Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s loved-up video silence the gossips? Sources insist Sussexes’ ‘marriage is fine’ and Duke’s upcoming solo trip ‘is not a sign of trouble’

Smiling side by side, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex beamed as they put on a united front in their first public appearance for weeks.

Sitting together in a love seat in the sun-steeped garden of their Montecito home, the couple were filmed as they made congratulatory phone calls to the winners of their new safer technology grant.

It is the first time the couple have been seen amid mounting speculation about their future in Hollywood and rumoured strains behind the scenes.

They are thought to be in danger of losing millions after their lucrative Spotify deal was axed and the duchess, who turns 42 tomorrow, was dismissed by Hollywood powerhouse Jeremy Zimmer as ‘not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent’.

Despite negative speculation, the couple were all smiles as they appeared together in the snappy two-minute, 40-second clip released yesterday afternoon.

It came as sources close to the couple insisted they were ‘fine’ despite being ‘fed up’ of the rumour mill and remained determined to make a success of their life in America. 

The carefully staged joint video marks a return to public appearances, with a clear statement from the parents of Archie, four, and Lilibet, two.

The last time they were at a public event together was at a New York awards ceremony in May, which ended in chaotic scenes with claims and counter-claims about a chase with paparazzi through the streets of Manhattan.

They have since been plagued by rumours that they were stepping away from their joint ventures to focus on solo projects, with Meghan recently signed to power agency William Morris Endeavor, and Harry, 38, working on a Netflix series with a trip to Botswana.

But sources close to the couple, who married in a lavish 2018 Windsor ceremony, said they were becoming increasingly tired with the ongoing speculation swirling around them.

One source told OK! Magazine: ‘The Sussexes’ marriage is fine,’ adding that unfounded online snipes had stemmed from Harry’s upcoming solo trip to Africa.

‘That’s a work trip. It’s not a sign of trouble.’ 

Dressed in a loosely fitted beige turtleneck dress and gold earrings, Meghan held a mobile phone as her husband, wearing brown chinos and a white shirt, leaned in towards her

This echoed an ‘insider’ who told US gossip website PageSix last month that rumours were ‘not true. It’s literally made up’.

Industry experts said the couple’s career woes were a result of ‘serious growing pains’ – and the over-expectation put on them as royals – as they struggled to make their mark in Hollywood. 

The pair signed multi-million-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify shortly after the move, but production has stagnated in the three years since.

‘The royal element and, in some ways, the drama around them inflated the price, deals and expectations,’ a top Hollywood insider told People magazine.

While projects related to their previous life inside palace walls, such as their tell-all Netflix series which reopened old wounds with fresh claims, were relatively successful, those without a royal element have struggled to land with audiences.

Their Netflix docuseries Live to Lead failed to take off, while a Meghan-driven animation called Pearl, about a girl inspired by female leaders, was quietly dropped.

 However, an Archetypes source told People magazine that the couple were not set up for success on Spotify.

Recipients of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund, of which the couple’s Archewell Foundation is a founding member, will receive $2million (£1.56million) in grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 

The  Archewell Foundation initiative will see 26 youth-led projects, designed to help make the digital world less toxic for young people

‘They were given no formal lay of the land to kick things off, so they were already on unsteady footing even before the ink was dry,’ the source added.

There was a claim the couple, who produced just 12 episodes of Archetypes for the audio streamer before their deal was ditched, had ‘a lot of ideas and did pitch them,’ but red tape meant ‘things moved very slowly on both ends’. 

Among those ideas, Bloomberg reported, was Harry’s suggestion to interview ‘controversial’ guests such as Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump about their childhoods and the Pope, who does not have children, about fatherhood.

But an industry executive told People that there was still time for the couple to turn things around, adding: ‘Has their final chapter been written? Absolutely not…Hollywood loves a comeback.’

In their new video, the couple gushed as they made surprise calls to recipients of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund of which their Archewell Foundation is a founding member. 

Dressed in a loosely fitted beige turtleneck dress and gold earrings, Meghan held a mobile phone as her husband, wearing brown chinos and a white shirt, leaned in towards her.

The initiative will see 26 youth-led projects, designed to help make the digital world less toxic for young people, receive $2million (£1.56million) in grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000.

Calling several of the winners of the fund, the Sussexes enthusiastically thanked them for all their hard work in making the internet a safer and better environment.

Despite negative speculation, the couple were all smiles as they appeared together in the snappy two-minute, 40-second clip released yesterday afternoon

The couple gushed as they made surprise calls to recipients of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund 

Referencing their two children, Prince Harry said: ‘Thank you for everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful.’

‘They don’t know it yet, but they will!’ the duchess added, laughing. The money, which will help efforts including ensuring the responsible use of artificial intelligence and tackling cyberbullying, has been provided by sponsors including the Archewell Foundation.

‘I can’t believe that I’m speaking with you both right now,’ Trisha Prabhu, inventor of Rethink Citizens, a technology to detect and stop online hate, said after she picked up the phone. 

She told the couple of her own experience of online bullying: ‘It was like young people were empowered and emboldened to say things to me online that they would never say to me in person.

‘And so my vision was, can we actually stop the cyberbullying at the source with the cyber bully, via a behavioural approach that actually teaches young people to pause and rethink?’

Harry responded: ‘This is amazing. This is exactly why we do what we do… This is exactly why the Youth Power Fund was created.’