Prince William and Kate Middleton's verdict on Harry and Meghan's behavior
Prince William and Kate Middleton's verdict on Harry and Meghan's behavior
Jane Lavender & Hollie BealeSun, September 6, 2026 at 4:53 PM UTC
0
The two couples following the death of the late Queen -Credit:PA
Six years after stepping away from the UK and their roles as senior working royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have touched down on British soil once again.
The royal couple arrived in Britain last week and are understood to have secured a private, non-royal residence outside of London, with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, already enrolled in school and set to begin in just a matter of weeks. The pair had been living in Montecito, California, since departing the royal family in 2020.
During their time stateside, they produced their own Netflix docuseries, Finding Freedom, documenting their experiences within the royal family, while Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare, in which he alleged he had been knocked into a dog bowl by his older brother, the Prince of Wales, during a heated dispute over his relationship with Meghan.
• Trump debuts new darker hair color after wig confession ahead of another golf weekend
• Dolly Parton's rules for 'open' marriage with husband Carl Dean revealed
The couple has also appeared alongside some of the biggest names in American television, making a string of allegations about life as working royals and those at the heart of the monarchy.
The rift between Harry and William is said to have been simmering long before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose to step back from their royal duties, with the Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly eager to avoid any "drama" surrounding the couple's return home. Close friends of the couple have revealed that while they "cannot forgive" the Sussexes for their accusations directed at the royal family during their time in America, they remain determined in their resolve to "look forward to the future".
Prince William and his father, King Charles, are believed to have been informed of Harry and Meghan's intentions at the same time and continue to be in "complete agreement" that there can be no "half in, half out" role for the Duke of Sussex, who is not anticipated to resume his royal responsibilities.
The crumbling relationship between William and Harry hit a breaking point after the Duke of Sussex's marriage to Meghan in 2018, according to Mirror royal editor Russell Myers in his book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's two-word verdict on Harry and Meghan's behavior -Credit:Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
A source close to both couples at the time of Harry and Meghan's wedding suggested William and Catherine felt the Sussexes had 'an agenda'.
Advertisement
They added: "They definitely thought the Sussexes' behavior stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic.
"Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. There was definitely a hope from her side [Catherine's] that William could try and talk to Harry and settle things, but that didn't exactly happen... and at the end of the day, she had three young children, who were her focus and if anything, she saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened."
Myers also discloses William's response to Harry and Meghan's 2019 interview with Tom Brady, in which the Duchess of Sussex candidly admitted she had been facing difficulties, and Harry revealed he and his brother were on "different paths". In the book, Myers explains that the interview confirmed something in William's thinking and showed the future King and Queen just how dramatically the relationship between them and Harry had changed.
Harry and Meghan on their wedding day -Credit:Getty Images
William also believed Harry had grown "paranoid" - despite his own efforts to be there for him.
"He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother," a source close to the future King revealed. "He became paranoid, angry, obsessive, and firmly rooted in the past. There's no doubt, at that time at least, there was a lot of love and support available for Harry."
It has been widely reported - and Harry has personally confirmed - that William advised his younger brother to proceed carefully with Meghan.
"It's easy to forget now, given everything that has gone on," an insider revealed to Myers.
Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK -Credit:Aaron Chown/PA Wire
"But William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him."
According to Myers, Catherine, who had consistently served as a peacemaker during the brothers' disputes, concluded there was little more she could do. "Catherine has always favored reason over conflict. It was how she had been brought up, in a household that resolved differences with dialogue rather than by bearing grudges.
"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."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
