If anything were to sum up Prince Harry’s predicament, it was the sight of the single poppy he opted to wear on his suit jacket amidst a sea of Hollywood celebrities who had come out in their droves to ring in the big 7-0 with reality TV matriarch, Kris Jenner. At the mansion of Jeff Bezos, aka the fourth richest man in the world, while on the other side of the Atlantic, the Royal Family rang in Remembrance Sunday – a day so close to Harry’s heart.
However the Sussexes surprise appearance at Kris’ party, a move royal insiders have branded ‘tacky’, gave a huge hint as to where Meghan Markle’s own focus is right now as she continues to build her lifestyle brand.
And now, with reports continuing to swirl that Meghan and Harry’s royal titles could be under threat as Prince William continues to bring down the proverbial axe, heat is told that one royal has swooped in to save Harry from crisis – his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton – who they say is ‘urging’ Harry to come back home, without Meghan.
‘Kate’s tried everything to get William to soften on Harry, and Meghan as well, but there’s just no moving him,’ they tell us.
‘Her hands are tied, so in the spirit of being practical, she’s urging Harry to come back without Meghan on his next trip, as proof that he’s his own man and not joined at the hip with his wife.
‘She believes it’s the only way he can start rebuilding his reputation in William’s eyes. Kate is trying to keep a bridge open for Harry before it’s too late but it does feel a little insurmountable. William’s anger and mistrust just runs so deep.’
Harry’s appearance alongside Meghan at showbiz’s birthday bash of the year last weekend comes just two months after the estranged royal poignantly pledged that the focus of his year ahead ‘really has to be on my dad’, King Charles, who continues to receive cancer treatment.
And after the duo met for the first time in 19 months back in September over tea at Charles’ home of Clarence House, we have previously reported how Harry has been pleading with Meghan to return with him, alongside their children – Archie, six, and four-year-old Lilibet.
Meanwhile, Kate, 43, who led the Armistice Day tributes in London last week, has become increasingly influential within the royal fold, and the source says that her wish is for Harry and his children not to be isolated from their family.
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We’re told, ‘Kate wants a place for Harry, and his children, in the royal fold. She’d never be so cruel as to try and meddle in his marriage but she certainly doesn’t see the harm in him having some autonomy and being allowed to have a relationship with his homeland and his family.
It’s now been almost six years since Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, stepped down as senior royals in 2020 to pursue a new life in California. But the allegations, including bullying and racism, that the Sussexes have levelled at the Royal Family; through their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey; their 2022 Netflix docu-series and Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, have caused seemingly irreparable damage.
And despite Harry having referred to Kate’s ‘coldness’ towards Meghan and waded into their 2018 ‘bridesmaid gate’ war, we’re told that Kate, who Harry once called ‘the sister I never had’, still wants to forgive and forget. But not without a few choice words first…
‘Kate’s probably the only person left who can speak to Harry honestly without him getting defensive,’ the insider says.
They’ve always had that kind of relationship and she’s very much like an older sister to him so Harry trusts her and listens to her in a way he doesn’t with anyone else.
‘So when she tells him the best thing he could do is continue coming back home without Meghan by his side, it does get through.’
However, following the spectacular ‘stripping’ of Andrew Mounbatten Windsor’s royal titles last month, there’s every chance Harry will need to sweet-talk his ‘furious’ older brother if he wants to hold on to his own royal moniker.
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‘William’s at his boiling point right now but Kate is still hopeful that things can be patched up between him and Harry,’ we’re told.
‘She’s said they need one-on-one time but that’s never going to happen if Meghan comes on the trip. She keeps reminding him that sometimes you have to swallow your pride and go the extra distance to save what really matters.’
More importantly, with the Royal Family having faced an incredibly tough few years after the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, followed by Kate and Charles’ cancer diagnoses last year, we’re told that Kate wants both Harry and William to look at the bigger picture.
The insider says, ‘She’s trying her best to create a situation where a truce could happen. Kate wants this for Harry as much as she wants it for William because she truly believes this animosity between them is toxic.
‘It’s not just for William and Harry either, she’s thinking of the next generation too. George, Charlotte, and Louis barely know their uncle Harry anymore, let alone their cousins. Kate doesn’t want them growing up without any bond with him or his children.’
Now, with Harry unlikely to celebrate Christmas at Sandringham this year, the source says Kate hopes that 2026 could be an Annus mirabilis (a year of miracles) for their family.
‘Kate’s trying to find a path back for him,’ they tell us. ‘She knows it’s not going to happen overnight, but she’s determined to keep chipping away, and if that means giving Harry the harsh truth at times, so be it. It will all be worth it to have their family back together at last.’
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