Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly "looking to the future" and avoiding any "drama" surrounding the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the UK. The couple's stance comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settle back into life in Britain.
Harry and Meghan arrived in the UK in August, six years after stepping down as senior working royals and relocating to Montecito, California. Their aim was to achieve financial independence, and they carried out several high-profile interviews about their time with the royal family. The couple also produced their own Netflix series, and Harry published his memoir, Spare.
Return to the UK
The Sussexes have returned with their children, Archie and Lilibet, who are now enrolled in their second school after the family's security team raised concerns about the journey to and from the classroom for their first choice. Harry attended the WellChild Awards, where he gave an emotional speech, and Meghan met up with fellow American star Ellen DeGeneres in a country pub.
While the Sussex family are settling back into UK life, relations with the royal family appear not to have improved. Harry is thought to have built bridges with his father, King Charles, on previous trips, but tensions are still believed to run high with his older brother, Prince William. These tensions are thought to stretch back to before Harry and Meghan married in Windsor in 2018.
Brothers' strained relationship
In Spare, Harry details a major row between him and William at Nottingham Cottage, the London home he shared with Meghan. Harry claims the Prince of Wales referred to the duchess as "rude" and "difficult." The duke then alleges the argument escalated with William grabbing him by the collar, ripping his necklace, and causing him to fall into a dog bowl, breaking it. Sources close to William have described Harry's account as "overblown."
In his biography William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, Mirror royal editor Russell Myers examines William and Kate's private reactions to Meghan and Harry's behaviour, both before and after Megxit. William and Kate had spent considerable time fostering a happy, relaxed working atmosphere, but in the months following Meghan and Harry's wedding, it seemed to be falling apart, with staff leaving regularly.
Staffing concerns
The couple were not only fearful of the impact Harry and Meghan were having on team morale, but also how they would be able to work with the Sussexes moving forward. A source said: "In one camp you had the people who cared, wanted those working in the household to enjoy themselves while working there, and on the other side it was something different every day. Nothing was ever good enough, there were constant complaints. It was exhausting."
Two months after the Sussexes' wedding, William and Kate invited Harry and Meghan to their home to clear the air over the treatment of their staff. However, the couple refused to admit responsibility for the departure of two of Meghan's PAs, or for the unhappy atmosphere that saw staff reporting they were sick with stress. An insider said: "It had reached an intolerable situation for so many of them, there were a lot of issues surrounding people needing time off work, not wanting to come in or be on engagements on duty with Harry or Meghan. Everything possible was being done at all stages to help them but nothing was ever good enough."
Harry disputed the allegations of bullying in his autobiography, instead claiming that Meghan had gone out of her way to create a happy working environment. He said: "Despite what certain people were saying about her, I never heard her speak a bad word about anybody, or to anybody. On the contrary, I watched her redouble her efforts to spread kindness."
