She was once sweetly branded as the ‘sister I’ve never had and always wanted’ by Prince Harry in homage to their close bond at the time. And now, with the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle’s continued solo outings doing little to quell speculation that they are leading increasingly separate lives, insiders tell Closer that Kate Middleton is seizing an opportunity to reconnect Harry and his brother Prince William.
The source says, ‘Kate’s got her finger on the pulse of the Royal Family, and she feels strongly this is Harry’s last chance to make amends and get back into the fold before it’s too late. She’s staying true to her word and refusing to give up on him but, at the same time, she’s making it clear he needs to make more of a concerted effort. The fact that Harry’s been doing his own thing lately, instead of being joined at the hip with Meghan, has scored points with his family and Kate is seeing this as the perfect opportunity for him to strike while the iron’s hot.
‘She is imploring him to do the right thing and take this opportunity while he still has it. Despite all his faults, she still sees him as a little brother and she’s willing to forgive him. But if he wants his brother and father to forgive him, he'll need to do more.’
This autumn has seen Harry, 40, jet-setting to projects around the world on his own, while former Suits star Meghan, 43, is believed to have remained in Montecito, where the couple set up home in 2020 after stepping away from royal life in the UK. But, on the heels of Harry’s trips to New York (for charity projects), London (for the WellChild Awards) and South Africa (to represent his charity, Sentebale), his wife took centre stage at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles gala at the beginning of the month, where she posed on the red carpet with her model pal, Kelly McKee. Another of the Duchess’ single-handed pursuits was revealed days later, which was a visit to Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara to help with new digital wellness programme, Social Media U.
It has been reported that the couple – who are parents to Archie, five, and Lilibet, three – will be making individual public appearances in a bid to pursue their own passions. While an alleged confidante of the Sussexes has said it’s ‘normal for couples not to do everything together’, other royal insiders have claimed that they are ‘going their own ways’ as they ‘increasingly live separate lives’.
In the meantime, rumours that Harry is seeking a reconciliation with his family have gathered pace. The last time the father of two is thought to have had face-to-face contact with the royals was in January, when he made a round-trip to see King Charles in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. But it has been widely reported that Harry and William do not speak whatsoever, with the feud purportedly reaching fever pitch with the release of Spare – the younger prince’s 2023 memoir, in which he accused his older brother of physically attacking him among other derogatory claims.
And now, a source says that Kate, 42 – who has also battled cancer this year but is now free of the disease – still deeply cares about her brother-in-law and is encouraging him to apologise.
‘William has been unequivocal that there’s nothing to discuss until he and the family get a full-scale apology from Harry, with an admission of wrongdoing. Ideally, it will be a public apology,’ the source says. ‘Harry has extended plenty of olive branches, but one thing he’s never done is admit that he’s to blame for all of this, and in Kate’s view that’s what’s needed if he wants to move past this and have a relationship with the family again.’
The Princess of Wales once shared a tight-knit bond with Harry, and the pair would often be photographed laughing and whispering together at public functions. She is also said to have been ‘peacemaker’ between Harry and her husband, notably at the late Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021 when she stepped aside as they left to allow the brothers to speak in private.
Now, after Closer previously reported that Kate was pushing William to ‘give peace a chance’, the insider says her energy has shifted to his younger brother.
The source explains, ‘Kate isn’t going to sit there and mastermind exactly what Harry needs to say in his apology, but she’s very clear that it needs to be authentic, from the heart, and there can't be any conditions or any excuses. He needs to take full responsibility. In her view, he needs to do this as soon as possible, and she’s urging him to make a trip home this month to do it in person. Her hope is that he will do it in time to be welcomed back for Christmas.’