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Six years on from the \u2018Megxit\u2019 bombshell when Prince Harry and wife Meghan dramatically quit the UK, it finally seems as if tensions with the royal family are thawing after King Charles welcomed the Sussexes for a discreet meeting at Highgrove House. \u2018But William and Kate don\u2019t see it that way and they feel it won\u2019t be solved by putting duty first. Kate is normally incredibly forgiving \u2013 she much prefers to forgive and forget, rather than hold grudges \u2013 but this is completely different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘She feels like she was dragged into a very public dispute that she never wanted any part of. She can usually put difficult situations behind her, but she\u2019s still carrying the hurt of what happened. She can\u2019t file those feelings away just because someone tells her it\u2019s better for the monarchy.\u2019 Although the gathering was said to be smooth, the dynamic between Harry and William, 44, remains very strained. \u2018It\u2019s so broken,\u2019 revealed the source. \u2018There has been no movement, especially on William\u2019s side. There is no contact.\u2019 ‘She can\u2019t just rebuild the broken trust because it\u2019s politically convenient. People often assume William is the emotional one because he\u2019s naturally more outspoken, but Kate has been carrying this quietly for years. She was hurt by the way events unfolded and the public narrative surrounding her \u2013 she feels she became collateral damage in someone else\u2019s story.\u2019 ‘But William has made it absolutely clear to both his father and senior aides that there is no way back \u2013 unless the Sussexes properly acknowledge the damage they\u2019ve done. From his perspective, asking everyone to move on without that isn\u2019t reconciliation, it\u2019s denying anything happened. He\u2019s told Charles that he can\u2019t move on without that \u2013 too much damage has been done.\u2019 Back when Harry and Meghan still lived in the UK, the two couples were seen as friendly, once even nicknamed \u2018The Fab Four\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kate and Meghan attended Wimbledon together in both 2018 and 2019, and Harry wrote that the Princess of Wales was \u2018the sister I\u2019d never had and always wanted\u2019 \u2013 describing her as \u2018carefree, sweet [and] kind\u2019. ‘Charles doesn\u2019t see Archie and Lilibet as outsiders, he talks about them as part of the family\u2019s future, and if relationships are repaired, they could eventually help strengthen the monarchy. He believes every generation matters when it comes to protecting the crown and having Harry\u2019s children connected to royal life would only make it stronger. Photos: Getty, <\/strong>INSTAGRAM @MEGHAN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After King Charles makes a desperate peace attempt with Harry and Meghan, the royal divide deepens as Kate and William hold firm against a reunion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-news"],"acf":{"article_authors":"","send_as_draft":false,"send_as_paid":true,"send_as_featured":true},"modified_by":"closermag","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14813"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14917,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14813\/revisions\/14917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closerv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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But even though the 77-year-old monarch is eager for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return as royals, a source tells Closer<\/em> that Kate Middleton and Prince William are utterly opposed to the King\u2019s move, with Kate believing that William can never forgive Meghan and Harry for the years of hurt he feels they\u2019ve caused.
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\u2018William and Kate both believe there are some things that can\u2019t be undone,\u2019 says our source. \u2018However much Charles wants everyone to move on, William and Kate don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to build bridges without first building trust \u2013 and, right now, that doesn\u2019t exist.\u2019
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The insider adds, \u2018Charles believes the monarchy has to think long-term, and Harry, Meghan and the children could still have a role in strengthening the institution if relationships could somehow be repaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1206284710.jpg\")
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Royal watchers were thrilled when Harry and Meghan, 44, accepted an invitation from King Charles to visit his Gloucestershire estate in early July, bringing Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, with them.
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That Highgrove event, which the Palace called a \u2018private family occasion\u2019, was the first time Charles had met his youngest grandchildren since the Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee events in June 2022 – his only previous chance to see Lilibet.
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Perhaps wanting to prove their discretion, there have been no leaks about the last-minute get-together, other than that it lasted for \u2018an hour or so\u2019 and that Harry and Meghan were both reportedly \u2018sworn to secrecy\u2019 by the King.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2271529012.jpg\")
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The long-standing tension between the Sussexes and Waleses has been widely reported since their \u2018jarring\u2019 first meeting, despite claims the heirs were at one point \u2018regular \u2013 nay, religious \u2013 viewers\u2019 of Meghan\u2019s hit Suits.<\/em>
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One of the many revelations since the Sussexes stepped down from royal duties in 2020 came when Meghan spoke about drama before her and Harry\u2019s wedding – saying she thought the story about her making Kate cry over a bridesmaid\u2019s dress was deliberately leaked, when actually \u2018it was the other way around\u2019 and claimed that it was Kate who had made her cry.
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In his 2023 memoir Spare<\/em>, Harry also described Kate, 44, saying she was \u2018owed an apology\u2019 after Meghan joked she had \u2018baby brain\u2019, and told her that she and Meghan weren\u2019t \u2018close enough for you to talk about my hormones\u2019.
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Harry, 41, detailed an argument that turned physical between him and William, when William called Meghan \u2018difficult\u2019, \u2018rude\u2019 and \u2018abrasive\u2019. He also recounted in the Netflix series that William had \u2018screamed\u2019 at him in front of their grandmother in early 2020 when Harry revealed his plans to leave Britain.
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These events, our source says, have resulted in a total collapse of trust. \u2018Kate felt unable to defend herself after the television interviews and everything that came afterwards \u2013 the insinuations, the repeated references to the family, and the speculation that surrounded her. She\u2019s found that incredibly difficult to forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Our source continues, \u2018Charles has repeatedly encouraged William and Kate to separate their personal feelings from what he believes is best for the monarchy. He worries about its long-term future and believes unity would strengthen it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The insider says William is also sticking up for his wife. \u2018He knows how much it affected Kate, and seeing how hurt she\u2019s been has made him more determined to hold his brother accountable. He can\u2019t separate his public and family life for the sake of constitutional duty.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-925285946.jpg\")
Harry has sometimes spoken about wanting his relationship with his family mended, telling the BBC in May 2025, \u2018I would love reconciliation with my family. There\u2019s no point in continuing to fight any more.\u2019
And it seems Harry might be getting closer to that dream, as sources say Charles may now invite the Sussexes to join the family\u2019s summer break at Balmoral in Scotland.
Our source says, \u2018As both a father and head of state, the King still believes reconciliation is possible. He worries about the image of a permanently divided royal family, and believes future generations should have the opportunity to know one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/07\/SnapInsta.to_728025395_18043886717800310_1971581702565036451_n-scaled.jpg\")
\u2018He\u2019s trying to build a bridge between the Wales and Sussex families \u2013 even suggesting that there should be a meeting between them at Balmoral. But William and Kate have consistently told him, \u201cThis plan won\u2019t work.\u201d\u2019
The source adds, \u2018They understand why Charles keeps trying, and they respect the fact that he\u2019s looking at the bigger picture. But every time the conversation comes up, they reach the same conclusion \u2013 their feeling is there\u2019s no way back.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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