William and Kate Stay Cautious of Drama as Harry and Meghan Settle Back Into Life in Britain Once Again

LONDON — Six years after stepping back from royal life, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to Britain, but their relationship with Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, is believed to remain strained, with William and Catherine said to be keen to avoid any public drama surrounding the couple’s homecoming.

Harry and Meghan arrived back in Britain last week and are reported to have found a private, non-royal home outside London, with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, already enrolled in school and set to begin classes in the coming weeks. The couple had been based in Montecito, California, since stepping back from senior royal duties in 2020, a period during which they produced the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan” and Harry published his memoir “Spare,” in which he alleged he had been knocked into a dog bowl by William during an argument over his relationship with Meghan. The couple also gave a series of high-profile television interviews during their time in the U.S. detailing their experiences within the monarchy.

Relations between the brothers are reported to have been tense well before the Sussexes’ 2020 departure, and William and Catherine are said to be determined to avoid any drama surrounding the family’s return to the UK. According to sources cited by the Daily Star, friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales say that while the couple “cannot forgive” Harry and Meghan for the allegations made against the royal family during their years in America, they remain determined to “look forward to the future.” William and his father, King Charles, are believed to have been informed of Harry and Meghan’s return plans simultaneously and remain in “complete agreement” that there can be no “half in, half out” arrangement for the Duke of Sussex, who is not expected to resume any official royal duties.

The roots of the strain between the brothers have been traced in detail by Mirror royal editor Russell Myers in his book “William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story,” which reports that tensions escalated significantly following Harry’s 2018 marriage to Meghan. A source who knew both couples at the time told Myers that William and Catherine believed the Sussexes’ behavior stemmed from something more than simple difficulty adjusting to royal life. “They definitely thought the Sussexes’ behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic,” the source said, according to Myers’ book.

The same source described a broader dynamic within the relationship at the time, saying, “Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. There was definitely a hope from her side [Catherine’s] that William could try and talk to Harry and settle things but that didn’t exactly happen… and at the end of the day, she had three young children, who were her focus and if anything she saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened.”

Myers’ book also details William’s reaction to Harry and Meghan’s 2019 documentary interview with filmmaker Tom Bradby, during which Meghan publicly acknowledged she had been struggling, and Harry said he and his brother were on “different paths.” According to Myers, that interview crystallized for William just how much had changed in his relationship with Harry, and William reportedly came to feel his brother had grown “paranoid” despite William’s own efforts to support him. A source close to the future king told Myers, “He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother. He became paranoid, angry, obsessive and firmly rooted in the past. There’s no doubt, at that time at least, there was a lot of love and support available for Harry.”

Myers’ reporting also revisits William’s early caution toward Meghan, noting that William had reportedly urged Harry to take things slowly with her when the relationship began, a fact Harry has himself acknowledged publicly. Still, an insider told Myers that William’s initial feelings toward Meghan were more positive than later strain would suggest. “It’s easy to forget now, given everything that has gone on,” the insider said. “But William did find Meghan quite refreshing at first. He was genuinely happy for Harry and only wanted the best for him.”

According to Myers, it was ultimately Catherine, long regarded as a steadying influence during the brothers’ disagreements, who reached a breaking point. “Catherine has always favoured reason over conflict. It was how she had been brought up, in a household that resolved differences with dialogue rather than by bearing grudges,” a source told Myers, adding that Catherine had initially viewed the brothers’ conflicts as rooted in mutual immaturity or stubbornness, before Harry and Meghan’s treatment of palace staff, whom both she and William cared about, ultimately set the two couples on what the source described as “an entirely different course.”

Neither Kensington Palace nor representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have issued public comment on the current state of the relationship between the two couples following Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain.