Prince William wasn’t very confident that brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan Markle’s return to the United Kingdom wouldn’t reopen old wounds.
“There was cautious optimism that perhaps they would arrive in silent dignity and not stir up drama, but William was much less optimistic than the king and was proven right because right now he’s having an ‘I told you so’ moment,” a source exclusively tells Us.
William, 44, and Harry, 41, have had a fractured relationship since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior working members of the royal family in 2020, following which Harry released his memoir, Spare, and a six-part Netflix docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan, in which he and Meghan, 45, spoke out against the royal family.
In March 2020, Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito, California, to raise their two children: Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
“William and Kate don’t have to do anything and say anything. History has proven time and again Meghan and Harry will dig their own grave,” continues the source. “And this takes them further away from reconciliation.”
“William has not spoken to Harry,” the insider adds. “William also hasn’t gotten over all the stress that Harry and Meghan caused leading up to Kate’s cancer diagnosis. She finally reached remission, only for them to come back to the U.K. and create more stress for everyone.”
Last month, Harry and Meghan sent shockwaves when news broke that they would be returning to the U.K. with their kids after living stateside for the past six years. It came as an even greater surprise to many due to Harry’s long-running concerns over his family’s security in Britain, as he previously expressed to the BBC that “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”
Harry and Meghan previously lost publicly-funded security protection in the U.K. as a result of stepping down from their royal roles.
Following the news of Harry and Meghan’s return, a letter was released on behalf of King Charles III to clarify the couple’s status in the royal family.
“It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family,” read the letter written by royal household senior officer Lord Chamberlain. “This position, distinct from the State and Royal duties undertaken by the working Royal Family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.”
The letter added that Harry and Meghan’s “charitable work” is “a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.”
“In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” the letter stated.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan told the BBC that they were “a little surprised” to not have been told about the letter “in advance.”
An additional source previously told Us that the reason Charles, 77, put out the letter to help ease confusion following Harry and Meghan’s return as the couple’s children reportedly just began their new school year.
“Charles wrote a letter to clarify they are not working royals and they are considered private citizens so there is no confusion,” the source explained. “The king just wanted the public and press not to be confused. They can’t be one foot in and one foot out.”
