Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Latest Snub Sends a Clear Message to King Charles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their point clear: the distance between them and the Firm is no longer symbolic; it is real.
Despite Prince Harry's cordial meeting with King Charles last year, sources say his and Meghan Markle's wounds remain fresh, with little sign of thaw. They claimed the Sussexes had no interest in watching the King's historic Congress address and state banquet speech, reflecting the absence of a relationship. Their recent visit to Australia is said to have fanned the flames in their already tense relationship with the palace, with their renewed independence rubbing the institution the wrong way.
In an article on his Substack, Naughty But Nice, royal columnist Rob Shuter quoted an insider with knowledge of the feud as having said, "They [Harry and Markle] didn't watch it [the speech]...Once upon a time, that would have been unthinkable. Now it makes the point for them." And their message was clear: the distance between them and the Firm was no longer symbolic; it was real. Despite their alleged efforts to mend their relationship with Charles and even possibly meet him in the US, their feelings have not been reciprocated. They added, "There is no relationship right now. No calls. No messages...It has gone completely cold."
And to make matters worse, Harry and Markle's alleged snub of Charles's speech came down to one reason: their quasi-royal tour to Australia. It is said that the visit stirred the pot with the palace, reigniting tensions and hardened hearts from both sides. The source stressed, "The palace saw it [the trip] as confirmation they are fully out. Harry and Meghan saw it as proof they no longer need the institution." Moreover, the couple reportedly thinks that they no longer need the King's approval, nor the palace's protection or blessing. They continued, "They [Harry and Markle] are done looking back…They do not need permission. They've moved on."
Arguing their case, insiders insisted that Harry and Markle's decision to skip Charles's speech did not boil down to their busy schedules, but rather to their pointed intentions. "Not watching was the message. The silence was the statement." Indeed, they had another good reason to skip the address, as Charles is said to have made a pointed dig at them while addressing the Congress at the Capitol on April 28. Speaking about the AUKUS alliance, he sneaked in a pointed assertion of his role in Australia, saying, "a country of which I am also immensely proud to serve as Sovereign."
While the statement may not seem out of the ordinary, for those unversed, Harry and Markle's four-day trip to Australia was widely interpreted as a desperate attempt to relive their past lives and replicate royal events. Royal observers felt that the King's layered message was a subtle reminder of legitimacy and hierarchy, a befitting reply to the Sussexes' attempts to position themselves as working royals without the Palace's support. His remark felt less like a formality and more like a reminder of who still holds the Crown Down Under.
