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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked friends, family, and the world when they left their Montecito mansion and moved to the English countryside earlier this year. The transition, however, has not been smooth. Meghan and Harry have made headlines for everything from their status in the royal family to their living situation to their businesses. Now, an insider says their personal lives aren’t faring much better. The pair is rumored to have just two friends as they settle back into life in the U.K.

A royal report claims Meghan and Harry only have two friends

Royal reporter Tom Sykes has been following Meghan and Harry’s return to the United Kingdom since the news broke, and now he’s making some pretty big claims. During a live video on his Substack, Sykes claimed the Sussexes have only been spending time with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. Sykes cited “a friend of the couple” as his source but didn’t go further in identifying them. According to Sykes, the friend told him that “their only friends and the only people they see are Ellen and Portia.”

The pairing isn’t entirely surprising. DeGeneres and de Rossi were close to the Sussexes during their years in Montecito, California, and the talk show legend and her wife moved to the Cotswolds themselves in November 2024. Meghan was spotted having lunch with the couple at the Three Horseshoes pub in Oxfordshire in late September, shortly after the Sussexes arrived. Ellen and Meghan might have plenty to talk about, too. The former talk show queen, known for her bubbly personality, was cast out of Hollywood after allegations about her treatment of employees on The Ellen DeGeneres Show made headlines. She, like Meghan, has received some pretty negative publicity ever since.

The insular world is unusual for Prince Harry

While Sykes’ chatter focused largely on Meghan Markle, he did note that there is plenty of concern for Prince Harry from former friends and acquaintances. According to Sykes, Harry once had a bustling social life and a large circle of friends. A former acquaintance alleges that the prince has seemed lonely and adrift since stepping back from his royal duties in 2020.

Sykes also claimed the couple has made little effort to get to know their neighbors or other parents at their children’s school. According to him, privacy and security worries are keeping them from going out at all. Insiders claim they are deeply anxious about their safety.

They are still getting help from friends, though

The friendship chatter comes as the Sussexes face renewed scrutiny over how they pulled off the move. A separate report notes that the couple has leaned on wealthy friends during major transitions before. After they left the U.K. in 2020, Tyler Perry put them up in his multimillion-dollar California mansion.

This time, British billionaire Ian Wace is rumored to be the friend who helped. On an October episode of The Royalist Podcast, Sykes claimed the couple bonded with Wace and is now using his influence and wealth to make their lives more comfortable. The reliance on deep-pocketed pals has raised eyebrows. It has also prompted questions about the Sussexes’ finances, especially as their business deals seemingly falter.

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