Hopes of a fresh start between Prince Harry and the Royal Family may have gathered momentum in recent weeks, but reports suggest Prince William remains unconvinced that any lasting reconciliation is on the horizon.
While King Charles and Queen Camilla are said to have welcomed Harry, Meghan Markle and their two children during a private meeting, William was notably absent. The Prince of Wales, who is widely reported to have had little contact with his younger brother for several years, is said to remain deeply sceptical of the Sussexes’ intentions.
According to reports, William has been left “sickened” by what he believes is the couple’s latest attempt to generate publicity, despite hopes that the family summit could mark a turning point.
In the weeks after the private meeting between Harry, Meghan, Charles and Camilla, little emerged publicly about what had been discussed behind closed doors.
Meghan, 44, maintained a relatively low profile, while Harry, 41, has no personal social media accounts. For a time, there were no interviews, official announcements or public comments that appeared to shed light on the reported reconciliation talks.
That changed three weeks later when Meghan, whose appearance on MasterChef Australia coincided with the timing, shared a series of family holiday photographs on social media.
The images showed beach outings, relaxed meals and time spent by the pool. Among them was a photograph of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet carrying flowers as they walked towards Princess Diana’s grave at Althorp House.
Royal author Tom Sykes commented on the image in his Substack newsletter, The Royalist, writing: “They process down an avenue of lime trees at Althorp clutching bouquets to lay on Diana’s grave, which seems a weird thing to post as part of your holiday content, but hey ho: then we went to a grave! Everything is absolutely sun-kissed and amazing.”
Columnist Maureen Callahan was similarly critical, writing under the headline: “Meghan’s vulgar act at Diana’s sacred resting place vindicates Prince William‘s suspicions,” adding: “Just when you think Meghan can’t go any lower, she outdoes herself.”
According to a source reported by Closer, William reacted particularly strongly to the photograph taken at Althorp.
“The fact they shared a photo of the children on the grounds of Diana’s family home has enraged William. He says it’s so obvious it was done to get headlines, and that sickens him.
“He doesn’t have any objection to Archie and Lilibet paying their respects to their late grandmother, but in his view, to turn it into a publicity grab is just beyond disrespectful, and he’s incredibly sad that they would stoop this low.
“That being said, he’s not the least bit shocked because this is exactly the sort of thing he was expecting to happen.”
Not long after returning to the United States, Meghan also announced on social media that her now-defunct Netflix series, As Ever, had received a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.
However, Closer’s source claimed it was the holiday photographs that particularly frustrated William, especially because one image reportedly showed a restaurant and shop visited by the family. According to the source, this could allow followers to identify the location of the Sussexes’ holiday home, believed to be their villa in Portugal.
The insider added: “He [William] believes that everything they do at this point is just about their public image. Even the photos they shared from Portugal have him seeing red.
“They’ve gone to such extraordinary lengths to protect their privacy, yet here they are voluntarily sharing some of their most private moments and offering all these clues about where their holiday home is. He finds it very hypocritical and believes this proves nothing has changed and insists he’s not the only one who sees that they appear to want it both ways.”
Reports have also suggested William is not alone in holding reservations about rebuilding relations with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Several reports have claimed palace courtiers remain cautious about the prospect of the couple returning to the royal fold, amid concerns that any future disagreements could once again become public.