Prince William's 'deep concerns' over Harry and Meghan ignoring the late Queen's 'no half in' rule
Royal correspondent Duncan Larcombe lifts the lid on the bitter bust-up between the brothers at war
The warring Windsor brothers are heading for another stand-off after Prince William was angered by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s half-in, half-out behaviour.
Sources close to the future king have revealed to me his ‘deep concerns’ that the Sussexes are ignoring the rules set down by the late Queen Elizabeth when they quit royal life for a fresh start in America.
Her Majesty made it clear to Harry that he and Meghan would leave with her blessing as long as they understood leaving royal life meant exactly that. I understand that she was worried the Sussexes would continue with public engagements without their efforts being coordinated to prevent them overshadowing the actual work of the family.
Yet six years after ‘Megxit’ and the couple are increasingly breaking the agreement that was drawn up during crisis talks following Harry’s bombshell decision to spend much of his life abroad.
I believe that William is particularly angered by his brother’s recent foreign visits to Jordan, Australia and Ukraine, which bore all the hallmarks of official royal engagements in all but name.
Meghan’s visit to Switzerland to highlight the dangers of social media is also understood to have upset William as it had the potential to overshadow Kate’s first foreign visit since her cancer diagnosis, as both happened in mid-May.
Kate went to Italy to highlight her interest in early years development, making it her first overseas visit in more than three years.
'William intends to take a much harder line with Harry and Meghan'
My royal source told me, ‘William and Kate take a great deal of care and personal interest in the planning of their official engagements. Events including overseas visits are planned months in advance.
'The couple will not want anything to overshadow the roles they play as full-time working royals.
‘There is an increasing view that the King and his heir may well have to try and draw a line in the sand when it comes to Harry and Meghan. They are acting as though the discussions with the late Queen never took place.’
It was reported that William intends to ‘take a much harder line’ with his brother and sister-in-law when he becomes king, meaning the prospect of a bust-up is almost inevitable.
'Any private conversations with Harry could be publicised by the couple'
News of the heightening tension between Kensington Palace and the Sussexes comes after William was photographed in Istanbul celebrating Aston Villa’s Europa League victory with pals. These included Thomas van Straubenzee and Edward van Cutsem, who were close to both William and Harry as they were growing up.
It was seen as a sign of how the loyalties of the inner circle have been tested by Harry’s ongoing feud with his brother. In happier times Harry was often photographed at social occasions with the friends who now appear to have sided with William.
If the heir to the throne does confront his brother it would be a high risk strategy. He would be concerned that any private conversations with Harry would be publicised by the couple, who have become outspoken critics of the royal ‘institution’, as Meghan calls it.
So far William and Kate have shown restraint when it comes to the Sussex clan. Bar William’s comment that ‘We are very much not a racist family,’ they have deliberately avoided giving Harry the oxygen of publicity by responding to the Oprah interview, the Netflix documentary and Harry’s bombshell book Spare.
How much longer can William and Kate ignore the elephant in the room?
They have maintained a dignified silence and refused to be drawn into tit-for-tat public exchanges with the estranged couple.
William knows that confronting his brother over his behaviour would risk breaking this strategy of never complain, never explain.
Opinion polls provide proof that William and Kate have handled the whole Sussex drama with a dignity that is not wasted on the British public.
William and Kate have continued to ride high in popularity polls in sharp contrast to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have seen their approval ratings plummet.
My source added, ‘It is obvious that William’s strategy of maintaining a silence has gone down well with the public. But there are increasing signs that Harry and his wife are continually crossing red lines laid down when they departed from royal life.
'It is not clear how much longer William and Kate can continue to ignore the elephant in the room.'
