Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK six years after stepping back as senior working royals and moving to America. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Britain last week with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, and are believed to be living in a private, non-royal residence outside London, with the children set to start school in the UK in a few weeks.
No return to royal duties
Harry will not be resuming his royal duties, with King Charles and Prince William said to be in "lock step" and unwilling to allow the prince and Meghan a 'half in, half out' role within the monarchy. The Prince of Wales and the King are believed to have been informed of Harry and Meghan's plans at the same time.
While Harry has visited his father on recent trips to the UK, he is not believed to have seen or had contact with his brother, and relations between the two remain frosty. Friends of William and the Princess of Wales have said that while they "cannot forgive" the Sussexes for their hurtful accusations, they are determined to "look forward to the future".
Past accusations and interviews
The brothers' rift follows a series of high-profile interviews by Harry and Meghan about their time as working royals, along with a Netflix series and the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare. The couple levelled accusations at the royals, including an alleged physical altercation between the brothers, with Harry claiming William pushed him into a dog bowl during a row over his relationship with Meghan.
In William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by The Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers, William's reaction to Harry and Meghan's 2019 interview was detailed. In that conversation, Meghan admitted she had been struggling, and Harry said he and his brother were on "different paths".
William's feelings and Kate's role
According to Myers, the interview showed William and Kate how much had changed between them and Harry. William felt Harry had become "paranoid" despite his attempts to help. A source close to William claimed: "He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother. He became paranoid, angry, obsessive and firmly rooted in the past."
It has been widely reported, and Harry has admitted, that William warned his younger brother to take things slow with Meghan. An insider told Myers: "William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him."
Kate, described as the "voice of reason" between the brothers, is believed to have been less keen to persuade Harry and Meghan to stay in the working royal family. Myers writes: "At first she had thought William and Harry's squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan's attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course."
Wedding and aftermath
Problems came to a head after Harry and Meghan's 2018 wedding, with a source suggesting William and Kate felt the Sussexes had 'an agenda'. The source added: "They definitely thought the Sussexes' behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic."
"Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. There was definitely a hope from her side [Catherine's] that William could try and talk to Harry and settle things but that didn't exactly happen… and at the end of the day, she had three young children, who were her focus and if anything she saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened."
