Royal insider: ‘Prince Harry’s numb, regretful… and torn’

There seemed to be a glimmer of hope for a thawing of frostiness between Prince Harry and Prince William earlier this month – as the world watched the brothers walking together following the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip.

But it now seems Harry, 36, will face a fresh dilemma – after leaving his former home in the UK and returning to his new life in sunny California.

Harry’s trip to the UK was his first since he and wife Meghan Markle left the royals – and hot on the heels of their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, during which they made allegations against the royal family of racism and a lack of mental health support.

The interview reportedly left the royals furious – but the rift appeared on the mend when William and wife Kate Middleton casually chatted with Harry after the funeral service.

Reports claimed he had in-depth discussions with his brother, father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen.

While he was due to head home to pregnant Meghan, 39, and son Archie, one, two days after the funeral, he reportedly prolonged his stay by 24 hours for “peace talks” – sparking hopes of a reconciliation.

And royal insider Duncan Larcombe – who spent 10 years as a royal editor and wrote the best-selling biography Prince Harry: The Inside Story – now tells Closer that the royal will have returned home feeling more confused than ever.

He says, “I’ve heard Harry was feeling numb heading back to LA. You could see in his face at the funeral that he was torn. He didn’t think he’d have to face his family so soon – and when he did, he had mixed emotions. Apparently, talks with his dad and William were positive and productive – he and William had a real heart to heart before he returned. Coming home has reminded him of everything he’s sacrificed in recent years – and of the recent damage done.”

In contrast, sources tell Closer that former actress Meghan – who is pregnant with a baby girl, said to be due in the summer – is on a different page from her husband.

Since stepping back from royal life, she and Harry have secured multi-million pound deals with of Netflix and Spotify, as well as Harry landing himself top jobs with a life coaching and mental health company and a silicon valley think tank.

The couple have spent time with A-list friends including model Chrissy Teigen – wife of singer John Legend – who last week revealed Meghan had reached out to her after she suffered a stillbirth in September.

And sources tell Closer that in contrast to Harry’s predicament, Meghan feels more excited than ever about pushing forward with her Hollywood dream.

A source says, “While Meghan’s focusing on her pregnancy, she’s also excited about the future and throwing herself into all these new projects. She has so many ideas and goals she wants to achieve – so it’s all really positive for her.

“She’s got a nice set of A-list celebs in her circle – Gayle King, Chrissy and, of course, Oprah. She’s loving their new life and she’s excited for her and Harry to establish themselves as a top celebrity couple in Hollywood.”

However, Duncan says that the issue now will be navigating their new lifestyles and ambitions in an agreeable way.

He says, “Meghan’s in her element – she’s a former actress who worked in TV and film, and grew up in LA. She’ll be elated. Her dream was always LA.

“So these two feelings – Meghan excited for their future and Harry nostalgic for his old life – are bound to cause tension for them. I can’t see how Harry can live this new life and keep things harmonious with his family. I imagine William and Charles tried to establish some boundaries during their heart to heart. But I honestly think this whole thing is a lose-lose situation. I just don’t think that Harry will be able to live harmoniously as a part of these two worlds – the royals and the LA showbiz world. He’s in for a very difficult ride. There could be tough times ahead.”

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Duncan also says that having spent time with Harry during his time as a royal editor – on tours and at events – he knows the prince has a tendency to act on impulse. He adds, “I’ve met Harry many times and got to know his character. He’s a hot-headed guy – he acts on his emotions.

“I was covering Peter Phillips’ stag do in 2008 and I first explained to the brothers, when I saw them, that I wouldn’t get in their way and that I’d liaise with them about the article I’d run.

“Later that weekend, William invited me into the beer garden to join them for a drink. Harry saw me and was livid – he flew off the handle, thinking I’d snuck in there slyly. He saw red and we had a row – but after William explained, he calmed down, apologised and we had a beer.

“I think something similar happened with the Oprah chat. Harry was clearly hurt and angry about Meghan’s experience with the royals – and used the interview to get it out. But after returning home, I’ve no doubt he’s been feeling embarrassed, regretful and awkward.

“He’s now facing the consequences. I  believe he’ll regret that interview – and maybe his decision to leave the royal family.”

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Caprice Bourret: ‘LA’s a fake world – Harry won’t handle it for long’

Having spent significant parts of her life living in both LA and London, supermodel Caprice Bourret knows both places inside out. And the supermodel and mum-of-two now says that she thinks Harry will pine for the UK after his brief return home.

Caprice, 49, says, “I grew up in LA and spent most of my twenties there, before moving to London, where I’ve now lived for more than 20 years. And the two places are so culturally different, it’s crazy. On the surface, LA seems amazing, with the gorgeous weather and incredible amenities. But it’s a fake, concentrated world. The best example to use is friendships – every friendship is surface value in LA. You meet someone, and you’re ‘best friends’. But it’s all for show and it’s social climbing. Harry won’t be used to that, because in the UK, I’ve made real friendships. From my experience, people here are more real and loyal.

“Harry and Meghan may be loving it now – for Harry, it’s new, fresh, exciting and for her it was already ‘home’. But I think he’ll start to see LA for what it is and learn what it’s really about. I don’t think he’ll be able to handle Meghan’s fake LA world for long. All my British friends who have moved there have loved it at first, but been back in the UK within a couple of years. I think the trip back to the UK will have made him miss home.”

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