A glimmer of hope arose for Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship earlier this month, as senior aides from both sides met for a secret peace summit. And as the king and his youngest son appear to have made the first major move in resolving their feud, there’s an assumption the rest of the family will follow suit – particularly sisters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
‘If Harry and Charles reconcile, then Kate and Meghan will need to do the same. There’s no point in trying to heal the family drama if they’re not willing to cooperate,’ a source tells heat. ‘But it’s already causing a big headache, as neither Kate nor Meghan seem interested in that outcome. Kate feels very strongly about staying out of it all. As far as she is concerned, she’s been through enough, while Meghan’s checked out of the royal drama and doesn’t see the point in moving backwards.’
Things have been sour between Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, and the rest of the family since the couple stepped back from their royal duties and moved to the US after 2020’s ‘Megxit’. And while the situation between the Sussexes and the Waleses – who were once dubbed ‘The Fab Four’ – appeared amicable before their departure, with Meghan and Kate attending Wimbledon together in 2018 and 2019, tensions were bubbling under the surface.

Despite reports that the Duchess of Sussex had made her sister-in-law cry, Meghan claimed in her 2021 bombshell interview with Oprah that it was actually Kate, 43, who reduced her to tears , following a disagreement about Princess Charlotte’s dress for her 2018 wedding to Harry. She also said she was ‘silenced’ by the royal family and directed to never comment on false reports.
Things went from bad to worse when, in his 2023 autobiography Spare, Harry detailed an incident where he and William, 43, had a physical altercation, claiming the Prince of Wales spectacularly lost his cool and branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’. Elsewhere in the memoir, Harry recalled an argument between Meghan and Kate, writing that the Princess of Wales didn’t react well to her sister-in-law saying she had ‘baby brain’. Kate allegedly told Meghan she ‘was owed an apology’ and said, ‘We’re not close enough for you to talk about my hormones.’
Harry also wrote about ‘an awkward moment backstage’ at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in February 2018, when Meghan asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. ‘An American thing,’ he noted. ‘Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles, maybe? Something we should’ve been able to laugh about soon after. But it left a little mark.’
In their Netflix documentary series, Meghan recalled the ‘surprise’ she felt ‘as a hugger’ when she first met Kate and William. ‘I didn’t realise that it’s really jarring for a lot of Brits,’ she said.

Now, Kate – who, aside from at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, hasn’t been photographed alongside Meghan since the March 2020 Commonwealth Day service – is said to be worried that any secret peace talks she has with her sister-in-law will quickly become public knowledge. The insider continues, ‘Kate worries for King Charles and William, too, and fears that anything said to either Meghan or Harry could end up with the likes of Oprah. Kate doesn’t want anything she says to be twisted – she obviously hasn’t forgotten the bridesmaid incident and felt she never got to clear her name, while Meghan has had many opportunities to do so.
‘Kate’s made it clear that she would need a very genuine apology from Meghan and for there to be multiple witnesses present if they were to communicate with each other. However, the possibility of Meghan travelling to the UK to speak to Kate is a long way off. She has far too many more important things to be getting on with, and thinks it’s Kate who should be extending the olive branch.’

But while his wife is reluctant, Harry is said to be desperate to make amends. In May, he told the BBC, ‘I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight any more, life is precious.’ He added that the King – who is battling cancer – wouldn’t speak to him, and that he did ‘not know how much longer’ he has.
Our insider explains, ‘It’s going to end up being a huge toll on Harry. If he can’t get Meghan to play ball, then the whole reconciliation could be off. But he’s also said to be slightly worried that if he does make amends with his family, then Meghan will be furious. From the outset, Meghan has made it clear that she has been treated unfairly. She feels she has to remind Harry that they were the ones forced to flee the country, and is surprised that he appears to be bending over backwards to make things right. But the truth is, Harry desperately misses his whole family.’