Earlier this week, we reported on the news that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are planning to step away from the spotlight in an effort to protect their privacy and pull out of their current PR tailspin.

It’s a savvy move, but it may have come to late.

The Sussexes have been taking a drubbing in the media lately, with the most recent controversy involving Harry and Meghan’s claims that they were chased by paparazzi during a trip to New York last month.

New York-based celebrities and media figures cast doubt on the couple’s story, and now LA commentators are joining in on the dog-pile by accusing the Duke and Duchess of becoming increasingly desperate for fame.

“Friends of mine who live near them are always bumping into Meghan at parties these days,” Los Angeles society journalist ­Petronella Wyatt wrote in a recent column.

“She tends to leave Harry at home.”

On a recent episode of his podcast, LA-based comedian Tim Dillon echoed the observation that Meghan is a regular attendee at SoCal’s hottest parties.

And he alleged that she and Harry have become two of the region’s most aggressive social climbers.

“All they want to do is hang out with celebrities,” Dillon said.

“I was at a party the other night talking to somebody about these people and it’s just constant with them,” he continued.

“She (Meghan) was texting the person I was with there. The point is they just won’t stop these two. They’re like low-grade reality stars trying to attach to anything.”

Dillon went on to allege that Meghan’s desire to be accepted in the upper echelons of LA society has become something of a joke.

“I’m literally at the party and they are showing me texts of this woman begging people to like ‘hang out’, she is trying to get places,” he claimed.

“It’s sad. A lot of it isn’t working, and they are rolling their eyes at me, and we are having a good laugh about this,” Dillon continued, adding:

“I respect the hustle I get what they are trying to do. A lot of people at this party were like we text her back, she’s a duchess, but we’ve had enough.”

Another recent indication of the Sussexes’ somewhat diminished place in American society came in the form of a recent piece from New York Post columnist Douglas Murray, who flat-out accused the couple of lying about their car chase.

“Meghan seems to be continuing her audition to be acclaimed as the most hard-done-by person on the planet,” Murray wrote.

“Whether it is not going to a coronation or not having enough houses, there is no sorrow that is like Meghan’s sorrow.”

Harsh words.

Meghan and Harry can certainly overcome these recent setbacks — and they’re no strangers to negative coverage.

But they’re probably feeling a bit discouraged that they now have to work to overcome bad press in two countries, rather than just one.

Meghan Markle Is Obsessed With Making Celebrity Friends, Portraying Herself as a Victim, … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.