Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly become "lonely" and "isolated" since their return to the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aged 42 and 45 respectively, moved back to the Cotswolds in late August after six years in the United States.
Despite Harry's longstanding connections in the area, the couple have reportedly struggled to rebuild their social circle.
According to royal reporter Tom Sykes, the couple now spend most of their time with just two friends: American comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her Australian actress wife, Portia de Rossi.
Sykes shared this account during a live video on his Substack, "The Royalist," citing a source close to the couple.
He said: "A friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has basically told me that their only friends and the only people they see are Ellen and Portia.
"I know. Isn't it sad? Isn't it tragic? Ellen and Portia- your only mates."
The claims come after Meghan was seen having a pub lunch with DeGeneres and de Rossi at the Three Horseshoes in Oxfordshire in late September.
DeGeneres and de Rossi, who used to live near the Sussexes in Montecito, California, moved to the Cotswolds in November 2024.
The former talk show host confirmed to the BBC that the couple decided to make the move permanent following Donald Trump's re-election as US president.
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Like Harry and Meghan, DeGeneres and de Rossi also have a home in Montecito, reportedly splitting their time between the UK and the US.
However, Sykes claimed that the Sussexes' friendship with the Hollywood couple has not eased concerns among Harry's former friends about his increasingly secluded lifestyle.
The royal commentator said several mutual acquaintances were shocked at how much the Prince's social life had changed since his return to Britain.
"They describe this man who was very beloved, had all these friends, but today seems to be very very lonely and very very cut off," Sykes said of Harry.
"They're [The Sussexes] are not going out, they're afraid to go out. They're hugely paranoid about security."
While Harry reportedly still keeps in touch with a few old friends and occasionally visits a friend's pub in Somerset, Sykes claimed the couple were otherwise living a largely secluded life.
He further alleged that the Sussexes had made little effort to make friends in their new community, despite locals trying to welcome them.
Sykes claimed: "Interestingly, they're also shunning the efforts of neighbours and school parents to befriend them.
"And they're spending time only really with Meghan's celebrity friends because she prefers famous people, most notably Ellen and Portia, who live nearby and are fellow expats."
The commentator suggested the couple's difficulties settling back into British life had left them struggling to find their feet.
He claimed the Sussexes are "both not in a very good place in terms of how the whole return to the United Kingdom is going".
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