{"id":7238,"date":"2026-10-31T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/?p=7238"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:23:09","slug":"palace-insiders-reveal-the-royals-reaction-to-meghans-distress-this-changes-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/2026\/10\/31\/palace-insiders-reveal-the-royals-reaction-to-meghans-distress-this-changes-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"Palace insiders reveal the royals\u2019 reaction to Meghan\u2019s \u2018distress\u2019 \u2013 this changes everything"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Palace insiders reveal the royals\u2019 reaction to Meghan\u2019s \u2018distress\u2019 \u2013 this changes everything<\/strong><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Insiders tell us whether the royals have reached out to Meghan and what this could mean for Sussexes\u2019 future within the royal fold<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Meghan is going through an incredibly tough time right now – but have the royals reached out? <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The question of whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will ever find their way back into the Royal Family\u2019s good books has taken another twist. And this time, it\u2019s not just about the Sussexes\u2019 relationship with the royals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just weeks ago, a letter issued at the direction of King Charles made it clear that Harry and Meghan shouldn\u2019t expect a grand welcome from Buckingham Palace when they returned to the UK. Instead, the wording compared the couple to \u2018private citizens with commercial and charitable interests\u2019, underlining that they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message may have been clear, but Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, are understood to have taken issue with how they were labelled as common folk. A source close to the couple said, \u2018 ‘Working members of the Royal Family\u2019 is a really lazy phrase. He hates it; she hates it. They are not \u2018working\u2019 for the institution, but they are members of the Royal Family and they work.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harry has also made no secret of his desire to \u2018reconcile’ with his family, reiterating that wish in a recent interview with GQ. But just as the prospect of a thaw in relations appeared to remain on the table, the Sussexes have found themselves caught up in a deeply disturbing family scandal that could make any future rapprochement even more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, The Sun reported that Meghan\u2019s estranged father, Thomas Markle Snr, 84, is being investigated in the Philippines after a \u2018huge stash of child sex images\u2019 was allegedly discovered by his son, Thomas Markle Jnr, at a property associated with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thomas Markle is under investigation for sexual claims involving children. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The newspaper subsequently reported that Meghan had first learned of allegations against her father in 2019, after being passed a letter reportedly written by Thomas\u2019 first wife, Roslyn Loveless, and sent to the Metropolitan Police. The letter is understood to have included claims that Thomas travelled to parts of Asia where the legal age of consent is 12 to have sex with young girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meghan issued a statement to the newspaper describing herself as \u2018deeply distressed\u2019 by the claims and making clear that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. Thomas denies any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while the Duchess has spoken publicly about the allegations, there has been no official statement from Buckingham Palace. Nor, it is understood, has the Palace reached out privately to offer support during what must be an extraordinarily painful time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, a Buckingham Palace source told Page Six that the situation is \u2018a matter for the Sussex Household\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal observer Kinsey Schofield also weighed in on her podcast, Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, saying, \u2018This may give King Charles III the ammunition to take a firmer stance in distancing the monarchy from Harry and Meghan. The Sussexes are private citizens, and perhaps it\u2019s time the Palace made that separation unmistakably clear.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meghan hasn’t come face-to-face with Prince William or Princess Kate since 2022, but met with King Charles in July. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, does the Palace\u2019s silence mean the family is preparing to put even more distance between themselves and the Sussexes? Behind the scenes, we\u2019re told, the situation is being discussed, with concerns that the latest scandal could prove another major obstacle to repairing relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s very telling that the palace refused to comment and made sure it was known that they view this as a Sussex matter only. Of course, that has people predicting that the Royal Family will distance themselves even more from Meghan and Harry,\u2019 the insider says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018They just won\u2019t want any sort of association to Thomas Markle and this whole ugly mess – their reputation can\u2019t afford it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They add, \u2018There’s no question that everyone in the family feels terrible for Meghan, but feeling sympathy for her and getting involved are two very different things. The Palace has made it pretty clear that this is something the Sussexes need to handle themselves.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn’t necessarily mean the royals are indifferent to Meghan’s predicament. Charles, 77, has spoken fondly of his daughter-in-law in the past, and there may well be private sympathy for what she is going through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Palace source said the situation was currently a matter ‘for the Sussex Household’. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, the monarchy is also acutely aware of the reputational damage caused by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The last thing the royals need is to be drawn into another controversy involving a man under investigation over allegations concerning images of children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this isn’t the first time Meghan’s wider family has generated headlines that have threatened to overshadow her royal connections. The Duchess has been estranged from her father and half-siblings for years, with Thomas Markle Jnr repeatedly criticising her publicly. On one occasion, he even wore a wig to act out cruel impressions of his half-sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her half-sister, Samantha Markle, has also spoken publicly about Meghan and published a book titled The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister. Samantha is believed to be caring for their father at a rehabilitation centre in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Certainly, people are sympathetic towards Meghan. It\u2019s horrible that she\u2019s having to deal with this, but there\u2019s also a lot of talk about what a nightmare her entire family is,\u2019 the insider says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It seems to have been one thing after another since almost the moment she and Harry got engaged, and each thing seems to top the last, with this latest horror being by far the worst. If even half of what he\u2019s being accused of is true, he\u2019s an absolute monster and it\u2019s beyond appalling to everyone that they are now linked to him. Frankly, it\u2019s sickening.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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King Charles walked Meghan down the aisle for her 2018 wedding to Harry after her father absented himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Meghan, the situation is said to be particularly distressing because, while she had reportedly been aware of accusations against her father for some time, the recent reports have brought fresh and deeply troubling claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even her critics may recognise that this is an extraordinarily difficult situation for any daughter to face. And while the Palace is not thought to be short of sympathy, our source suggests there is also an awareness that intervening publicly could be inappropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018They aren\u2019t trying to be cruel; Meghan isn\u2019t a working royal anymore, and it\u2019s such a personal, sensitive matter that it really wouldn’t be appropriate for the communications team to start speaking on her behalf,\u2019 the insider says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018And it\u2019s not as though Harry and Meghan are asking them to step in; this is something they want to handle on their own terms. The authorities haven\u2019t finished their investigation yet so everyone\u2019s waiting for the facts to be clarified, but what\u2019s being alleged is just so sordid and appalling, of course everyone is talking about it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That distinction could prove significant for Harry, who has reportedly hoped to negotiate a \u2018half in, half out\u2019 role within the Royal Family -an arrangement first rejected by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the latest developments may make any discussion about the Sussexes’ future position even more sensitive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Had things turned out differently, this could have been an even bigger stress for the monarchy,\u2019 the source says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018As it stands, they can keep their distance without anyone reasonably expecting them to get involved. It\u2019s bad enough that they stink of the Andrew scandal is still clinging to them; they certainly don\u2019t need to be associated with any more ugliness right now.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Palace – particularly King Charles – have already been entrenched in scandal over Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For all the uncertainty surrounding the Sussexes’ future, there is one aspect of their history with the Royal Family that has taken on a new significance: Thomas never attended their 2018 wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘It’s a huge relief for everyone in the family that Thomas never darkened their doorway’ or cast a shadow over the Sussexes\u2019 2018 wedding day,\u2019 we\u2019re told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘When he suddenly cancelled his plans to attend the wedding it caused such a headache, but looking back, they\u2019ve got to be very thankful that there are no photos of him at the Palace or mingling with anyone in the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Everyone in the family is disgusted by this, as any sane person would be, but they\u2019re not going to put themselves on the line, they want to stay well clear of the controversy and let Harry and Meghan deal with it privately.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photos: getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Insiders tell us whether the royals have reached out to Meghan and what this could mean for Sussexes\u2019 future within the royal fold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity","category-entertainment"],"acf":{"article_authors":"","send_as_draft":false,"send_as_paid":true,"send_as_featured":true},"modified_by":"guest","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7262,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7238\/revisions\/7262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heatv2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}