When Prince Harry settled his lawsuit against a newspaper group last month, the royals were said to be ‘relieved’. But one family member was left disappointed that Harry wouldn’t be flying back to the UK to fight his case – his sister-in-law Kate Middleton.
We’re told that the Princess of Wales was hopeful his return would have given them a chance to meet up one-on-one and open the door for a reconciliation with her husband Prince William. According to our source, Kate, 43, had also intended to find out what’s really going on between Harry and wife Meghan Markle amid recent speculation about their marriage.
The insider says, ‘Kate was looking forward to seeing Harry in London. She wanted to use that time to get a read on Harry’s state of mind these days, but that seems to be off the table now because he doesn’t need to come back to settle his case. It means the sit-down they were going to have is postponed indefinitely.’
There have been growing reports that Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43 – who married in 2018, and share son Archie, five, and daughter Lilibet, three – are leading ‘separate lives’ in California, after they agreed to split their work commitments. While Meghan has even hit the red carpet alone, they did, however, turn up to help victims of the Los Angeles wildfires together last month. The couple were also recently the subjects of a damning Vanity Fair article, which addressed – then quickly denied – rumours that Meghan had contacted publishers about interest in a ‘post-divorce book’. The article also alleged Harry had struggled to make friends since moving Stateside.
Meanwhile, other reports suggested that the pair ‘know they are tied together’, claiming that ‘their value is in being a couple — even if they wanted to split, they couldn’t’. However, it it’s also been said that a desire to break up was unlikely as ‘they are obsessed with each other’. Our source explains it’s ‘very unsettling’ for Kate, saying, ‘She gets no pleasure in seeing Meghan and Harry picked to pieces. She’s heard there’s this growing perception the marriage may not be a particularly happy one right now and they’re effectively trapped together. That really upset Kate. The thought of Harry having to live a life he’s not happy in worries her no end.’
They continue, ‘The last thing Kate wants is to meddle in Harry’s marriage, she knows how sensitive and proud he is, and rightly so, over all aspects of his marriage and children. Kate also knows how hurtful and distracting it can be when people are drawing false conclusions about things, she and William have been through that plenty in the past themselves. Picking up the phone and asking Harry if everything is OK between him and Meghan is a total non-starter. The best she can do at this point is hope the rumours aren’t true. She wants Harry to be happy and settled first and foremost, but be there for him if he ever does want to come to her for advice. Kate’s made it very clear to Harry that her door is always wide open.’
Despite his fractured relationship with his brother William, 42, Harry is believed to have maintained contact with Kate – with both he and Meghan apparently repeatedly reaching out with as she underwent treatment for cancer last year. Since the rift first began in 2020, it’s been reported Kate has acted as the peacemaker, pushing for a reunion behind the scenes. And it seems that now more than ever she’s keen to plan crisis talks, although it seems unlikely that Meghan will be involved at this stage.
We’re told, ‘Kate has no intention of giving up on Harry and will be there for him, no matter what, even if other members of the family have long since washed their hands of him. And she hasn’t given up on getting the brothers back together at some point in the future, when the time is right. The most likely scenario right now is a meet-up in America and Kate would also like to welcome Harry in the UK, when he next gets a chance to visit.’
As heat previously reported, William and Kate are said to be exploring the option of visiting the US later this year after applying for a trademark to launch their Royal Foundation charity in Harry’s new homeland – something Kate is more keen to do now that his UK trip has been cancelled.
The source concludes, ‘The fact Harry’s 6,000 miles away from the life he knows best, and that he doesn’t seem to have a lot of people to depend on over in Montecito, is very worrisome for Kate. But he’s a proud and stubborn character who’s clearly desperate to make this American Dream of his work, as well as his marriage – in no small part so he can prove the doubters wrong. Kate and others who still care deeply about Harry just hope he’s not doing it at the expense of his own personal happiness.’