Prince Harry's friendship with Princess Beatrice is reportedly under severe strain after she was spotted having lunch with his longtime critic, Piers Morgan. The Duke of Sussex has been close with his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie even after stepping back from royal duties in 2020, but this recent meeting may have crossed a line.
Beatrice seen with Morgan in Saint Tropez
Princess Beatrice, 37, was photographed in Saint Tropez alongside Piers Morgan, the broadcaster who has repeatedly insulted Prince Harry. Charlotte Griffiths, editor-at-large at the Mail on Sunday, described the sighting as “very telling,” noting that Beatrice and her sister Eugenie have generally kept a low profile amid scrutiny of their father, Prince Andrew.
Griffiths said on the True Royalty podcast: “I thought that was very telling because, of course, Piers Morgan is her cousin Prince Harry’s absolute nemesis. So any friendship she has with Prince Harry is effectively over from this moment.”
Morgan’s history of attacks on Harry and Meghan
Piers Morgan has a long history of making critical remarks about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Most recently, he called Harry an “entitled brat” after the prince lost his legal case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail. Morgan also publicly doubted Meghan’s claims of mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts during her 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview.
His comments about Meghan led to 41,000 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom and a formal complaint to ITV from Meghan. Morgan later stepped down from his role on Good Morning Britain, saying his refusal to apologise cost him his job.
Past closeness between Harry and Beatrice
Despite Harry’s move to California in 2020, a family insider told PEOPLE in 2023 that the cousins remained “so close” and “still the best of friends and talk constantly.” The lunch in Saint Tropez, however, may signal a shift. Griffiths speculated that the Duke’s friendship with Beatrice would be “effectively over” after this public display of camaraderie with his nemesis.
