Divorce rumours, an awkward interview and Meghan Markle's return to Instagram.

There are certain things in life that you can always count on.

Being faced with a series of red lights when you're already running late comes to mind, along with rain at outdoor wedding ceremonies, and people insisting that Die Hard is a Christmas movie as soon as the calendar flicks over to December. (It should be said that no one is fighting them on this fact, they just like the attention they believe it elicits.)

And in the season of life we now find ourselves in, revelry in the suspected downfall of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry can also be added to the top of the 'a sure thing' list.

Nowadays, people can easily be separated into two groups, depending on how they view the famous royal duo, and what kind of royal content they choose to consume.

On the one hand, you have the people who became swept up in the 'Hollywood meets British royalty' love story. These are people who still have waves of empathy and concern wash over them when they think of the hardships the couple revealed during their Netflix documentary and the interviews that followed the moment they stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

Yet on the other side of the fence are the people who believe them to be evil incarnate, and who love to indulge in stories about their businesses, lives, and relationships failing. In an unfortunate yet seemingly inevitable turn of events, it is the second group that appears to have the largest voice and influence, judging by the number of stories that populate the online space, and the comments that sit beneath them.

The current tale being spun around Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's names has to do with an alleged separation, the bitter end of a love story, and a pending divorce announcement.

But through a series of subtle (and some not-so-subtle) moves, the couple have denied the divorce rumours in recent weeks.

This week, Markle returned to Instagram with a black and white video filmed by Prince Harry, where she frolicked along the beach and scrawled '2025' into the sand. It was very 'montage of someone's wife in a movie'.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (@meghan)

Meghan has already gained almost half a million followers as she shared her first post. Including 'likes' from famous pals such as Serena Williams and Octavia Spencer.

This show of solidarity followed another instance in December where the Duchess of Sussex appeared in the final episode of Prince Harry's docuseries, Polo, though that clip has done nothing to dissuade rumours of a split.

Despite the two royals exchanging a kiss in one of the scenes, this series was actually filmed back in April. So, some Harry and Meghan naysayers speculated its inclusion in the documentary was an attempt to dispel the divorce rumours. Because it appears nothing is good enough to stop the thirst for drama.

The Duchess of Sussex presents a trophy to her husband, the Duke of Sussex. Image: Getty.

Harry had previously addressed the rumours head-on during an appearance at The New York Times' 2024 DealBook Summit, where he was awkwardly asked how he handles speculation surrounding their relationship.

Emphasising that all the attention is "not a good thing," Harry said, "We've apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times."

He then made some comments about the fans who revel in the rumours. The royal delivered a joke apology to trolls, for the fact they aren't true, saying he 'genuinely' feels sorry for the trolls that they are, in fact, not getting a divorce.

"It's hard to keep up with, but that's why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls," he said. "Their hopes are just built and built, and it's like, 'Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,' and then it doesn't happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do."

Where did this divorce theory even begin? Let's walk it back.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not secretly heading for divorce, the royal has confirmed. Image: Getty.

The evidence that supposedly supports this theory is hooked on a series of images that show Markle attending a series of glittering public events without the royal spare by her side.

The story began to gain traction in mid-November this year, when Markle was photographed solo at the launch of Kadi Lee and Myka Harris' new Highbrow Hippie hair care line. Prior to this, in October, Markle had attended the 2024 Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala without Prince Harry by her side, as many outlets rushed to report. Next came Markle hosting an intimate dinner for the Southern California Welcome Project through the Sussexes' Archewell Foundation, with the main public takeaway once again being Prince Harry's non-appearance at the event.

Listen to 'What's Really Fuelling The Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Divorce Story' on the Spill.

In the same timeframe, Prince Harry was photographed at events in Canada to promote the Invictus Games, with the coverage around his appearance dominated by outlets pointing out that Markle was nowhere to be seen. At the same time, many outlets editorialised the story and proclaimed that the Prince was 'beaming' at the thought of being away from his wife.

After Meghan Markle posted an explainer about her Welcome Project dinner on the couple's Archewell Foundation website, it was widely reported that 'the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now going through a professional separation, with their working relationship in a very bad state.'

After they were photographed together on a trip to Colombia in August, the only other time the couple have had their names and faces linked together officially in recent months is when they appeared in a video in early November for the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children, delivering a message on the importance of online safety for children.

When laid out like this, the evidence presented in this timeline does not exactly prove that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are on the verge of signing divorce papers.

They very much could be on the brink of divorce, of course, and perhaps in the New Year we'll be greeted with an artistic black-and-white image and an accompanying statement about how they have chosen to forge different paths, but will always love one another.

But in this current moment, the information we have boils down to a string of separate events and an avalanche of headlines, gossip, and comments from people who all assume that they know the true inner workings of a couple who are used to having their every move dissected.

A handful of separate appearances sprinkled across a few months would normally not be enough for the public to assume that a high-profile marriage has ended. Especially when two young children are involved, and the couple in question know exactly how invested the world is in their lives.

So, with that in mind, what is really fuelling the current Meghan Markle and Prince Harry divorce story?

Like so many other things in life, the answer to this question lies in the simplest explanation — the story is being pushed by the appetite of those who reside in that second camp. The people who always turn out in force whenever bad news about Markle and Prince Harry is pushed to the top of the news cycle.

Before the couple stepped away from official royal life, headlines about Meghan Markle's alleged faux pas, bullying behaviour, and alleged poor treatment towards the Royal Family were guaranteed to sell newspapers and push the online algorithms into overdrive. The same can be said about the coverage surrounding her 'failed' business ventures in the years that followed and allegations that her staff have been quitting in droves since she and Harry struck out on their own.

During this time, their location and royal status may have changed, yet the perceived story around them remains the same: forever proving that controversy always sells better than contentment.

Laura Brodnik is Mamamia's Head of Entertainment and host of The Spill podcast. You can follow her on Instagram here for more entertainment news and recommendations.

This article was originally published on December 5, 2024 and has since been updated with new information.Feature Image: Instagram/@meghan/Getty.