Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved back to the UK with their two children but they are not believed to have ended the feud with older brother, the Prince of Wales
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK six years after quitting their roles as senior working royals and moving to America.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived back in Britain last week with their two children, Archie and Lilibet. They are believed to be living in a private, non-royal residence outside of London with the two royal children starting school in the UK in just a few weeks.
However, Harry will not be resuming his royal duties with both King Charles and Prince William said to be in “lock step” and will not allow the prince and Meghan to have a ‘half in, half out’ role within the monarchy.
The Prince of Wales and the King are believed to have been told about Harry and Meghan’s plans at the same time. While Harry has visited his father on his trips to the UK in recent years and months, he is not believed to have seen or had any contact with his brother and relations between the two are thought to remain frosty.
Friends of both William and the Princess of Wales have said while they “cannot forgive” the Sussexes for their hurtful accusations against the Firm, they are determined to “look forward to the future”.
It comes after Harry and Meghan embarked on a series of high profile interviews about their time as working royals, along with a Netflix series, Finding Freedom, and the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare.
The Duke and Duchess levelled a number of accusation at the royals, including an alleged fight between the two brothers, with Harry claiming William pushed him into a dog bowl in a row over his relationship with Meghan.
In his book William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, by The Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers William’s reaction to Harry and Meghan’s interview with Tom Brady in 2019, was laid bare.
In the conversation Meghan admitted publicly she had been struggling, and Harry said he and his brother were on “different paths”.
According to Myers, the interview cemented something in Williams’ mind and showed both himself and Kate just how much had changed between them and Harry. William also felt Harry had become “paranoid” – despite his attempts to help him.
“He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother,” a source close William claimed. “He became paranoid, angry, obsessive and firmly rooted in the past. There’s no doubt, at that time at least, there was a lot of love and support available for Harry.”
It’s been widely reported – and Harry has himself admitted – that William warned his younger brother to take things slow with Meghan. “It’s easy to forget now, given everything that has gone on,” an insider told Myers. “But William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him.”
Kate, who was always said to be the “voice of reason” between the warring brothers is also believed to have been less keen to persuade Harry and Meghan to remain part of the working royal family when their plans to leave became clear.
In his book, Myers says: “At first she had thought William and Harry’s squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan’s attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course.”
However, the problems really came to a head following Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding. One source who knew both couples well at this time suggested William and Kate felt the Sussexes had ‘an agenda’.
The source added: “They definitely thought the Sussexes’ behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic.”
“Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. There was definitely a hope from her side [Catherine’s] that William could try and talk to Harry and settle things but that didn’t exactly happen… and at the end of the day, she had three young children, who were her focus and if anything she saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened.”