The Duke of Sussex has made trips to New York, London and South Africa in recent weeks on his own and now sources have claimed there’s a reason why Meghan Markle did not accompany him

Prince Harry has been travelling without Meghan Markle as he “wants space” and is “desperate to be taken seriously”, according to sources.

Since moving to the United States, the Duke of Sussex has usually been seen at official events with Meghan at his side and yet in recent weeks he has been without her on trips to New York, the UK and South Africa.

Harry was at a central London hotel at the end of September as he attended the WellChild Awards ceremony to honour some of the country’s bravest children, while supporting a charity he has been a patron of for 16 years.

He then headed off to Lesotho and South Africa for his Sentebale charity with again no mention of Meghan. Dressed in a white shirt, dark blazer and slim-fitting jeans, Harry smiled as he stood with Princess of Lethoso, Senate Seeiso for a snap she posted to her Instagram page. The 22-year-old wrote: “Had a pleasure of hosting a lunch today”, as she shared the image in a reel.

During his visit, Harry is believed to have met with world business leaders and philanthropists in the region to work towards fostering prosperity in Southern African communities, specifically for young people. But the lack of Meghan’s presence has led to plenty of debate and one source in California told the Daily Mail that it is the new “solo Harry” who “wants space”.

And another insider based in London told the outlet it was because he wanted to be taken more seriously. They stated: “This definitely feels like he is upping his game to cement his position as a serious player on the international stage. He’s always been desperate to be taken seriously and people I know say his fall from grace will really have got to him.”

The source added: “It is a surprise that he went to Lesotho without Meghan. There may be a good reason she can’t leave the kids, but she’s never been to Lesotho and that surprises me – it is like a second home [to Harry]. He first went there as a teenager and the royal family there is like his second family.”

Harry is also being seen as “solo” on the trips due to his difficult relationship with other members of the royal family. While in the UK he was just two miles from Buckingham Palace, but did not appear to visit King Charles, and was less than an hours drive from his older brother William’s home but also did not see him.