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A “fuming” Prince William is said to be locked in crisis talks as it was revealed his estranged brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are returning to the UK for an “extended period”.
The shock news was reported on August 19 by People magazine – a publication previously favoured by the Sussexes.
It’s understood that King Charles was only informed of Harry and Meghan’s huge decision just days before the news was shared publicly.
While it’s reported that the King welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussexes in a private capacity, he is said to have been clear that Harry and Meghan’s status as non-working royals will not change.
However, that has done little to assuage the fears of Prince William, who with his wife Kate is said to be deeply unhappy about the move.
“They’re absolutely fuming to be blindsided like this but, like the King, there’s nothing they can do about it,” a source tells Woman’s Day, adding that palace insiders are “stunned” over how Harry and Meghan expect to juggle their commercial commitments while taking on a more prominent role in a country where they are inevitably still regarded as royals.
“William suspects Harry and Meghan actually do think they’re going to be accepted back onto the Royal roster,” the source adds.
“It may not happen overnight, but William’s convinced this is their long game – and he’s stunned that Harry thinks there would be even remotely a chance.”
Certainly, it seems that Harry has been attempting to regain closer ties with his royal heritage in recent months.
In April, he pushed back over the description of him as being “not a working royal”.
“No. I will always be part of the royal family,” Harry told ITV during a trip to Ukraine during which he met with a humanitarian landmine clearance organisation.
“I am here working doing the things that I was born to do,” he went on.
“And, you know, I enjoy doing it. I enjoy coming to do these trips and supporting that I’ve ever before, the friends that I’ve made, and hopefully, bringing attention to issues that, for one reason or another, drop out of the news because something else has popped up.”
Indeed, those close to the Sussex clan argue that they have successfully shown the “half in half out” model that Harry and Meghan proposed to the Queen in 2019 before Megxit is achievable.
Of course, at the time Queen Elizabeth disagreed – leading the Sussexes to quit the UK in favour of sunny California where Meghan would ultimately launch her As Ever lifestyle brand.
It’s understood that the heir to the throne, Prince William, remains deeply opposed to such an arrangement that would see Harry and Meghan mix commercial gain with royal duty.
Royal expert Tom Sykes – the man behind The Royalist substack – previously claimed that “conflict between Charles and William” surrounding Harry “is at the core of everything happening in the royal family right now”.
William, a source tells Woman’s Day, won’t be moved when it comes to the issue of his brother’s role within the royal family.
“William’s team are in intense meetings on how to minimise any risk to him and the family. He’ll be seeking advice from everyone from lawyers to diplomatic-crisis experts,” the insider says.
“If Charles does go ahead with [a change in agreement with Harry], he has no intention of it remaining that way once he’s King.”
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