The Princess of Wales and her husband said to have felt the Sussexes had ‘an agenda’
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince Harry(Image: PA)
The moment Kate Middleton stopped supporting a truce between Prince William and Prince Harry has been revealed, with the Princess of Wales and her husband said to have felt the Sussexes had ‘an agenda’.
Harry married American-born Meghan Markle in 2018 and it has previously been reported that William, the Prince of Wales, questioned whether his brother should rush into things.
While the two brothers and their wives quickly became branded the ‘Fab Four’ in the press as they attended royal engagements and launched projects together, tensions within the family grew.
In a new book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, which is being serialised by the Mirror, the publication’s Royal Editor, Russell Myers, writes: “William and Catherine were fearful not only of the effect on team morale, but also their capacity to work with Harry and Meghan moving forward. ‘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.'”
Harry and Meghan later decided it would be best to step away from the royal family and become financially independent. The Duke and Duchess stepped down as senior working royals in March 2020 and now live in Montecito, California, with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
“Catherine, who had so long been a voice of reason in the brothers’ previous squabbles, decided she could do no more to bring them together,” Russell writes. “At first she had thought William and Harry’s squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan’s attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course. Following Harry and Meghan’s wedding, things were undeniably different.
William and Catherine felt the Sussexes had ‘an agenda’. ‘They definitely thought the Sussexes’ behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic”, a source said. ‘Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. She saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened.'”
The foursome were last seen together publicly after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 20222(Image: PA)
Soon after leaving their family and their life in the UK behind, the couple went on to accuse the royal family of racism in a primetime Oprah Winfrey television interview.
“In the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview, the Sussexes’ version of how the family and the institution had conspired against them, had created a siege mentality in the palace,” Russell writes. “Harry’s presence at the funeral just ensured these feelings stayed fresh in everyone’s minds.
“William and Catherine were both wounded by the numerous accusations and the presentation of Harry and Meghan’s ‘truth’. William was most aggrieved by Harry’s assertion that he was ‘trapped’ in the system, while Catherine felt deeply let down over Meghan’s disclosure of a private exchange, which sparked claim and counterclaim regarding the fitting of dresses before the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding.
“It compounded, in Catherine’s mind, a key difference between her and Meghan, who she no longer believed she could trust. A source said: ‘She (Catherine) was very clear that any engagement with Harry or Meghan should be with the utmost of caution because it was obvious that they weren’t to be trusted.'”
William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story Hardcover 26 Feb. 2026
by Russell Myers (Author)
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan were last seen in public all together was in 2022. When Queen Elizabeth passed away in September of that year, Meghan and Harry were already in the UK. At the time, it was unknown whether the pair had any plans to reunite with members of the royal family while spending time in the UK, but the shock death of the Queen saw the family come together once more.
In the days following the Queen’s death, brothers William and Harry made an appearance together, alongside Meghan and Kate. Harry and Meghan joined the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle for a walkaround. They viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen and greeted members of the public who turned up to see them.
It is understood the prince invited his brother to join them outside the castle, and a royal source said William thought it was an “important show of unity”. William, Kate, Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted well-wishers for around 40 minutes. They were then later seen attending the Queen’s funeral.
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, published on 26 February by Ebury, Penguin Random House, is available to pre-order now