In what has been described as an unexpected ‘victory’ for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Sussexes are, at this very moment, likely to be packing up their suitcases in Montecito ahead of their grand return to the UK in the coming week.
The couple, who have largely been estranged from the Royal Family for the past six years, are to be joined by their children – Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five – and are widely reported to have been welcomed back by King Charles with all of the grace and favour of working royals, complete with full security and the comforts of a royal residence during their stay.
The news of this proverbial royal red carpet has unsurprisingly been reported as a ‘bitter pill’ for Harry’s brother, Prince William, to swallow, with relations between the Heir and his father now said to be so frosty that he has allegedly threatened to distance himself from family events at Sandringham for the foreseeable future.
However, rather than being disappointed or saddened by his brother’s reaction, we’re told Harry, 41, who has openly described William, 44, as his ‘arch nemesis’, is instead relishing William’s reported fury.
‘Harry knew William would fly off the handle as soon as his father rubber-stamped the terms of their trip back, and he told Meghan to sit back and enjoy the show,’ an insider says.
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‘For Harry, seeing his brother throw his toys out of the pram like this just demonstrates that he’s an ill-tempered brat who’s filled with negativity and resentment, whereas he and Meghan are just trying to live their lives and let bygones be bygones.’
Having reportedly been told the news of the Sussexes’ return next month just hours before the Trooping the Colour parade last weekend, it was reported that relations between William and Princess Kate, and Charles and Queen Camilla, had already cooled by the time they put on a united front on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
A source claimed, ‘Queen Camilla, King Charles, and the Princess of Wales were not outwardly warm together that day, and it wasn’t just because of the protesters. Relations were decidedly frosty backstage.’
Another insider added, ‘The King’s relationship with William is not in a good place’, with reports claiming that William, Kate and their children had not attended the annual lunch following the celebration and had instead made a swift exit.
Charles will now undoubtedly be grappling with a way to navigate this immensely difficult situation between his warring sons, but we’re told that, as far as Harry is concerned, what he perceives as William’s ‘brattish’ behaviour is just ‘playing into’ his and Meghan’s hands.
The source says, ‘Make no mistake, this is tremendously satisfying for Harry, and he’s telling Meghan it’s only a matter of time before other royals come to their father’s side and choose their side over his hot-headed brother’s.
‘The longer William’s bad attitude goes on, the more it plays into their hands. It’s enormously satisfying for Meghan, too, and she’s in full agreement that their best strategy is to smile sweetly, charm as many people as they come to the UK, and let William keep shooting himself in the foot with his bad attitude.’
The announcement of the Sussexes’ return to celebrate One Year to Go until the Invictus Games comes after months of speculation over whether Harry would be joined by Meghan and the children on his trip.
And the decision, reportedly driven by the monarch’s desire to spend time with his grandchildren, certainly appears to be a huge U-turn. The last time Charles met with Harry was briefly back in September, and Harry later admitted that his father had refused to see him during his legal dispute over security for his family in the UK.
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It was also widely reported that William had no intention of reconciling with his brother this summer; something we’re told Harry was aware of and is seeing Charles’ good grace toward him as a ‘stunning moral victory’.
‘Harry is trying to be discreet and not rub it in William’s face too openly, but in private he can’t resist having a humble brag,’ the source says.
‘He knows how hard his brother campaigned to have him banned from the royal fold this summer and that his father is defying his wishes as well as many others by opening the door for him and Meghan after all these years of bad blood.
‘So the fact they’ve finally managed to pull this off and be granted security and accommodation on royal grounds is a huge coup as well as a stunning moral victory, as far as Harry’s concerned.’
The brothers are now believed not to have spoken since their grandmother’s funeral and, even then, relations were reported to already be very fractious following Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they made scathing allegations of bullying and racism against the royals. The Royal Family have strenuously denied any claims of racism, with Prince William publicly stating, ‘We are very much not a racist family’.
And the source says that while Harry still feels sorrow over the deep rift that has grown between himself and William, he knows that this visit could be a huge opportunity for him to win back the favour of other senior royals before William takes the throne in the future.
The insider says, ‘Of course he still feels badly about his fractured relationship with William and there’s an acute awareness on that his relationship with the royal family will be a whole lot worse and quite possibly non-existent once his brother becomes King – especially if he makes good on his plan to strip them of their HRH titles.
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‘But for right now, it’s one battle or challenge at a time, and Harry’s biggest priority is to make this trip a success whilst keeping his side of the street clean. He can’t control his brother’s thought process or actions, and in many ways he feels quite sorry for him to be holding onto so much anger and resentment.’
The source adds, ‘In years gone by, Harry says he would have taken the bait and gone into an open war with his brother. But instead he’s being polite and respectful, telling people that he hopes William finds peace and contentment at some stage in his life because it must be horrible to be consumed by so much negativity and rage.’
Meanwhile, we’re told Harry’s alleged smugness is only making the situation worse for William, who is widely reported to remain ‘furious’ over Harry and Meghan’s tell-alls and is allegedly preparing to cut the Sussexes out of the royal fold for good when he becomes King.
‘Of course, this all gets back to William and incenses him even more. He finds it staggering that Harry is so unrepentant and downright smug and self-righteous, that he has the audacity to tell people he’s out of line after all the chaos and pain he’s inflicted along with Meghan,’ the source says.
‘In William’s mind, Harry may have scored this initial coup, but it’s just the start of a long war that he fully intends to win. He’s sticking hard to the line that he won’t be steamrollered or bullied by the Sussexes under any circumstances and that his father is making a very grave mistake indeed.’
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