What started as a romantic date night in an idyllic mountain town ended in disaster for Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
According to reports out of the US, the couple were seen treating themselves to dinner last week without the kids at The Duchess, a low-key Burmese bakery-restaurant in Ojai, California, but sources say their relaxing evening soon turned sour.
“They were having a nice time, chatting over some tandoori chicken about the kids and school and the upcoming US election – you know, usual husband and wife stuff,” says a source.
“They blended in at first. But then things got frosty between them.”
The source further reveals that the 38-year-old British prince “got up and walked out” toward the end of their meal, leaving the 41-year-old former actress – and their fellow diners – stunned.
“The Dutchess is a fairly intimate sort of place, where it’s hard not to notice if the people at the next table are bickering. Ojai is a celebrity-friendly place, but it was a surprise to see them there given they have all of Santa Barbara’s best restaurants outside their door.”
A source close to the Sussexes say this is just the latest in a long list of rows the couple has had following a hectic couple of weeks.
“They are stressed – they have a few big projects coming out soon and Harry, who has always been loved by the public, is particularly nervous about how he will be received given he seems to have lost his golden touch,” says a source.
“Meghan, meanwhile, is fixated on Harry’s family and whether they’ll allow her children to have and use their royal titles. For Harry, that’s the least of his problems, and he’s getting sick of talking about it when there’s bigger things going on.
“If she brought up the prince and princess stuff for Archie and Lili, especially in public in a small town where gossip spreads like wildfire, there’s no doubt he would’ve got huffy,” the source explains.
