Why Prince Harry And Meghan Markle May Be Retreating From The Spotlight

From ELLE

Ever since we learned of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's courtship in the summer of 2016, the media attention surrounding their relationship has been relentless.

Following news of their engagement in November 2017, the frenzy surrounding the pair's marriage intensified, with the press searching for every minute detail about the now Duchess of Sussex, hounding her friends and family, and critiquing her every movement, dress and statement ahead of the royal wedding.

So, it comes as no surprise Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are rumoured to be making a conscious effort to take a step back from the media spotlight amid concerns over her father's latest statements about contact with the newlyweds.

According to Vanity Fair, friends of the couple have revealed the couple are keen to take a break from the public eye while they settle into their new roles as husband and wife.

'They spend a lot of time in the Cotswolds, more than people realise,' commented one friend. 'They are in the country way more than they are in London and they are enjoying a low-key and very domesticated start to married life.

'Harry’s not around that much anymore. Meghan likes him to keep his diary clear at the weekends so they can be together in the countryside.'

The couple currently live at their three bedroom home in Kensington Palace, Nottingham Cottage, but are currently renting a farmhouse cottage on the Great Tew Estate, which according to locals is patrolled by armed security and surrounded by cameras.

'It’s very clear they want to be private and left alone,' said one local. 'The property is in the middle of woodland and you wouldn’t know it was there. It is very remote which is why they like it. It’s like a fortress. There’s a huge security presence, you can’t get close.'

VF reports Harry is 'uncomfortable' with the level of interest in his new wife and their marriage.

At the Sentebale Polo Cup in Windsor last week - to which Meghan wore a stunning Carolina Herrera denim tea dress - the couple had lunch before the match with a screen separating them from the adjacent media pen, according to the publication.

'It was quite clear that they didn’t want the press anywhere near them,' recalled one unidentified. 'They were photographed on the red carpet and at the end of the match, but they wanted to be left alone the rest of the time even though this was a major charity event for Harry with a big international press presence.'

The tense relationship between the couple and the press came to a head when Harry almost hit his photographers with a polo ball during the match.

Prince Harry called out to royal photographer Tim Rooke and said: 'Sorry Rookie. I was trying to give you a good shot!'

While Rookie later took to social media noting the prince showed 'genuine concern for members of the media', VF suggests it 'rubbed some photographers the wrong way', months after he pled with them to leave his girlfriend alone when their relationship came into the open last year.

'He worries there is too much hysteria around Meghan and he wants to row back a bit,' revealed a source.

TheDaily Express’ royal correspondent Richard Palmer recently commented on Meghan becoming increasingly more difficult to talk to.

'Royal rota journalists are being kept further away from [Meghan] than we were before the wedding. That means we can’t hear what she is saying,' he wrote for the publication. 'If you can’t get direct quotes from members of the royal family that often makes for dull stories. You go up afterwards and ask what she said.'

News of the couple's retreat from the press comes days after Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, gave some rather unsavoury comments about his daughter and the Royal Family to the press.

'They both expect a code of silence. If you talk to the press you’re out,' a source said of the couple's wish to keep their private life out of the public eye.

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