Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK six years after stepping down as senior working royals, but the feud with Prince William is not believed to be over. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Britain last week with their children, Archie and Lilibet, and are thought to be living in a private, non-royal residence outside London, with the children starting school in the UK in a few weeks.
Royal duties not resumed
Harry will not resume royal duties, with King Charles and Prince William said to be in "lock step" and unwilling to allow a "half in, half out" role within the monarchy. The Prince of Wales and the King were reportedly told 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 had contact with his brother, and relations 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".
Frosty relations and past accusations
The return follows a series of high-profile interviews by Harry and Meghan, a Netflix series, and the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare. The couple made several accusations against the royals, including an alleged physical altercation between the brothers, with Harry claiming William pushed him into a dog bowl during a row about 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 with Tom Brady was detailed. In that conversation, Meghan admitted struggling, and Harry said he and his brother were on "different paths".
According to Myers, the interview cemented something in William's mind, showing him and Kate how much had changed. William reportedly felt Harry had become "paranoid" despite his attempts to help him.
William's feelings and Kate's role
"He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother," a source close to William claimed. "He became paranoid, angry, obsessive and firmly rooted in the past. There's no doubt, at that time at least, there was a lot of love and support available for Harry."
It has been widely reported, and Harry has admitted, that William warned his younger brother to take things slow with Meghan. "It's easy to forget now, given everything that has gone on," an insider told Myers. "But William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him."
Kate, often 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 when their plans to leave became clear. 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."
Problems came to a head after Harry and Meghan's 2018 wedding. One source who knew both couples well suggested 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."
