Viewers were shocked when Prince William publicly spoke of his brother Harry for the first time in years, as he tackled the subject of homelessness on a prime-time TV documentary last week. But after it was revealed that the gesture had come after some encouragement from William’s wife Kate Middleton, it seems that the move will only increase tension between the royals and Harry’s wife Meghan Markle.
According to insiders, Meghan, 43, has been growing increasingly suspicious of Kate and William’s intentions, with reports that the Waleses are making more of an effort to encourage Harry back into The Firm.
A source tells Closer, ‘Meghan isn’t happy at all. She’s panicking about Harry being sucked back into his old life. For her, it’s far better for Harry to be on the outside, so she can have him firmly and safely in her corner. The thought of him cosying up to his family again has struck a note of panic.
‘She’s furious at Kate’s meddling and feels as though she’s trying to coax Harry away from her and get him back into their fold as a kind of revenge. Meghan still has major issues with Kate and partly blames her for them having to step down – so she’s furious that she’s even getting involved.’
Speaking in the first episode of his two-part documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness which aired on 30 October, the 42-year-old prince spoke of his mother Princess Diana’s influence, which has resulted in him partnering with multiple homeless charities and passionately campaigning to end the systemic problem.
Alongside a series of childhood pictures of William and Harry with their mother – who died in a tragic car accident in Paris in 1997 when they were 15 and 12 respectively – the future King fondly shared, ‘My mother took me to The Passage [a homelessness charity in London], she took Harry and I both there... I'd never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.
'My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a joke with everyone... I remember having some good conversation, playing chess and chatting.’
The seemingly innocuous comment came as a huge surprise to viewers, especially considering it’s been widely reported that William is absolutely steadfast in his tough stance on Harry’s estrangement.
And Closer’s source reveals that William’s wife of 13 years, Kate, 42, was the mastermind behind the name drop.
‘Kate was very much behind William’s olive branch and has spent more time recently encouraging him to do more in her bid to heal their rift,’ we’re told. ‘Kate’s desperate for them to make up and feels the feud has gone on for far too long. She’s been doing whatever she can to not only make William see that, but also to persuade him to open up the lines of communication again with his brother and try to heal the wounds.
‘Kate’s been acting as mediator between the brothers and has seen how deeply it’s affecting them both and what an awful affect it’s had on their mental health. She’s found it heartbreaking watching the change in William and has repeatedly urged him to try to deal with his deep-rooted pain and find forgiveness in his heart for Harry so that they can both start to repair their relationship and move on.’
They continue, ‘William can be extremely stubborn and while it’s not been an easy task, Kate’s tactics finally seem to be working and she can see a change in him – he’s started to soften his stance and take tentative steps towards making amends with his brother.’
Recently, Prince Harry, 40, has also seemingly been taking action to rekindle his relationship with William – including flying back to the UK several times over the past few months, reportedly attempting to make contact with his family each visit, despite apparently being rebuffed by his brother. William is still said to be struggling to forgive Harry for several of the claims that he made in his memoir Spare, as well as his joint Netflix documentary with Meghan entitled Harry & Meghan and, of course, the bombshell Oprah interview that kicked everything off.
While mum-of-three Kate has publicly stood by her husband, it’s believed that – following her cancer diagnosis in January 2024 – she’s increased her efforts for a reconciliation between the warring siblings. However, Meghan is said to be distrustful of any attempts to play nice – especially if they’re coming from Kate.
The insider says, ‘Meghan is desperately trying to dissuade Harry from taking any olive branches. She’s insisting that his family will use them against him and try to pit to against each other. She’s furious and has very firmly let it be known, through Harry, that she wants Kate to stop messaging him.
‘She’s understandably worried about how this will pan out and, while she’s always been able to convince Harry of what’s best for them and their family, she’s not sure how much longer she’ll be able to influence over him. Her biggest fear is still that it could get to the point where he has to make a choice between them or her.’