As Christmas approaches, there appears to be no signs of a festive family reunion between Prince Harry and the Royal Family as their toxic rift continues to play out on the public stage.
But while Harry and Meghan Markle have famously landed seemingly endless bombshells into the heart of the monarchy through their Netflix drama, Harry’s memoir and TV interviews, there still remains a royal elephant in the room – the future of the monarchy’s mega millions.
And now insiders say estranged Harry may not get a single penny of it as members of the Royal Family and courtiers are said to be urging King Charles to cut his youngest son out of his will.
A source says, ‘The rift is already wide but cutting off Harry will likely be the final nail in the coffin for any kind of reconciliation. There’s so much resentment and anger and very few people are ready to forgive him for the damage he’s done.
‘Charles wrote his will long ago, but certain family members and courtiers are strongly urging him to update the document so as not to include Harry. The royals hate the idea of Harry getting anything from the Windsors and the feeling is, now is the time to put it down on paper to reflect Harry’s impact on the monarchy and the stress he’s caused to his father.’
Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, stepped down from life as working royals in January 2020 and Harry revealed publicly during his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that his family had ‘literally cut me off financially’. However it later emerged that Charles had gifted Harry a ‘substantial sum’ of money to help with the couple’s transition into their new life in Montecito, California – something he brazenly failed to recognise.
Harry told Oprah, ‘I have what my mum left me and without that we wouldn’t have been able to do this.’
Diana, who tragically died in 1997, is reported to have left £20 million to be shared between Harry and William – adding to the £14 million said to have been left to the brothers by the late Queen Mother.
The dismissal of Charles’ support and Harry and Meghan’s shameless attacks on the family have led to royal supporters and, reportedly, courtiers to call for the King to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles.
And showing previously that he isn’t afraid to put his foot down, Harry and Meghan were said to have been ‘stunned’ upon hearing the news that Charles had evicted them from Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home, the day after the release of Harry’s Spare memoir, in January 2023.
And while Harry can also no longer use the title ‘HRH’ (His Royal Highness), the ‘Duke’ and ‘Prince’ titles are a part of his birthright, therefore unable to be changed as per royal tradition.
But now the insider confirms that while Queen Camilla, who Harry referred to as his ‘evil stepmother’ and William are whispering in Charles’ ear, it’s the team of courtiers Harry has dubbed ‘the men in grey’ that are ‘leading the charge’ to cut Harry out amidst recent speculation that the royal ‘duchy’ estates are profiting from public services.
The insider says, ‘People take it that it’s Camilla and William leading the charge, and that’s true in some respects, but the people who really pull the strings are the courtiers. They are the people that Charles listens to the most.
‘Many in The Firm believe that, as a non-working royal, Harry shouldn’t receive any inheritance. They feel it would send the wrong message.
‘The level of distrust toward Harry is still incredibly high, to the point that Charles is being cautioned not to take his calls over fears anything he says will be used against him.’
Meanwhile, Harry is believed to be looking to build bridges with his family in the New Year after buying a luxury pad in Portugal last month, which will reportedly be used as a base for him and Meghan and their children – Archie, five, and Lilibet, three – to fly to and from the UK.
Harry’s reconciliation hopes come months after King Charles and Kate Middleton both bravely announced their cancer diagnoses in February and March respectively.
Kate, who Harry has called ‘the sister I never had but always wanted’, revealed in September that she had finished her chemotherapy, while Charles is still undergoing active treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
Following the news, Harry flew to the UK for a stopover trip, but is believed only to have seen his father for 45 minutes and has not seen him since.
Last year, Charles – who will celebrate his 76th birthday on Thursday – reportedly received a call from Harry alongside a sweet video of Archie and Lilibet singing him ‘Happy Birthday’.
But after details of the call were made public the following day, the source now says that the mistrust the royals feel towards Harry remains strong, with Charles’ family pleading with him not to accept any more contact.
Already this year, Charles has failed to send an invitation to the couple for the family’s summer gathering in Balmoral and was absent from Harry’s 10th anniversary celebration for the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in May.
Now the source adds, ‘It’s heartbreaking for everyone close to Charles and they’re just trying to screen him from as much distress as possible. Unfortunately, that has meant maintaining his distance from Harry.’
But the source says Harry is still headed into the New Year with a renewed sense of hope.
They add, ‘Harry is still determined to mend things with his father, he hasn’t given up by any means. No doubt he would find it very painful to know this is being discussed and insists that his only wish is to make peace with his father and have his children spend time with their grandfather.
‘Many assumed that by now, their relationship would have improved. But Harry must face certain realities, especially as he’s determined to live the life of his own choosing with Meghan.’