Royal watchers were on the edge of their seats earlier this month, after Prince Harry made the first tentative steps in reconciling with his father. For the first time in 19 months, the Duke of Sussex met with King Charles, 76, during a visit to London, with the pair sitting down for a 55-minute private tea at Clarence House on 10 September.
But while many were delighted by Harry’s attempt to build bridges with his family, we’re told his wife Meghan Markle has her concerns – fearing his return to the royal fold could be part of an attempt to split them up.
‘Harry’s still buzzing off the back of his meeting with his father and Meghan is pleased for him – to an extent,’ an insider tells heat. ‘But, at the same time, she still worries the Palace could be using divide-and-conquer tactics, and it hasn’t helped that Harry has basically just thrown himself at their feet. He’s clearly very homesick and desperate to build on the positives of this meeting, and it’s taking a lot of his focus away from their life in America. Meghan’s biggest worry is that he’s been lured back in by the royals again and that they could drive a wedge between them. She feels like she’s losing him.’
We’re told that even though Harry believes his family’s intentions are good, Meghan needs more persuading. ‘He can try to spin a fairy tale about a rosy reunion, but Meghan isn’t buying it – not after what she went through in the UK. On top of that, there’s the prospect of him being around all the courtiers who spent years planting stories in the press and making their lives miserable. Why should Meghan believe any of that has changed? She never got an apology, and it hurts her to see Harry behaving as though the slate has been wiped clean.’
The source continues, ‘Harry’s not taking nearly as tough a stance as she’d like – the only sticking point for him is getting their government security reinstated. Other than that, he seems ready to take whatever is offered and that’s causing some strain. But Meghan isn’t going to just stand back and let them take Harry away from her. She’ll fight tooth and nail to keep her husband.’
While the feud between the Sussexes and the royals was said to stem from ‘Megxit’ when Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020, the couple have infamously detailed many alleged incidents that soured their relationship with the Palace before that, including accusations of racism and a lack of support for Meghan’s mental health struggles.
But after losing his High Court battle to win back their state-funded security while visiting the UK, Harry seemed to offer an olive branch, telling the BBC that he ‘would love a reconciliation’ with his family, adding, ‘There’s no point continuing to fight… life is precious.’ Two months after that, senior aides from Harry and Charles’ camps met for talks in London, opening the door for a reconciliation.
It’s now thought that Harry’s and the King’s meeting could pave the way for Charles to see his grandchildren – Archie, six, and four-year-old Lilibet – for the first time in more than three years.
But – along with Harry’s big brother William, who is said to still be furious with the Sussexes, despite efforts by his wife Kate Middleton to mediate – not everyone is so positive about this development. ‘It’s frustrating for Meghan that Harry thinks this meeting with his dad – which lasted less than an hour – is some huge victory when she still feels there’s a lot of unfinished business,’ the insider says. ‘But Harry’s still on cloud nine. Every conversation circles back to this reunion and what’s next. He’s told Meghan there’s nothing to be nervous about – he says it’s a wonderful thing for the whole family and that,if they play their cards right, they can start enjoying the benefits of being a royal while still doing things their own way as far as their careers and philanthropy go.’
The source continues, ‘Meghan’s being supportive, but it’s no secret that she’s having to grit her teeth a bit. She’s happy that Harry’s making peace with his dad, but anyone who knows Meghan will tell you she’s dreading going back to the UK. As anxious as Harry is to make it happen, it’s not as simple as her just jumping on a plane and joining him for one of his visits. If she’s going to go all that way with their children, she wants some assurances. Harry’s confident his dad will help him get the protection for the security they need, and he’s saying it could all happen very quickly once Charles gives the OK. But that’s not the only issue for Meghan – she’s worried about being bombarded by negative press. Harry’s been trying to reassure her she’s still very well liked, but she doesn’t see it that way.’
The source adds that while Harry’s attention is very much on reestablishing his relationship with his family, Meghan is more focused on the life they have built in Montecito. To mark her husband’s 41st birthday last week, the former Suits actress, 44, shared a picture from his army days with her 4.2million followers. ‘Oh hi, Birthday Boy,’ she captioned the snap, adding a fire emoji. Meghan also didn’t shy away from celebrating Harry’s return from Europe, during which he also made an impromptu visit to Ukraine.
Posting from her As Ever lifestyle brand’s account, she uploaded a snap herself pouring two glasses of her rosé wine with the caption, ‘When your beau is back in town.’ Our source says they’re not the only things the duchess is doing to remind Harry what he’s got at home.
‘Meghan’s convinced there are plenty of people in the British establishment who would love her to be just a footnote in Harry’s history – and she worries the Palace is going to do whatever it can to try to make that happen,’ we’re told. ‘Meghan’s happy that Harry is speaking to his father again,and she’s trying to be supportive, but it’s making her nervous. It’s like he’s got amnesia and has totally forgotten all the things that have gone on. It wasn’t so long ago that he was swearing that the royal family was toxic and he needed to break free, and now he’s doing this huge U-turn. The sudden change is unsettling, because she’s worried he’ll backtrack when it comes to his stance on her getting a proper apology from certain people. She’s still very hurt and she’s never gotten any sort of acknowledgement for what she went through.’
The source adds, ‘Meghan’s been noticeably clingier lately, as she’s making a big effort to reinforce their connection and remind him where his loyalties lie. Her celebratory toast on Instagram was very deliberate – it was her way of showing the world that, no matter what happens over in England, his real home is with her and their kids in California. Even if Harry isn’t pictured on her social media, alluding to their relationship sends the message that their life together is as strong as ever – so there will certainly be more of that.
‘She’s going to be making sure Harry remembers why he fell so hard for her, cooking his favourite meals and arranging more date nights. She won’t lose him that easily.’