Prince William has reportedly adopted a strategy of ignoring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a move that will infuriate the Sussexes, according to royal commentator Chris Riches.
Harry and Meghan may have returned to Britain ostensibly to find work or fresh material for a new book, but shaking up the current royal status quo was likely on their agenda too. In that case, William and Princess Catherine may continue to play their cards close to their chest with a perfect poker face.
Harry's transformation since marriage
Once the devil-may-care Harry typified the nation, showing strength in adversity. He was the boy who overcame parental tragedy to become a champion of the nation's Armed Forces. He was cheeky but serious about what he believed in, showing great warmth towards his brother, sister-in-law and father.
He even appeared to show great warmth and acceptance towards his stepmother. Then he wrote a bestselling book and told the public what he really thought about them all.
Since his marriage to Meghan, Harry has most definitely changed and not for the better. He appears bitter, even vengeful, with unnecessarily nasty swipes in his 2023 memoir 'Spare' at passages targeting Queen Camilla, his brother William and especially Catherine.
Royal source claims ignoring strategy
Claims that The Prince and Princess of Wales have a plan to deal with Harry and Meghan by simply ignoring them will grate with the Duke of Sussex more than anything. A source claims William and Kate will continue to "ignore" the Sussexes despite them both now being in the UK and almost on their doorstep.
William and Kate have three children to concentrate on, plus their royal duties; Harry and Meghan are not working royals, so they lack that time-draining obligation. Why should they get tied up in knots over a 'who apologises to whom' row - or engage with Harry and Meghan, only to find their private chat becomes the latest chapter in a new edition of Spare?
Relationship with niece and nephew
US-based royal expert Marlene Koenig has told the Daily Express of the sad reality of William's relationship with his niece and nephew - Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie. He does not really know them. That's not his fault, nor theirs. That's Harry and Meghan's fault.
The British public sadly do not know them either. They grew up in the States and were carefully shielded from view. That was Harry and Meghan's prerogative, absolutely. But Britons cannot be expected to particularly care too much about a family of four whom they only vaguely know.
So William and Kate, for now, should just crack on with their lives and duties and let Harry and Meghan decide what they want out of their UK return. Then it's up to the Sussexes to broker the peace, because they were the ones who broke it in the first place.
