Prince Harry is reportedly "concerned" and "distracted" by the growing speculation and conspiracies surrounding his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, despite the ongoing family feud between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the royal family.
According to a new report by Page Six, the Prince believes that "any hint of scandal is untrue" and is troubled by the way in which the Princess of Wales has retreated from public life following her abdominal surgery in January.
The speculation surrounding Kate Middleton began after the Palace announced that the Princess had undergone surgery at the London Clinic and would likely not be seen in public until after Easter. However, in recent weeks, discourse surrounding the Princess has spiraled, with many questioning how she is really doing and speculating about her absence from public life.
On Mother's Day, Princess Kate shared a family photo of herself with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in an attempt to silence the speculation. However, the image ended up fueling further controversy after it emerged that it had been issued with a "kill notification" following rumors on social media that it had been edited. International news agencies then removed the photo from their wires, claiming it appeared to have been "manipulated," and the Princess soon issued an apology.
Despite being seen recently at a farm shop in Windsor, the speculation surrounding Kate Middleton continues to grow, and Prince Harry is said to be preoccupied with the current discourse. A source told Page Six that the Duke of Sussex is "distracted" with concern by the headlines surrounding his brother's wife and believes that any hint of scandal is untrue.
This comes days after another source told OK! that Prince Harry has been encouraging his wife, Meghan Markle, to show her support and extend an olive branch to her sister-in-law. The source said, "Harry is keen for Meghan to reach out to Kate and lend her support. Harry wants his family to return to the UK and he knows that the only way that will happen is if Meghan can repair her fractured relationship with Kate."
The revelations about Prince Harry's concern for Kate Middleton come amid reports that he has "scrapped" plans for a potential follow-up to his controversial memoir, Spare, in order to avoid further straining his relationship with his father, King Charles. Royal expert Ingrid Seward told the Mirror that the Duke of Sussex's criticisms of his stepmother, Queen Camilla, in the book had damaged his relationship with the King.
"I think it certainly damaged his relationship with his father that he criticised his wife so openly," Seward said. "But you know Charles has such a busy life, there's so much going on. I don't think he's holding a grudge against Harry, I just think he has withdrawn from Harry."
Seward also suggested that while it is unlikely that Harry will release another book anytime soon, there are rumors that his wife, Meghan Markle, is working on an autobiography that could be a "real game changer."
