He used to have the inside track on all royal matters and was privy to the monarchy’s most confidential conversations, but these days, Prince Harry’s links to the palace are more tenuous. Over the past four years, any hopes of him and Meghan Markle maintaining a direct line to the inner circle have diminished, and sources say the absent royals now have relatively little communication with Harry’s family.
It has been reported that Harry only found out about Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis when she announced it to the public via video message in March – despite the fact that he used to describe her as “the sister I’ve never had and always wanted”. Meanwhile, Harry, 39, is apparently likewise in the dark when it comes to King Charles’ cancer battle, and was unable to see his father during a fleeting trip to London last month due to the King’s busy schedule.
But, according to insiders, Harry isn’t giving up – despite his wife recognising that circumstances have changed and he should move on. Instead, he’s calling when he can for updates on both his father and sister-in-law’s health and is refusing to be put off by any silence. And, as much as he insists that he’s happy with the choices he’s made, he can’t simply switch off.
“The lines of communication to Harry are limited, and are decreasing all the time,” says an insider close to the Duke of Sussex – who ostensibly burnt any remaining bridges between him and Prince William after a slew of attacks on his brother in his 2023 memoir Spare.
“If he emails or calls to request a specific update, royal staff will eventually give him a generic response – but the details are scant. His father isn’t picking up the phone and Kate is in no position to update him, as her time and recovery are obviously being very carefully managed. And the fact he sometimes reads about his family, rather than hear directly from them, hurts even more. He’s following it all from afar and he’s exasperated – even getting basic information can be a struggle.”
Adding to Harry’s frustrations is the fact that updates on Kate’s recovery have been conflicting over the past few weeks. After announcing to the world that she’d been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment, she explained she’d be focused “on making a full recovery” out of the spotlight. But while some reports have said that she’s “turned a corner” in her treatment and could be returning to royal duties in autumn, others have said it’s unlikely that Kate will appear in public at all this year.
Last week, in a rare update, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Kate would not be attending the Colonel’s Review – the traditional rehearsal for Trooping the Colour – on 8 June, but no further statement was provided.
Prince William provided some reassurance last week, saying that his wife “is doing very well”. But detailed information has been thin on the ground, and – just like us – Harry has been left questioning when he’ll get to see his sister-in-law again. As for Charles, we’re told Harry knows that his father is doing better following his return to royal duties, but he is unable to hear much directly from him. But, while Harry won’t take no for an answer, we’re told that Meghan, 42, is urging him to stop putting himself through this anguish.
“She understands that Harry is worried, but, at this point, Meghan feels he needs to stop trying to change a situation that’s out of his control,” says our source.
“They’ve sent good wishes and prayers to Kate and Charles – there’s nothing more they can do, so she’s telling Harry it’s time to take a step back. Make no mistake, it concerns her enormously, but if his family won’t update Harry about his own father and sister-in-law, then he just has to move on and accept change. The writing has been on the wall for a while, and this just hammers it home.”