LONDON — More than a week after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated to Britain with their two children, Kate Middleton and Prince William have offered no public comment on the couple’s return, according to people close to the Prince and Princess of Wales, who describe the silence as a deliberate choice rather than an oversight.
A source close to William and Kate told People magazine that the couple is taking a cautious approach as Harry and Meghan settle into their extended stay in the U.K., resisting the urge to react quickly to the news. “They are watching this space,” the source said. “It’s private — they don’t feel the need to say anything or demonstrate anything outwardly.”
Harry, Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, arrived in Birmingham last week following a private flight from California, beginning what the family has described as an extended period living in Britain. The move has drawn widespread attention across British media, with much of the coverage focused on the prospects for reconciliation between Harry and the rest of the royal family after years of public estrangement.
Those prospects appear limited for now, at least between the brothers. Sources told People last week that Harry and William remain in “no contact,” with William in particular not yet ready for that dynamic to shift.
People close to William and Kate point to the strain the couple has faced privately in recent years as a factor shaping their current posture. Kate was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and underwent treatment before announcing in January 2025 that she was in remission. A palace insider told People the couple has weathered significant hardship during that period. “They have suffered a lot,” the source said, adding that their focus remains on their royal duties, their three children and Kate’s continued recovery.
The insider suggested that steadiness, rather than public statements, has defined the couple’s approach throughout the period of tension with Harry and Meghan. “They have been dutiful, doing what they do well and keeping the family together,” the source said. “Anything else, from their point of view, isn’t critical.”
Despite the current distance, a source told People that reconciliation between the two couples is not out of the question, though any thaw would likely take time. “If the two couples reconcile, it will be a slow build,” the source said, pointing to lingering hurt from years of public disagreements. “There is a deep sense of betrayal.”
That same source suggested that proximity alone may eventually create opportunities for the estranged relatives to interact, even without a formal reconciliation. “There are bound to be moments where their worlds overlap,” the insider said, “and everyone will be watching how those encounters unfold.” The remark alluded to the possibility of Kate and Meghan crossing paths at official or family events now that the Sussexes are living in the U.K. for an extended stretch.
The rift between the two couples, once dubbed the royal “Fab Four” during the early years of William and Harry’s joint public engagements with their wives, has been closely tracked by royal watchers since Harry and Meghan stepped back from official royal duties in 2020 and relocated to North America. Tensions deepened following the couple’s subsequent interviews and Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” which detailed private family conflicts and drew criticism from some members of the royal family.
Buckingham Palace and representatives for William and Kate have not issued any formal statement addressing Harry and Meghan’s return, and palace officials have generally declined to comment publicly on the family’s internal dynamics throughout the dispute. Representatives for Harry and Meghan have likewise not detailed the family’s specific plans beyond confirming that Archie and Lilibet are now enrolled in school in the U.K.
King Charles III has also not issued public remarks on his younger son’s return, though earlier reporting indicated the King learned of the couple’s plans only shortly before their arrival. Royal commentators have suggested that any broader shift in the family’s dynamic is more likely to unfold gradually and privately than through public statements from any of the parties involved.
For now, People’s sources indicate that William and Kate intend to maintain their current posture of quiet observation, prioritizing what they see as their core responsibilities over any public engagement with the developments surrounding Harry and Meghan’s move. Whether that approach shifts as the Sussexes settle further into life in Britain remains to be seen.
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