Long before Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, he and Princess Kate shared a friendship that many of their supporters admired. However, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex fled London for Montecito in 2020, their closeness was put on hold, with reports indicating Princess Kate and Prince Harry now barely communicate.
Fast forward four years, and sources tell Woman's Day Australia that the recent chaos at the Firm has prompted Prince Harry to seriously consider a semi-permanent move home to be closer to his ailing father, King Charles, and to support his embattled sister-in-law.
“The truth is, Harry is really concerned about Kate and despite them growing apart, he can’t bear that she’s going through such a horrific time. He does carry an enormous amount of guilt over his treatment of Kate in his book, and he knows she was one of his closest friends and allies for some of his most formative years,” the source told Woman’s Day Australia.
During the drama surrounding Princess Kate and Prince William, tipsters claimed that Prince Harry "knows first-hand" the damage that can be caused by online trolling and incompetent publicity teams. According to sources, "there is no way he'll stand by and watch his sister-in-law suffer any more."
Unfortunately for Princess Kate, who was recently spotted at the Windsor Farm Shop, no amount of sightings or statements has been able to quell weeks of relentless internet conspiracies or reassure royal fans that she is, in fact, safe and sound with her family.
As previously reported by Woman's Day, the hysteria surrounding Princess Kate's public break reached a fever pitch when the London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales received treatment, announced that an investigation would be launched after at least one employee attempted to gain access to the princess' private medical records.
According to informants, this was the moment Prince Harry realized he needed to be in the United Kingdo to support his family. "He knows he needs to urgently get home and spend a prolonged amount of time with his family - things are truly out of hand," a close friend told the magazine, claiming the prince has a "ultimate goal" of moving home with the kids and Meghan Markle.
However, Meghan Markle has made no secret of her reluctance to return to the U.K. the situation has become “extremely factious” at their Montecito mansion. “Harry has stressed the severity of the situation, but Meghan is simply not interested, not now,” the source, who said the “Suits” alum’s priorities lie entirely on the launch of her new lifestyle brand, suggested.
American Riviera Orchard promises to sell home goods, kitchen lines, and jams, and is rumored to be Meghan Markle's last chance to establish herself in the United States. Informants say Meghan "just isn't going to jeopardize this business venture" by relocating to the United Kingdom.
“She wants to remain focused on her relaunch,” the insider claimed, noting that some of the royal couple’s most intense disagreements have been born from conversations about Prince Harry wanting his family to spend time in the U.K.
“This time, he’ll leave Meghan and travel without her, but he wants the kids around Kate...it wasn’t that long ago she was one of his closest and most trusted pals,” a friend said, who added that the biggest sticking point for Prince Harry is now the fact his children barely know their aunt or how beloved she was to the Duke of Sussex.
“This time he’s backing himself, he won’t let Meghan interfere with an important trip like this, not because of business and not because of issues in the past. His family needs him,” the tipster added.
The Telegraph reported that Prince Harry is expected to return to the U.K. in the coming weeks. Despite speculation that Meghan Markle will accompany him, this appears highly unlikely.
The Duke of Sussex is thought to have expressed a desire to attend a service at St Paul's Cathedral in London later in May to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games. While his travel plans have yet to be officially confirmed, it is "unlikely" that he will accompany his wife or their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Prince Harry launched the Games in March 2014 at London's Copper Box Arena, used as a venue during the 2012 Olympics. He even mentioned this year's event during his speech at the closing ceremony of last year's event in Düsseldorf in October, saying: "Next year [2024], we've got a lot to look forward to. The Invictus Games Foundation 10-year anniversary, yes, 10 years! And then it's off to Vancouver Whistler 2025."
However, in February, the prince lost his High Court challenge against the government over his security protection while visiting the UK, which was reduced after he stopped being a "working royal" in 2020.
According to insiders, whether or not Meghan is present, Prince Harry will most likely not meet with his brother, Prince William, or Princess Kate following her cancer diagnosis announcement, as they have put the "Harry issue" out of mind.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the U.K. has been "ruled out" by Kensington Palace, the home of Prince William and Princess Kate. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to have been "downgraded" on the Buckingham Palace website the day after Kate filmed her heartfelt video. A shorter joint biography replaced their separate profiles.
A commentator now claims that the decision to condense Harry and Meghan's appearance on the official royal website was "not a coincidence" and was made in response to the Princess of Wales's cancer diagnosis, which she revealed in a moving video.
"It is not a coincidence because the Princess of Wales filmed that video on Wednesday and that announcement about them being downgraded was on Thursday. So it all happened at the same time. They've just made it clear in case people think Harry and Meghan can come back. No, it's not happening. There's no chance of it happening because they are not working members of the Royal Family anymore. They've made their decision and that's it,” presenter Andrew Pierce explained to GB News.
Previous reports indicated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may return to the United Kingdom this year as part of their brand-building initiatives. The couple is reportedly looking for new PR representation in the United Kingdom. On a podcast, royal editor Rebecca English discussed Meghan's new business, American Riviera Orchard, which could be part of her plans to return to the UK and, hopefully, repair their relationship with the royal family and the British people.
"I suspect it's also got something to do with the big plans that we're hearing about that Meghan is going to launch this big commercial project. I presume this commercial project will have some sort of residence in this country,” the Daily Mail editor said on an episode Palace Confidential.
However, it appears that if Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wanted to return to the UK, they would have a lot of work to do to regain popularity. According to a recent poll, only 11% of those named Prince Harry their favorite royal.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex only scored 7%. However, despite their low ranking in the new Ipsos poll for The Evening Standard, the Sussexes outranked three members of the Royal Family.
Business Times has contacted Kensington Palace for comment on this story. As of this writing, we could not independently verify these claims.
