Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s UK Return Is a ‘Game-Changing’ Moment for Prince William
EXCLUSIVE: Now that Prince Harry will be based near his brother, the Prince of Wales might fall under fresh 'pressure' to reconcile.
Prince Harry’s return could put fresh “pressure” on Prince William, according to a top royal expert.
Sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced that the couple will return to the UK, six years after stepping away as working members of the Royal Family. Their two children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, will be enrolled in UK schools during their “extended visit” as Meghan, 45, has reportedly accepted a major acting role in an upcoming project - which according to sources is Guy Ritchie's hit comedy-drama series, The Gentleman. Although Harry, 41, is on a path to reconciliation with his father King Charles – having met with him and Queen Camilla in a private tea at Highgrove in Gloucestershire – the same cannot be said for his brother Prince William.
The Prince of Wales has reportedly not spoken to his younger sibling after the release of a series of controversial projects. This includes their sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey for CBS, their Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, and his bombshell memoir, Spare. According to Bronte Coy from News.com.au, it’s possible that Prince William still feels hurt by the private information that was revealed in Harry’s various releases.
She told The Royal Observer: “I think that anyone would understand William's position on this, having those sorts of things aired without really a public right of reply-that's incredibly difficult. And [it] also came just before Catherine's cancer diagnosis. So, what, my understanding is that when Catherine's health battles began, that was their whole focus. They were keeping the monarchy together. He [William] was looking after his wife. He was managing, their children having to deal with this. I think that has all put an even bigger gap between any sense of the top priority [as] speaking to Harry."
“Everything I've ever heard is there is just no appetite for him to for them to get in a room together and sort it out anytime soon. Does that change when Harry's here? Possibly, you know, it does.
A 'Game Changing' Moment
However, the broadcaster told me that because Harry is moving closer geographically to his estranged brother, he could be a ‘game changing’ moment in their long-running feud. This is due to the possibility of added ‘pressure’ put on the Prince of Wales by speculation around the future of the monarchy going forward.
Speaking to The Royal Observer, she suggested: “The proximity and the fact they there will be a lot of headlines every time they're a few miles from each other, which is going to happen now. It will potentially make a situation where even from a business sense, the business of monarchy, that they will have to make some sort of truth or agreement in terms of Harry reaching out to William.”
She continued: “It's possible that with the knowledge that he is moving back here and he is putting pressure on William and Catherine in that way. Of course, Harry has his has the right to live his own life and make his own decisions, and this is his home country as well. But he would have to know that with everything that's happened, he's putting a lot of pressure on his brother, who has allowed the Atlantic Ocean to keep them separated for some time.”
Adding: “So maybe there will be a different approach or picking up of those efforts once he's here.”
Future Speculation
Addressing the potential attention, the brothers might receive, Coy stated: “[These are now] going to be the conversations, family events, big family events. ‘[Are] Harry and Meghan invited.’ ‘Did they decline?’ ‘Has the king invited them?’ ‘Will William be attending?’ ‘What does William think of it?’ This is the world that I think all the key players will be very aware that this is the world they're now stepping into.”
Adding: “The game has completely changed. The players now have to adjust accordingly.”
The expert also suggested that Prince Harry ultimately desires a full reconciliation with all members of his family. “There was clearly there was clearly a desire to make things right, or at least get the lines of communication open again,” Coy told The Royal Observer. “That's clear, and he made several attempts.”
In 2025, Prince Harry gave an interview to the BBC after he lost his legal appeal for access to close protection security. During that conversation, he publicly declared: "I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious." Although this was after speaking about his relationship to The King, Coy told The Royal Observer that Harry possibly meant all the members of his family that he had a strained relationship with.
She added: “But in terms of the ongoing, I mean, he said this himself. I would like a reconciliation with my family. He specifically spoke about the King, but he actually said, ‘my family’ as well, which clearly, more broadly, means the ones he's not speaking to.”
