghan can take solace in Oscar Wilde’s observation ‘the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about'” While for Jennie, she says it’s important to look at the whole picture. She added: “There’s a lot of publicity about the remarks of some former Archetypes staff saying they needed therapy after working with Meghan, and it seems clear that she is not always the easiest person to work with.

“But then again the article quotes another member of staff who said that Meghan was ‘lovely and genuine’. Another recounted how Meghan had sent a note and a gift to a staff member who had been upset. The narrative is that they failed in their Spotify contract but, once again, someone who worked closely with them said that actually they had quite a lot of good ideas but the projects had to be abandoned for practical reasons.

“As for the King, I very much doubt that he would even be made aware of the article. I think he still cares about his son, but I don’t think he cares about what magazines have to say about Harry or Meghan, he has seen it all before and now has a lot more important things to deal with.”