Prince William has expressed growing frustration with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and now reportedly regrets not severing ties with the couple when they first stepped back from royal duties in 2020, according to sources cited by In Touch and The Daily Beast. The Prince of Wales is said to be particularly irked by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's continued use of their "HRH" titles in private correspondence, despite publicly stepping away from senior royal roles.
"William has lost all his patience when it comes to Harry and Meghan," a source told In Touch. "He refuses to get into a public back and forth with his brother about any of this. It's getting old at this point. He feels that Harry made his decision to walk away, and he should abide by the consequences that come with that."
The brothers' estrangement dates back to at least 2018 and has only intensified since the Sussexes aired grievances in their Netflix docuseries and Harry's memoir Spare. Harry previously described it as "terrifying" when William "scream[ed] and shout[ed]" at him during discussions over their royal exit.
"They don't talk right now," the source said. "William has moved on and the matter of their royal titles should have been properly addressed when they initially left. William would have cut Harry and Meghan off from the royal institution back then and he regrets that it didn't happen."
The issue of the titles resurfaced after entrepreneur Jamie Kern Lima displayed a gift card from Meghan on her April 28 podcast episode, which read, "With the Compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex." Although Meghan and Harry agreed in 2020 not to use their "Royal Highness" titles for commercial purposes, their HRH status was never formally revoked.
"Harry and Meghan retain their HRH titles; however, by agreement, they do not use them for commercial purposes," a source told The Daily Beast. "While they do not publicly use 'HRH,' this was a personal gift, and their titles remain."
While King Charles III has reportedly taken a "softly-softly" approach to the Sussexes, royal observers say William is poised to adopt a firmer stance if and when he ascends the throne. "William has been given a great deal of influence on all areas of royal policy, but that cuts both ways and he respects his father's rank," a friend of the prince told The Daily Beast. "Charles has a softly-softly attitude to Harry and Meghan, and so that's the policy for now, but the gloves will be off when he inherits the throne. If they started using the HRH titles on a regular basis, he would take them away for good."
