Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Reportedly Face 'Worst' Year: Hollywood Snubs Them, Paydays Dwindle

The grand Hollywood mission launched by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—a power couple who abandoned their royal duties in 2020 to conquer Tinseltown—is reportedly crumbling. For the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 2025 was supposed to be the year of triumph, the period where their massive ambitions finally translated into the global influence and multi-million-pound contracts they craved.

Instead, insiders tell GLOBE Magazine that their pursuit of the A-list dream has spiralled into a miserable failure, leaving them 'emotionally frayed and wondering if they're ever going to catch a break.'

Sources reveal that the royal renegades are now more isolated and struggling than ever, lurching from one highly public crisis to the next. According to one insider, 'They had such big plans for 2025 and really believed it would be their breakthrough period. Instead, it's turned into the year from hell!'

The problems stem from two core issues: professional failure and personal conduct. Meghan, 44, has reportedly suffered 'global ridicule' after her much-anticipated Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, was a spectacular flop.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, 41, is said to be deeply homesick, longing for the comfort and routine of his old life back across the pond. The combination of dwindling professional interest and private despair has created a volatile atmosphere, with sources indicating the couple is 'clashing and bickering a lot more these days.'

The 'Toxic Brand': Why A-Listers Are Snubbing the Sussexes

The gravest consequence of their chaotic year is the fact that the Sussexes are rapidly becoming outcasts among the very Hollywood elite they sought to join. Both their former A-list pals in America and Harry's 'hoity-toity friends in England' have reportedly abandoned the pair.

The reason? Tinseltown's power players are no longer willing to tolerate the couple's 'self-obsessed and delusional tendencies,' or risk the backlash associated with their 'toxic brand.'

This growing status as personae non gratae was reportedly highlighted by an awkward encounter at Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner's recent 70th birthday bash in Beverly Hills.

While the Sussexes were present, sources allege that the couple later requested the reality star's family take down social media photos of them. PR experts believe this alleged action could severely jeopardise any future invitations they receive from the entertainment world's most exclusive circles.

'There is not only no appetite left for them in L.A., but they've also worn through any good will they had,' one insider noted in a bombshell media report, with another adding, 'People are sick of them, the act has gotten stale.'

The Humbling Payday: Meghan's Return to Acting

The financial implications of their tarnished reputation are now hitting home. The anticipated 'money-spinning, $15 million gigs'—deals usually reserved for stars like George Clooney or Angelina Jolie—are proving impossible to secure. This has left their 'paycheck possibilities... thin and humbling.'

The financial necessity appears to have driven Meghan back to her original career. In early November, the former Suitsstar accepted a role playing herself in a movie titled Close Personal Friends, marking her first return to acting since quitting to marry Harry.

Sources close to the couple suggest this move went down like a 'lead balloon' with Prince Harry. While Meghan is out networking and 'schmoozing' with high-profile co-stars, including Brie Larson and Lily Collins, the 'henpecked hubby'is reportedly being told to stay home with their two young children, Lilibet and Archie.

The move has been described as a sign of desperation. 'Meghan had no choice but to swallow her pride and take this acting role but she's having to start again from the ground up,' a source explained, adding that the part 'seems like more of a cameo than a leading role.'

Compounding their woes is a 'brutal staff revolt' that has seen up to 25 employees walk away from their bosses, who are now fighting allegations that they are impossible to work for. Meanwhile, Harry is desperate to repair his 'fractured relationship' with his family, which imploded after his 'scorched-earth memoir,' Spare, published in 2023.

The situation is desperate: 'They've got very few friends to lean on, staff continue to walk out in droves, Harry's brother, Prince William, is still baying for their blood and their paycheck possibilities are thin and humbling,' an insider concluded.

The Sussexes are reportedly 'regrouping and planning to go again,' yet the effort feels strained and depressing, signalling that their year from hell may soon spill over into an even more miserable 2026.

IBTimes UK has reached out to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's reps for comments.