Prince Harry is privately “tormented by regret” over his marriage to Meghan Markle as he watches his former partner Chelsy Davy prepare to relocate her young family to what she calls a “paradise” in Mauritius, sources tell RadarOnline.com.
The claims come as it emerged Chelsy, 40, and her husband Sam Cutmore-Scott, 38, are in the process of moving from west London to the Indian Ocean archipelago after falling in love with the island during the Covid lockdown.
Harry’s seven-year, on-off relationship with Chelsy ended in 2011, and he married Meghan, now 44, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 2018.
Insiders say recent updates about Chelsy’s life – particularly her plans for a serene future abroad – have triggered renewed turmoil for Harry as his own marriage faces ongoing strain following the couple’s high-profile departure from royal duties and financial pressures surrounding their life in California.
One source close to the Duke said: “He’s been unusually reflective, almost anguished at times. Hearing about Chelsy building this peaceful family life has hit him harder than he expected.
“He keeps saying she was the one person who really understood the madness of his world.”
Another added: “There’s this sense that he wonders what might have been if he hadn’t walked away from her. It’s become a recurring theme in his thinking – regret, nostalgia and the fear he made a series of irreversible mistakes.”
Chelsy recently described how she and Sam – who was in the year above Harry at Eton College – came to consider Mauritius home.
“We got locked down on the island while visiting my parents during Covid and, while we were here, we got a bit further under the skin of the place from a non-holidaying perspective,” she said. “We’re now in the process of moving out here (semi) full-time.”
Speaking of Mauritius, she added: “Many people think of it as just a holiday destination, but it’s so much more than that. My parents are based there full time now and, since spending more time visiting them with my kids recently,
“I’ve discovered there’s a much deeper world which sets it apart from other tropical destinations like the Maldives or the Seychelles.”
Chelsy and Sam, who married in a secret ceremony in 2022, have a son, Leo, and a daughter, Chloe.
Their understated wedding reportedly contrasted sharply with Harry’s grand royal celebration with Markle.
Chelsy said: “I bought my wedding dress from a hotel boutique the day before my wedding and was very pleased with it.”
Sources say Harry has become “fixated” on the simplicity and stability of her choices.
One insider said: “He talks about how uncomplicated things always felt with her. Watching her settle into this idyllic new life has stirred up all kinds of emotions – not least because his own situation in California is far from the fairy tale that was promised.”
Another said: “There are moments when he seems overwhelmed by the life he’s chosen – the scrutiny, the pressure, the relentless expectation that everything he and Meghan do must be monetized, plus her almost crazed desire to be a celebrity. It’s everything he wanted to escape when he quit the royal family.
“He now looks at Chelsy’s life and sees the road not taken.”
A separate friend of the Duke claimed the topic had become “inescapable” in recent weeks.
They added: “He’s not saying he wants to go back in time, but he’s deeply unsettled. It’s clear he’s wrestling with the choices that brought him here.”
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