Prince Harry has gone skiing with a Kardashian pal – as the Sussexes continue their attempts to worm their way into LA’s elite following Meghan’s ‘calculated’ launch of her new lifestyle brand on Instagram.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, is said to have basked in the glory of Aspen, America’s fanciest ski resort in Colorado, in the company of businessman Corey Gamble, 43.
Gamble is the man in the life of Kris Jenner, the 68-year-old mother of American television kings Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian; she also has two daughters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, by second husband Bruce – now Caitlyn – Jenner.
A source said Harry had hit the slopes with Gamble, as well as Bumble dating app billionaire Whitney Wolfe, 34, and her husband Michael Herd, who she met on a previous ski trip.
Wolfe became the world’s youngest female billionaire when she took Bumble public in 2021 with an initial public offering that valued the app as being worth $7 billion; it is unique in that women send the first message to a male match.
Meghan and Harry pictured last month at an Invictus Games event in Whistler, Canada. Harry is skiing with Kris Jenner’s partner Corey Gamble – while Meghan has just launched her new lifestyle brand online
Corey Gamble with Chris Jenner. Gamble, 43, is a businessman and has reportedly been with the Duke of Sussex on the slopes of Aspen, Colorado
Corey Gamble photographed Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen here in January, where he went skiing with Kris Jenner and her daughters Kim, Kendall and Khloe Kardashian
Harry is a well-known skier – pictured here on the slopes of Verbier, Switzerland on New Year’s Eve 2011
Harry and William were also taken skiing as young boys by their father, then Prince Charles
The Duke was recently pictured in Whistler, Canada, trying his hand at ‘sit skiing’ – a form of downhill sport for disabled athletes – during an Invictus Games preview event
Harry appeared to be in a building resembling a ski chalet as he delivered a video message to the recipients of the Diana Legacy Award on Thursday
Harry’s other ski friends are believed to be dating app entrepreneur Whitney Wolfe (pictured), co-founder of Tinder and later founder of female-friendly dating app Bumble
Texas oil heir Herd owns the private jet on which Harry and… Meghan flew to Las Vegas last November to see their California neighbor, pop superstar Katy Perry, perform in concert.
However, Meghan is nowhere to be seen on the slopes: she has been too busy relaunching herself as an online guru with cooking and lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
The Duchess is also not thought to share the Duke’s love of downhill winter sports, but was photographed on a trip with friends at the Powder Mountain resort near Salt Lake City, Utah, in late February.
The source said: ‘Harry is skiing with Corey. During the day they are skiing and in the evening they go to one of the more famous speak-easies.’
Harry appeared to be in a ski chalet as he dialed into his virtual appearance at the Diana Legacy Awards on Thursday – controversially staged in London at a different location from where his brother, Prince William, presented the awards to the recipients.
The Duke is no stranger to skiing. He was photographed on the slopes of Verbier, Switzerland in 2011 and was taken along with brother William as a boy by his father, then Prince Charles.
In his controversial memoir Spare – nominated for two British Book Awards – he spoke of his love of skiing, despite the fact that his mother, Princess Diana, was not keen on the winter holiday.
It meant that when he went skiing again – as he did with ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas – he felt guilty about something his mother hated.
He credits a ski trip with her with helping him open up emotionally – for the first time since his mother’s funeral while on holiday in Switzerland.
He wrote in the autobiography: ‘Skiing was so sacred to us, so symbolic, especially after our previous ski holiday in Switzerland, when she (Cressida) had miraculously opened me up.
‘It happened late one evening, after a long day on the slopes and a nice après-ski. We had gone back to my cousin’s chalet, where we were staying, and Cress was washing her face and brushing her teeth while I sat on the edge of the tub.
‘We were talking about nothing in particular, as I recall, but suddenly she asked about my mother. I answered her bluntly and then started crying.”
He went on to write that it was during another ski trip that he realized the relationship was over, lightheartedly noting that their ski trips always led to an “epiphany.”
Harry was also photographed sit-skiing in Whistler, Canada, as he held a preview event for next year’s Invictus Winter Games.
The Duke grinned as an instructor took him on a descent in the special chair, which is used by disabled athletes in competitive skiing events.
Harry’s snowy escapades could, it is suggested, lead to a collaboration between Kardashian and Meghan as she promotes her new brand.
American Riviera Orchard launched Thursday with a glitzy Instagram video showing Meghan knocking in a beautiful, rustic kitchen and a woman arranging flowers, all set to jazz singer Nancy Wilson’s I Wish You Love.
It is understood a trademark application has been filed for cutlery, cookbooks, coffee, jam and butter that could carry the brand name – as well as a physical store that could sell Meghan’s wares.
Meghan Markle pictured last week at the SXSW 2024 conference in Austin, Texas
She launched her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard on Instagram on Thursday, which experts said was a “calculated” move at a time of bad press for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Insiders have suggested that the new brand will bear some resemblance to Meghan’s doomed lifestyle blog The Tig
The brand launched on Instagram on Thursday and has since amassed more than 421,000 followers
The lifestyle brand’s Instagram account features the biography ‘by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’
The Instagram account – which features a biography of Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’, has already amassed around 421,000 followers after its launch a day ago.
Insiders have suggested it will coincide with a new cooking show on Netflix – part of the $100 million deal the Sussexes struck with the streaming platform in 2020 – and be followed by books and blogs.
PR experts have suggested that she took the opportunity presented by the Kate Middleton Photoshop scandal to relaunch herself on social media.
Professional PR strategist Mark Borkowski said the timing of the launch – which “crashed” the Diana Legacy Awards while looming over the ongoing scandal surrounding the edited photo of the Princess of Wales – was a “calculated” move by the Duchess.
He added: “Of course they were planning to launch it at this time. It was calculated. They understand when they make noise on the Internet. To launch something you have to generate a huge wave of interest.
“So why not, timing with the Diana Legacy Awards? It’s similar to what Kanye West is doing right now: causing chaos left, right and centre.
‘I think the timing of the Photoshop incident is a coincidence, it was all about this week I guess.
“If they can succeed in this in the way they haven’t with Netflix and Spotify and get a range of products that audiences like, it could make a mark for them.”
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam told MailOnline: ‘The Sussexes, in my opinion, do nothing by accident and timing is often absolutely crucial.
‘For years they have been unpredictable, but in one respect they have been predictable, and that is the impeccable timing of when they believe it is useful to release information. They don’t do anything by accident.’