For several years, Meghan and Harry have had a pretty strained relationship with the other senior royals, including King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate
Meghan and Harry have had a strained relationship with the rest of the Royal Family in recent years. When they sat down with TV legend Oprah Winfrey back in 2021, they candidly opened up about the reasons why they decided to pack their bags and leave life as working royals – and the UK – behind, including their grievances with some of the other royals.
The palace swiftly released a statement on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth that asserted the Sussexes are “much-loved family members” but noted that “some recollections may vary” about the couple’s assertions about their time as working royals, which would be “addressed privately”.
While Harry has returned to the UK for landmark occasions since pursuing financial independence, including the funerals of his grandparents – Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth – as well as celebratory occasions such as the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and King Charles’s coronation, the ice has yet to thaw between the Duke of Sussex and the rest of his family.
The couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah wasn’t the end of the couple’s candour about their grievances, however, with the pair also revealing behind-the-scenes details of their lives and making further allegations against the royal household as working royals in their six-part Netflix documentary series, and in Harry’s bestselling memoir Spare.
The memoir in particular lifted the lid on Harry’s struggles with mental health issues and his frustrations with his family, in particular Prince William and King Charles, the origins of which he traced all the way back to his childhood. Royal expert, Robert Hardman – author of Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story – explained at a literary festival that despite the fact tensions were still high between William and his younger brother and their wives there was one thing that the Sussexes could do that may help finally end the longstanding feud.
The expert claimed, in his view, a way of “normalising” things would be to visit the UK this summer, with the Sussexes bringing their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with the author recommending Harry “come over with Meghan, with the children, privately, for a few days maybe in the summer”.
Hardman explained at Hay Festival, “Once that happens it’s not such big news when it happens again. Then you start to get somewhere”. He also noted that with the recent health challenges the Royal Family are facing, with King Charles and Kate both undergoing cancer treatment, it was a promising sign that Harry visited in February this year as soon as he heard the news about his father’s diagnosis.
“I thought it was telling that when the cancer diagnosis came through back in February, Prince Harry came straight over. People said why didn’t he stay longer, why didn’t he talk to his father? I mean, there is so much to be worked through, but this was absolutely not the moment to have some sort of summit with Harry about all of Harry’s grievances. But I think the fact he came was important, the fact he was received was important, I think what encouraged people at the palace and encouraged the king was the fact that afterwards, we didn’t then read about it or hear about it. It remained private.”
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