Tensions within the royal family have been brewing for years. Take a look at the familial rift and the shocking reasons why Prince William and Princess Kate would not welcome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle back into the royal fold.
The British royal family was once seen as a tightly-knit unit, with Prince William and Harry often viewed as inseparable. However, that image slowly unraveled over the years, particularly after Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry, King Charles III, and Prince William on their annual skiing holiday in 2002. | Source: Getty Images
While the public may hold out hope for a reconciliation, those close to the royals suggest that the possibility is more uncertain than ever. What are the issues standing in the way of a royal reunion? The reported answer reveals much about the ongoing divide.
Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle photographed at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Relationship with the Royal Family Frayed Over Time
The tensions between Prince Harry and the royal family, particularly with his brother, Prince William, have been brewing for years. What started as a family bond between two brothers grew into a deep rift, complicated by personal, familial, and public pressures.
In 2019, it became increasingly clear that the relationship between Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family, especially his brother, had reached a breaking point.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at the Commonwealth Service on Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey on March 11, 2019, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
This was a particularly difficult year for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple dealt with relentless media scrutiny and the emotional toll it took on them.
Meghan openly admitted that she had experienced extreme emotional distress due to constant criticism from the British tabloids, which had a “race element,” according to Prince Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during a walkabout as they visited a new sculpture in Hamilton Square on January 14, 2019. | Source: Getty Images
Prince Harry, recalling the trauma of losing his mother, Princess Diana, at such a young age, said, “Yes, I feared, I feared a lot that the end result, the fact that I lost my mum when I was 12 years old, could easily happen again to my wife.”
By the end of that year, it was clear the brothers were on increasingly different paths. Tensions between them had reached a head, and Prince Harry described a specific incident at his Kensington Palace cottage that made it evident how deep the divide had grown.
Prince William and Prince Harry at the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial at The Cenotaph on November 10, 2019, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
According to Prince Harry, during a heated argument in early 2019, Prince William became so frustrated that he physically attacked his younger brother. This confrontation, which allegedly escalated from a shouting match into physical aggression, ended with Prince Harry being knocked to the floor, where he landed on a dog bowl.
For the Duke of Sussex, the argument wasn’t simply a clash between brothers, but a defense of his wife, as Prince William’s frustrations were directed toward Meghan.
Prince William, as his brother described it, had been influenced by certain members of his office and consumed by the tabloid press’s portrayal of Meghan. The British media’s focus on her background — her being American, biracial, divorced, and an actress — only exacerbated the royal family’s initial unease.
Prince Harry felt that many of the stories Prince William believed were unfounded, yet they contributed to the increasing animosity between the two brothers.
Prince William and Prince Harry during the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
When Prince Harry first introduced Meghan to the royal family in 2016, the initial reaction was not as warm as he had hoped. While King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, appeared to like Meghan, Prince William remained skeptical.
He reportedly referred to her dismissively as “an American actress.” As time passed, the brothers grew more distant. By the time Meghan and Prince Harry decided to step back from their royal duties in early 2020, it became clear that the rift had deepened considerably.
The Sussexes’ departure from royal life shocked the public and reportedly blindsided Prince William, further fueling his frustrations. The brothers, once seen as inseparable after their mother’s tragic death, were now leading vastly different lives.
While Prince William prepared for his future role as king, Prince Harry sought a new life outside the royal spotlight, prioritizing his family’s well-being over royal responsibilities.
In one of the more personal moments of his 2021 memoir, “Spare,” Prince Harry reflected on his relationship with Prince William. He described a meeting in which he observed how his brother had changed over the years.
Yet, despite this sharp observation, Prince Harry maintained that he loved his brother and held no desire to cause him harm through his words. He instead wanted to set the record straight, emphasizing that Meghan was not responsible for the breakdown of their relationship.
However, despite Prince Harry’s sentiments, communication between the two brothers remained sparse. By the time of Prince Harry’s interview with Anderson Cooper in 2023, he admitted that he and his brother were not on speaking terms.
The deepening divide also extended to his relationship with their father, with whom Prince Harry said he had not spoken in quite some time.
While Prince William reportedly expressed a desire to reconcile with his brother, he had not made any significant moves toward that goal and remained in no rush to mend the broken ties between the two families.
“William wants his relationship with his brother to improve, but they’re not speaking right now. So when that will happen is still uncertain,” a source revealed to US Weekly in 2023. Princess Kate, on the other hand, has shown little interest in rekindling a relationship with Prince Harry or Meghan.
According to the insiders, the Princess of Wales had no desire to communicate with the Sussexes, as too much had happened for her to feel comfortable with any form of reconciliation.
Why Prince William and Princess Kate Won’t Welcome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Back
While many hoped for reconciliation between Prince William, Princess Kate, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the reality remains far more complicated. The strain in their relationship isn’t merely about bruised egos or sibling rivalry; it is rooted in unresolved betrayals that continue to divide the two families.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during their Colombia tour on August 18, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
According to the DailyMail, the first reason Prince William and Kate won’t be welcoming is that Prince Harry stands by, and is happily married to Meghan, who has publically claimed during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that Kate made her cry and accused the Royals of being racist, although she never put names to the accusations.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the “Responsible Digital Future” on August 15, 2024, in Colombia. | Source: Getty Images
A close associate of Prince Harry and Meghan later hinted that those implicated were King Charles and Princess Kate, a revelation that stoked further animosity within the family.
The second reported reason is that the future King and his wife stayed out of airing grievances publically. Throughout the revelations Prince Harry and Meghan shared with the media, Prince William once responded when a reporter asked about accusations of racism in the Royal family. “We are very much not a racist family,” Prince William shot back.
Behind the scenes, insiders revealed that Prince William’s anger ran deeper. The accusations and insults hurled from across the Atlantic left scars, and there was a reported lingering fear that any attempt to reconcile could result in further betrayal.
Prince William’s reluctance to welcome his brother back lies in his desire to protect his family’s privacy. In the years since their split from the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan’s revelations have consistently drawn negative attention to Prince William and his wife.
A friend of the royals revealed, “It’s hard to see a reconciliation. How could there be, when William and Catherine have the justifiable fear that anything they say could appear in a future book or be repeated in a TV program?”
Despite Prince Harry’s attendance at family events, any hopes of reconciliation appear distant. Though some onlookers speculated that this could be a sign of thawing relations, insiders quickly dispelled the notion, stating that no such reunion was on the horizon.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Princess Kate photographed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
“There will be no reunion until Harry and Meghan apologize to their Royal Highnesses for everything they have said, and there is no sign that is likely,” a source revealed to DailyMail.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving the annual Commonwealth Service in London on March 9, 2020. | Source: Getty Images
“Nobody would put up with a friend treating them in the same way, so why should they have to forgive them?” one social media user commented on the situation.
Another shared, “Likely the real reason he wants to reconcile is he has woken up from the dream and found reality a nightmare. He doesn’t want to be on his lonesome when things don’t turn out as he hoped.”
Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince William, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex photographed at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
A third added, “I don’t think there will ever be a full reconciliation whilst Harry remains married to Meghan.” A fourth typed, “Prince William is not alone in not welcoming Harry and Markle back, I suspect the majority of the UK wouldn’t want them back either after the way they publicly insulted this country.”
Prince William and Princess Kate during their visit to Royal Liverpool University Hospital on January 13, 2023, in Liverpool, England. | Source: Getty Images
The rift between Prince William, Princess Kate, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appears far from resolution. Deep-rooted grievances, public betrayals, and fears of further disclosures have kept the families at odds.
Without an apology or meaningful steps toward reconciliation, the divide between the brothers and their wives is likely to persist for the foreseeable future.
