Prince Harry is now on his second week of solo engagements in Southern Africa after appearances last week in New York and London without Meghan Markle – and an expert has explained why Harry is carrying out these visits without his wife

Meghan Markle once declared that she and Prince Harry were like “salt and pepper”, insisting, “we always move together” – but it has not been the case in recent weeks.

Firstly, Harry appeared at a charity event organised by Hollywood star Kevin Costner alone with Meghan reportedly sick. Hot on the heels of that, Harry then headed to New York solo for a string appearances including speaking at a summit organised by the Clinton Foundation and appearing on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Earlier this week, he made a fleeting trip to the UK alone to attend the WellChild Awards and has now headed to Southern Africa for a series of visits in Lesotho and South Africa. It has led many to wonder why Harry has been on his travels without his wife – even though the pair headed to Colombia together in August.

Harry at the WellChild Awards on Monday ( 
Image:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

One PR expert believes there is a strategic reason why Meghan appears to be ‘missing’, especially from Harry’s royal-style outings. Mark Borkowski told The Telegraph that the Sussexes’ “separation of work” has been ongoing for a while now, especially as Meghan works on her new American Riviera Orchard brand.

And he believes the reason behind their solo appearances is because their “star power” as a couple that they believed they might have had when they dramatically quit their royal roles “didn’t work”. He explained: “They had to change the narrative. They need a venture that deflects from the failures. The charity aspect impresses upon everybody that he [Harry] does have value beyond the controversial stuff. It has the effect of separating them from the bad press and the failed content ideas. The punters still have time for Harry.”

Harry did mention wife Meghan while in the UK when he met one of the WellChild Award winners Scarlett Cripps, who was recognised for her uplifting attitude despite living with a number of complex medical conditions. On meeting Harry, the 10-year-old gave him a set of crystal hearts – a blue one for himself, a green one for his son Prince Archie, a yellow heart for his daughter Princess Lilibet and a purple crystal heart for Meghan.

Prince Harry at a bonfire welcome event in Lesotho ( 

And afterwards, Scarlett’s mum, Aby Cripps, revealed: “Scarlett told Harry she filled the crystal hearts with love and whenever he had a bad day or sad day he had to squeeze the heart and it would show him how special he was and make him smile. He said it was a lovely gesture and he hadn’t seen his wife and his children because he was travelling here, so he’ll take it out later and squeeze them and it will remind him of his lovely wife.”

Meanwhile, Harry arrived in Lesotho in Southern Africa yesterday after his whirlwind trip to the UK and was reunited with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, with whom he co-founded his charity Sentebale.

Set up in 2006, the organisation supports children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana living with, or who are at risk from, HIV. Last night, Harry caught up with Prince Seeiso around a bonfire at a children’s centre in the small country.

And there he talked about the impact of his Sentebale charity and made an impassioned plea. During a speech, Harry said: “We’re hitting the targets, not just Sentebale but all of the departments are, and it’s making a massive difference, and it is this surge of energy and optimism and the voice of young people ranging from six to 25 – and the biggest difference of which really needs more work, is when people from the top start listening.”

At the bonfire welcome event, Harry was also greeted by those who support Sentebale and enjoyed a performance from dancers and a choir. Earlier in the day, it emerged he had enjoyed lunch with Princess Senate Seeiso in Lesotho, which is often called the ‘Mountain Kingdom’.

During the rest of his Africa trip, Harry is expected to gather with world business leaders and philanthropists in the region to work towards fostering prosperity in Southern African communities, specifically for young people, with a series of events in Lesotho and Johannesburg, South Africa.