Prince William has reportedly shifted from anger to total indifference toward Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their return to the UK, according to royal commentators. The Prince of Wales is said to have emotionally checked out of the feud, focusing on his royal duties and family rather than engaging with the ongoing drama.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made just one joint public appearance since returning to the UK in August—a visit to Nottingham on October 15, where they toured the Community Recording Studio, Himmah Hub, and Epic Partners. However, commentators on the Express's Royals Unscripted argue that the pre-announced nature of the outing signals a deliberate strategy rather than a private visit.
Pre-announced visit sparks criticism
Daily Express columnist Carole Malone noted during the latest episode: "They're doing royal-style engagements in the King's backyard. This is kind of defying the King [...] saying 'we are going to behave like working royals even though we're not'." She added, "I think this will infuriate Charles, and I think [William] will be incandescent."
Commentators expressed concern that this single appearance could mark the start of an ongoing schedule of non-working royal outings designed to run parallel to official Monarchy engagements. While the Nottingham visit drew enthusiastic well-wishers, Harry faced a frostier reception days earlier during a solo outing.
Frosty reception at rugby match
Attending a rugby match on October 9, Harry was met with loud boos from the crowd the moment his face appeared on the stadium screen. Ms Malone remarked: "As soon as the camera gets to Harry, that's when the boos start... His own friends there were saying he was crushed."
In contrast, the couple's joint visit to Nottingham drew large crowds, though commentators noted that pre-announcing the visit created the very media circus the couple had previously claimed they wanted to avoid. The Prince of Wales is prioritising his core work, his young family, and high-profile global initiatives such as the Earthshot Prize awards in India next month.
Shift from anger to indifference
Express Royal Editor Emily Ferguson observed: "I think initially when they first moved after Oprah, after Netflix, after Spare, it was anger... But to be honest, which I think is more devastating, he's moved away from that and it's just indifference now."
Ms Malone highlighted the frustration this creates within the palace: "Every time he does something like this... William will be bursting out of his shirt collars with anger. He'll be furious about it." She added that the core working royals put in immense effort, only for the impact of their charitable work to be "watered down because of Harry and Meghan."
No Christmas invitation
Reports suggesting Harry and Meghan were "torn" over where to spend the upcoming Christmas holidays were firmly brushed aside by royal observers. Ms Malone said: "[This is a] quote from one of their people. 'They've been torn over where they should spend Christmas...' Now, the only two choices they've got are they spend it alone in the UK, or they spend it alone in Montecito... because they were never invited to the Royal Christmas."
The couple has received no invitation to join the Royal Family at Sandringham, and any prospect of a festive reunion or bridge-building between Prince William and Prince Harry remains entirely off the table for the foreseeable future.
