BREAKING NEWS: Princess Kate’s one-word verdict on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, but their relationship with Princess and Prince William seems to remain frosty
Catherine with the royal brothers (Image: Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be re-establishing themselves on British soil, but it appears the rift with their royal relatives remains as wide as ever.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relinquished their positions as senior working royals in 2020 and departed the UK to forge a fresh start across the Atlantic in Montecito, California.
Yet six years following their bombshell exit, the pair have executed a surprising reversal and chosen to relocate to Britain with their two youngsters, Archie and Lilibet.
Harry and Meghan have established themselves in a non-royal property beyond London, and Archie and Lilibet are now attending their second educational establishment in merely a matter of weeks after security concerns were raised by the couple’s protection team.
The youngsters’ initial school was considered unsafe by the family’s security personnel due to congested traffic during drop-off and collection times, prompting Archie and Lilibet’s transfer to an alternative institution, reports the Daily Star.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Image: Getty)
Meghan and Harry are understood to have joined the class WhatsApp groups for both youngsters, but reportedly left fellow parents stunned when they turned up to deliver Archie and Lilibet in a motorcade of vehicles with tinted windows.
One parent told Hello! magazine: “The parents’ WhatsApp groups have been buzzing. It’s all been very sudden and lots of people are talking about it. On the main class group one of the parents wrote, ‘Please welcome Meghan and Archie to the group’.
“The school is very academic with a lovely, close-knit village feel. All the parents talk to each other, so as long as they are friendly, they’ll fit right in.”
Another added: “It’s all caused quite a commotion since the news filtered through. This is a small community school and we are not used to anything like it and certainly not famous parents rocking up in blacked out cars to drop their children off..
Archie and Lilibet have been pulled out of their new school (Image: Instagram/Meghan Duchess of Sussex)
“Once the excitement dampens down for some, I am sure they (Harry and Meghan) will be invited to school events like any other parent. It’s a wonderful atmosphere here and I hope they will want to get involved in everything from school fundraisers to cheering on all our sports teams.”
Meghan also shared a charming social media post last weekend, offering a glimpse into what the family have been getting up to since their return to Britain.
It featured woodland walks, Harry fishing on a pond with their children, and Lilibet pedalling on her bike while Archie ran alongside her.
Yet it appears the couple have yet to mend fences with their estranged relatives, William and Catherine.
The two couples initially seemed on good terms at the outset of Harry’s relationship with Meghan, even earning the nickname the Fab Four at a joint public appearance.
However, relations began to deteriorate, with William reportedly feeling that Harry was growing “paranoid”, according to the biography William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.
Catherine, meanwhile, had previously served as a calming influence between the feuding royal brothers, but by the time Harry and Meghan chose to relinquish their royal duties, the Princess of Wales is said to have displayed less enthusiasm than her husband in convincing them to remain, characterising their departure as “inevitable”, the book claims.
Having seen the breakdown in relations between the siblings, Catherine decided she “could do no more to bring the brothers together”.
Meghan Markle has shared a video on her Instagram (Image: Instagram/meghan)
The book states she also viewed the Sussexes as “not to be trusted” after their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.
A source told Myers: “The whole situation with the Sussexes was just very sad and just as Philip had a degree of empathy and understanding with Catherine for coming from outside the family at the beginning, I would say Catherine had that for Meghan as well, at least at the start and she did do a lot to help her integrate into the family in the beginning.
“But Meghan simply acted like she didn’t need or want her help, it was very matter of fact and you could say she just dismissed her, which hurt Catherine.
“There was a lot of sadness there, but that being said, she was very clear that any engagement with Harry or Meghan should be with the utmost of caution because it was obvious that they weren’t to be trusted.”
