Prince Harry is back in the UK with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, six years after they quit both the country and their roles as senior working royals. But it seems he is still to build bridges with some of his royal relatives.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to Britain several weeks ago with Archie and Lilibet. The children are now attending their second school after the royal couple's security team raised concerns about the journey to the first place they had been enrolled as students.
Charity return and ongoing tensions
The Duke of Sussex was seen at a huge charity event earlier this week when he attended the WellChild Awards, a cause that has long been close to his heart. Harry made an emotional speech on stage and has returned for the celebration every year, including when he was living in America.
Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito in California, where they said they wanted to become financially independent. They took part in several high profile interviews, including one with Oprah Winfrey, Harry published his memoir, Spare, and the couple also had their own Netflix series, Finding Freedom.
They made a number of claims about their time within the royal family, which deepened the tensions with Harry's father, King Charles, and older brother, Prince William. Harry is believed to have built bridges with the king after visiting him several times during visits back to the UK, and King Charles is said to be happy to be closer to his two grandchildren once again.
Claims of hurt and 'unforgivable behaviour'
However, tensions are believed to remain high with the duke and the Prince of Wales, who along with his wife, Kate Middleton, is thought to be keen to stay away from any 'drama' following Harry and Meghan's return. William and Charles are also in 'complete agreement' that Harry cannot have a 'half in, half out' role within the monarchy.
Mirror royal editor Russell Myers lays bare the tensions at the heart of the royal family in his biography, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story. In July last year, royal author Sally Bedell Smith claimed that Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin and close confidante of the late Queen, felt that the monarch had been deeply hurt when Harry 'was rude to her for ten minutes' in a meeting in the lead-up to his 2018 wedding to Meghan.
Her Majesty was said to be upset that Harry had asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony instead of the Dean of Windsor, as tradition would dictate. Lady Elizabeth said the fiery exchange with her grandson left the Queen 'hurt beyond belief'.
Fallout and attempts to clear the air
According to Myers, upon hearing about the incident, William remonstrated with his brother for his 'unforgivable behaviour'. With tensions running high amongst the stressed staff who were working hard to get across all the details for the wedding, '[William] saw what was happening and apologised on behalf of his brother on more than one occasion'.
William and Kate had spent a great deal of time fostering a happy, relaxed working atmosphere, but in those few months, it was falling apart, with staff leaving all the time. The couple were not only fearful of the impact Harry and Meghan were having on team morale, but also how they would be able to work with the Sussexes moving forward.
A source told the author: 'In one camp you had the people who cared, wanted those working in the household to enjoy themselves while working there, and on the other side it was something different every day. Nothing was ever good enough, there were constant complaints. It was exhausting.'
In July 2018, two months after the Sussexes' wedding, William and Kate invited Harry and Meghan to their home in an attempt to clear the air surrounding the treatment of their staff. However, the couple refused to concede they were responsible for the departure of two of Meghan's PAs, or for the unhappy atmosphere which saw members of staff reporting they were sick with stress.
An insider said: 'It had reached an intolerable situation for so many of them, there were a lot of issues surrounding people needing time off work, not wanting to come in or be on engagements on duty with Harry or Meghan. Everything possible was being done at all stages to help them but nothing was ever good enough.'
Harry disputed the allegations of bullying in his autobiography, and instead claimed that Meghan had gone out of her way to create a happy working environment. He said: 'Despite what certain people were saying about her, I never heard her speak a bad word about anybody, or to anybody. On the contrary, I watched her redouble her efforts to spread kindness.'
