Insiders say Meghan wore this 'revenge dress' to hit back at critics

She famously idolised Diana when she was growing up, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that when the moment came for Meghan to relaunch herself last week, she seemingly turned to her late mother-in-law's playbook, and chose a dress that spoke a thousand words.

Namely, a flesh-flashing red number, with a distinctly unregal thigh-high split.

After a stream of disobliging headlines – Meghan was recently accused of being a martinet of a boss who 'reduced grown men to tears', as well as enduring the status of her marriage to Harry being questioned in several, varying US publications – Meghan has apparently decided to hit back against the haters.

According to one Californian source, she's done so with a spectacular 'revenge dress', rather like that figure-hugging black number Diana famously wore to London's Serpentine Gallery after Charles confessed to adultery on television, and she launched her own new independent public life.

Wearing a revamped version of a Carolina Herrera dress she had previously worn with Harry to a red-carpet event, Meghan held all eyes – certainly the audacious split hadn't been so obvious when the dress had a train.

That Californian source told me: 'The belief is that this red dress is Meghan's version of Diana's revenge dress. Physically this looks like a new Meghan, as if she is moving on towards a new chapter. Some feel it's no accident.'

Indeed, Meghan's whole look was different: her hallmark teetering shoes were open-toed, and her hair – usually in a tight and polished bun for such events – was in loose waves.

She seems to have been leaning hard into a 'funky young mom' vibe, thus moving away from the 'Duchess Difficult' allegations about her management style, which had dominated the headlines the previous week.

This gorgeous creature, with her freckled shoulders and cute curls could not, surely, be a mean boss? (Indeed, employees of hers then went out of their way to publicly praise her 'kindness' in an article for People magazine that was seen as an attempt to redress the unfavourable article in the Hollywood Reporter.)

This, then, is Meghan at a pivotal point in her life outside the Royal Family: as she posed alone for the cameras at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala on Saturday night, she looked more like the Hollywood star she's always wanted to be, rather than a member of The Firm. Job done, one might say.

So where was Harry, while his wife was shimmering on the red carpet?

As has become the Sussexes' habit, they were distinctly apart on Sunday.

But there's no doubt this new model of them appearing separately – as well as making recent solo speeches and several red carpet turns alone, Harry this month also just celebrated his 40th birthday, apart from his wife of six years – has fuelled a bout of whispers and counter-briefings about their marriage that just won't die down.

Indeed, one would more than understand if Meghan felt embattled, not only by those who criticise her manner at work, but by those raising questions about the strength of her marriage to Harry. So much so that some publications have even reported that this is a 'separation' or even – gulp – a 'trial separation'.

The gossip website RadarOnline.com has gone further than most, and claims there is a 'blueprint' for them to lead very separate lives in the spotlight.

It should be admitted right away that Radar is not always the most reliable source. But elsewhere, the wholly respectable People magazine, long the friendliest publication for the couple, has, surprisingly, added to the separation narrative.

Last week the authoritative magazine ran a story, which apparently followed a briefing from the couple, about them evolving a 'twin track' approach. 

Sources added that Harry is now leaning into philanthropy, while Meghan is targeting commerce – like her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard and her impending cookery show with Netflix – which explains why the pair, once so conspicuously intertwined, are now spending time doing things independently.

They will still 'show up together for causes they jointly support,' a source tells People. They said: 'What we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship with two working partners, not the contrary.'

But a 'functional' and 'healthy' relationship with two working partners sounds like a pair of co-workers who get along all right when they have to share a cup of coffee, and not a married couple for whom the flames of passion continue to burn.

A further peculiarly worded statement then came to me this week from a well-placed source close to the Sussexes.

The stories about any separation are, they say, 'highly exaggerated'. Not untrue, false or inaccurate, as may have been plainer for the avoidance of any doubt – but merely 'exaggerated'. How much to read into that word is, of course, anyone's guess.

This same source also does not deny that the 'twin track' approach for the couple exists, but says to me: 'What we're witnessing is a healthy, balanced relationship between two partners who are both focused on their work.

'The reality is, they're criticised no matter what they do. Had the Duchess accompanied him on his recent trips, we know there would have been different criticisms aimed at them or their work.

'Their dynamic is questioned every time there's a slow period in the royal news cycle.'

Where Harry and Meghan are concerned, however, there seldom seems to be such a thing. There was much coverage about his recent landmark birthday on September 15, when the Prince went hiking in the Santa Ynez mountains with friends, including his security detail and polo pal Nacho Figueras.

Meghan, we are told, had arranged and paid for it as his 'treat', after they spent the previous night, his birthday 'eve', ringing in the 55th birthday of their friend, the actor Tyler Perry at his party.

Then a week later Harry left for a trip that took in New York, London and Lesotho, which detained him for a fortnight.

It's understood that after the trip finished, he did not hurry home to Montecito to see Meghan and their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, but instead remained in Africa for several further days, 'spending time with friends'.

A spokesperson for the couple does not deny that he took a holiday without his wife. I was told on Thursday: 'We won't be offering any comment about his private schedule at this time.'

Indeed it's unclear whether he's back in California yet. No doubt making the gossip more intense is that when Harry and Meghan did appear together recently, in a televised interview with CBS News in August to promote a charity which supports the families of teens who have taken their lives after online bullying, their interaction seemed a little awkward to some commentators.

Meghan repeatedly placed her hand on Harry's knee, and spoke about how he had got her through her own suicidal thoughts, which she previously told Oprah she had experienced while pregnant with Archie, and repeated again to interviewer Jane Pauley.

Rather than holding her hand or touching her, Harry silently fiddled with his cuffs and looked at the floor.

That appearance came just three days after another seemingly significant piece in their favoured outlet, People magazine.

It noted that Meghan wished Harry could 'let go' of the battles he has been fighting with the Royal Family, the Government and the media.

'Meghan 'supports Harry 100 per cent, but she wishes he could let go of these lawsuits, be happy, and live in the moment,' an insider told People.' The source continued: 'She wants him to be free of all of this, but she also knows that because of everything he's been through and his love for [her and their children], he can't. She wants him to live in a world where he is not burdened by this.'

It would seem there are burdens Meghan would like to free from, too. Last night a Vanity Fair story reported that at an event with Santa Barbara schoolgirls on October 2, she talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world.

The couple had a right to UK police security as working royals, but when they left their roles, that entitlement was judged to have ended. Since then, Harry has been engaged in legal action against the Home Office to try to reverse their decision. He believes that they are unsafe without security – quite apart from the snub to his status – and has been paying for it himself.

That's quite a financial strain, as reports suggest a comparable level of security costs $2 million a year.

It has also meant Meghan has not been with him on any of his four fleeting trips to the UK this year, leading to yet more separation. So can we expect more revealing outfits from Meghan – and headline-grabbing briefings from sources close to them?

It seems the new look was all Meghan's own idea. While it was reported this spring that she had engaged stylist Jamie Mizrahi – who looks after Elvis's actress granddaughter Riley Keough – I'm told that while the two women

had conversations, ultimately they are not working together.

And the new informal, anti-Royal, protocol-be-damned revamp may be replicated if she judges it to be desirable.

'Meghan has a well developed fashion sense and is happy to follow her own path,' says a source.

Her appearance at the charity gala caused some discussion, as other guests suggested her visit was a rapid one.

Socialite Lizzie Cundy was also there on the night and told me: 'Meghan came for the red carpet with her bodyguards and then I believe she left.

'It was a shame as it was a very prestigious fundraising event with great speeches and performances. She didn't stay for the dinner even. It was noticed in the room. It's a pity as she used to have a great impact.'

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A source close to Team Sussex says this isn't quite right and that Meghan stayed, albeit for only a brief time. I'm told she was there for two award presentations.

The source adds: She 'made sure to personally greet and take photos with the honoured nurses, which they requested and whose images have been circulating online.

'While she was deeply honoured to stay as long as her schedule allowed, she had to depart at the dinner break to return to Montecito and couldn't remain for the entire programme.' Perhaps she needed to get home because Harry was still away?

However, for all the briefings, their trips to Nigeria in May and Colombia in August, both regarded as successes by the Sussexes, would appear to show that they do work harmoniously and effectively as a team.

Some, too, believe that Harry is perfectly happy in California, and has no longing for London.

Local Montecito writer Richard Mineards insists Harry appears to be enjoying his freedom.

He said: 'I definitely see him being very comfortable exploring the environment we have here and inviting friends to join him hiking the trails and camping. Very much getting back to nature!

'And for his milestone 40th birthday how nice to get away from the usual routine of lavish dinner parties with celebrity friends to explore the mountains and trails of the area where he and his wife have lived for four years.'

But people close to Harry say he knows from bitter experience how difficult it can be to maintain personal relationships – even the most intimate ones – when you are also a working team.

Take, for instance, the merging of the household staffs of Princes William and Harry. It's now acknowledged this is where the brotherly relationship really started to go badly wrong.

Having left behind friends and family to start a new life in California, where he and Meghan share an office, a charity, a media company, a marriage and a family, how Harry must be hoping that history will not repeat itself.