Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly set to return to the UK within the coming weeks. The royal couple, who stepped back from Britain and their roles as working members of the monarchy in 2020, are said to be letting out their Montecito, California mansion and relocating to a private residence outside of London.
Their two children, Archie and Lilibet, will be enrolled at a school in the UK, while rumours have emerged suggesting the Duchess of Sussex may be in discussions to appear in the Netflix series, The Gentlemen. Reports emerged over the weekend suggesting Meghan's role in the Guy Ritchie Netflix hit had been scrapped, yet fresh claims this week indicate that negotiations are still very much alive.
Frosty relations persist
Despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's plans to relocate back to Britain, relations between Harry and his elder brother William, along with the Princess of Wales, are understood to remain decidedly frosty. Harry made a series of explosive claims about the Prince of Wales, both in televised interviews and within his memoir, Spare. He alleged that the heir to the throne once hurled him into a dog bowl during a heated row over Meghan Markle.
William and Catherine are reportedly keen to have "no part" in any of the drama surrounding Harry and Meghan's return to the UK. Close friends of the couple have revealed that while they "cannot forgive" the Sussexes for their damaging allegations against the Firm, they remain resolute in their desire to "look forward to the future".
Insiders speak out
One insider said: "Obviously the Sussexes' return will make inevitable headlines for a few days, but it has no bearing on the prince and princess' life moving forward. If anything, events that have affected them over the past couple of years have made them even more determined to concentrate on what is important to them, their family, their public roles and the ability to provide generational change for good with their public roles, and look forward to the future."
A separate source with close ties to the Waleses added: "What Harry and Meghan choose to do is up to them. As far as William and Catherine are concerned they have left that period of their lives behind many years ago. While they simply can not forgive everything that has been against them and the family, they do not have the time or the energy for any negativity or the drama that the Sussexes surround themselves with. As they have demonstrated with their public roles, everything they are trying to do is about positivity and making the world a better place as far as they can."
Silence speaks volumes
Last year, the Princess of Wales also appeared to signal her stance towards her brother-in-law when both she and William failed to publicly mark his birthday in September. Royal expert Duncan Larcombe said: "They didn't post anything on his birthday, which the royals normally would do. So Kate's message was loud and clear: the ball's not in our court, Harry – it's in yours."
Duncan explained that owing to stringent royal protocol, the couple can only convey their sentiments through understated gestures. In this instance, it appears their silence spoke volumes. "Neither Kate, nor William, can speak out publicly about Harry and Meghan. They have kept silent throughout all of this and rolled with all the punches, so they're forced into subtle, secret messaging – which is what this seems to be. They're not prepared to call Harry's bluff by sending him joyful birthday wishes, so they remain silent and avoid him at all costs."
