As his cousin, Princess Eugenie was Prince Harry’s closest confidante and biggest ally within the Royal Family when he and Meghan Markle sensationally quit The Firm in 2020.

But last week, a falling out between Eugenie and Harry was sensationally revealed by journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan who claimed he could confirm it was ‘entirely true’.

And now sources say Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, fear that this shock family rift could spell yet more crises for their Sussex brand as they wait on tenterhooks to see whether Eugenie is set to spill all their secrets.

An insider tells Closer, ‘Eugenie got to hear everything about their frustrations about William, the truth about their marriage, all the resentment they felt towards the royals, who they hated and who they wished revenge on – it’s all there in Eugenie’s lap.

‘Eugenie was their most trusted confidant for years. She was there through all of it – the frustrations over the Fab Four fallout, the royal wedding drama, the exit, the Oprah interview, everything. She was the key person who heard their grievances and gave them space to vent.’

And while there’s nothing to suggest Eugenie has broken their confidence yet, it’s no wonder they’re worried about it.

‘They trusted Eugenie, she was like a vault and sworn to silence, but there’s nothing to hold her back and it could all blow up in their faces’, our source says.

The cousins’ clash reportedly came after pictures emerged of Eugenie, 35, and her sister Princess Beatrice having lunch with a group of friends, which amongst them included Piers Morgan – the Sussexes sworn rival.

Piers has been an outspoken critic of Meghan and Harry, even stepping down from his long-standing role on Good Morning Britain in 2021 after an explosive and unprecedented row on air with co-presenter Alex Beresford over Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which he branded ‘a trash-athon against our monarchy’.

He’s since referred to the Sussexes as ‘spoilt brats’, ‘selfish’, ‘whining’ and ‘remorseless’.

Media mogul Piers, who has praised Eugenie and Beatrice as a ‘refreshing change from their narcissistic, self-pitying, family-abusing, spoiled-brat cousins over in California’ went on to confirm reports that Harry went ‘ballistic’ after seeing photos of Eugenie hugging him.

Now our source says, ‘To see Eugenie fraternising with the person they hate was a betrayal of the worst kind.

‘This has been devastating for them on so many levels. They truly believed they would be close to Eugenie forever so it’s very hard to believe that they are now at odds like this.

‘That’s a knife in the heart for Harry and Meghan. Eugenie really was their last super strong link to his family so to have fallen out with her is pretty well rock bottom.’

It has long been reported how Eugenie broke unspoken royal protocol when she appeared to toe a very delicate line between remaining very much part of the Royal Family, while publicly cosying up to Harry and Meghan.

During their first months of dating back in 2016, Harry revealed how it had been Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank whom had been privy to his blossoming romance with former Suits actress Meghan, with the couples famously double dating for a Halloween night out in Toronto before their relationship went public

In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry also recalled Eugenie and Meghan hugging when they first met ‘as if they were sisters’.

Eugenie and Jack, who have two sons – August, four, and Ernest, one – have visited the Sussexes in California on numerous occasions, including for the Superbowl in 2022, when they spent time hanging out with Harry and Meghan’s children – Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

Later that year Eugenie and Jack also attended Lilibet’s first birthday at the Sussexes former home of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – an event that was allegedly shunned by Harry’s brother Prince William and Kate Middleton as they spent the day at Cardiff Castle for Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Frequently praised as the ‘bridge’ between the Sussexes and the Royal Family, Eugenie and Jack were also set to spend even more time with Harry and Meghan after the pair bought a holiday home in Portugal in October, close to where Eugenie and Jack live part time.

But now the source says Harry and Meghan’s hope to spend more time with the Yorks’ has been ‘shattered’.

The insider adds, ‘Eugenie and Jack have stood by them through so many very hard times from day one and that bond seemed unbreakable. It’s hard to believe that it’s all shattered now.’

However, the source says that the Sussexes have now been forced to face up to the realisation that the tables could be turning on them.

After their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah, during which they levelled a stream of vitriol against the royals, the couple went on to release Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan the following year, with Harry putting the final nail in the coffin with his memoir.

And now the insider says it would come as no surprise if Eugenie were to speak out in allegiance to William and Kate – a move the Sussexes fear could see them stripped of their royal titles for good.

They say, ‘As loyal as they’ve been over the years, that sense of duty towards the Sussexes won’t be the same now that they are no longer close, and naturally William would love to know what they’ve been saying about him.

‘After the year the Wales’ have had, it’s pretty certain that any gossip is going to stir up anger for William, and when he takes the throne it’s hard to imagine he won’t take their titles.

‘It’s a looming nightmare for Meghan and Harry and this has made it ten times worse. All they can do is worry about when the axe will drop and they know that this could be the final straw and result in them losing their titles. Harry and Meghan have every reason to be worried.’