William & Harry ‘may FINALLY end bitter feud’ after cancer shocks but Meghan is ‘still a problem’, royal expert says
PRINCE William and Harry could finally lay ‘one of the worst public royal rifts ever’ to rest – but Meghan is still a problem, an expert claimed.
The estranged brothers could make amends in light of both King Charles’ and Princess Kate’s “very serious illnesses”, according to a royal commentator.
However, it has been claimed Meghan could still be an obstacle in repairing the relationship.
It follows speculation Wills and Kate extended an olive branch to the Sussexes, inviting them to the UK with kids Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, as reported by the Mirror.
Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun rumours could not be “agreed or denied” at this time, but that “surprising” things could happen as early as “next week”.
The expert previously hinted a reunion could be possible when the duke visits the UK in May to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.
It would be Harry’s first time in Britain since his sister-in-law, Princess Kate announced she is receiving preventative chemotherapy for cancer after abdominal surgery in January.
Mr Fitzwilliams told The Sun Online: “Harry will be here at some point in May, and maybe before then to see King Charles.
There could be something that surprises us all. You could have all the Sussexes over here, it’s perfectly possible a reunion could happen.
Richard Fitzwilliams
“The problem is the King and Princess of Wales have their diagnosis’ and no one knows the state of what precisely William and Harry have said to each other when they spoke briefly.
“The rumours have been that it wasn’t an in-depth talk.”
‘VERY DEEP RIFT’
The expert stressed how deep the emotional wounds are amid Prince William and Harry’s fractured relationship.
He described the feud between The Wales’ and Sussexes as “one of the most public royal rifts that has ever been”.
Nevertheless, Mr Fitwilliams suggested reconciliation could be reached – if Meghan doesn’t cause issues.
“The problem is it’s a very deep rift,” he continued.
Meghan has the say. There’s no doubt Harry wishes to convey he is a very devoted family man and will put them above everything else. Just like William.
Mr Fitzwilliams
“The third problem is Meghan isn’t obviously keen on visiting Britain because she is not popular here. Nor is Harry, but it’s different for him.
“She’s asked for this.
“If she comes there will be a huge amount of adverse publicity because of the way she has acted for the past four years.
“On top of that you have the issue of Archie and Lilibet who are completely blameless.”
MEG’S ‘PERFECT’ EXCUSE
With Harry recently losing his bid for more security, Mr Fitzwilliams hinted that the duchess could use this as an “excuse” not to visit.
But, he claimed their protection “wouldn’t be an issue” should they decide to make the transatlantic journey.
“The security would be decided on a case by case basis, they would make sure the trip was secure from the point of view of the UK,” he said.
“I think security could be used as an excuse not to come though.”
How other royals have also been rocked by health battles this year
THE past few months have seen members of the royal family struck down by various health battles. Here is a rundown:
JANUARY 16: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery.
JAN 17: It is announced that the King is to have treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.
JAN 18: William spends time at Kate’s bedside.JAN 19: The King flies back from Scotland with the Queen.
JAN 21: It is announced Sarah, Duchess of York, has malignant melanoma, a skin cancer.
JAN 23: Kate’s hospital stay passes one week.
JAN 26: The King is admitted to the London Clinic for treatment.
JAN 29: The King is discharged from hospital. Kate leaves the same day.
JAN 31: Queen Camilla announces that the King is “getting on, doing his best”.
FEBRUARY 5: Buckingham Palace announces the King has cancer, but not of the prostate, and will not carry out public-facing duties.
FEB 18: The King appears in good spirits as he attends a Sunday church service in the grounds of Sandringham.
FEB 23: The King filmed crying and chuckling while opening some of the 7,000 cards from well-wishers.
FEB 27: Prince William pulls out of service last-minute due to ‘personal matter’, sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate’s health.
MARCH 4: Kate Middleton pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate.
The royal commentator claimed if Meghan did come over, she would most likely be met with fierce criticism – but has no one to blame but herself.
“Meghan has every right to come but they have been thrown out of Frogmore and for a good reason,” he said.
“Spare and the interviews around it were horrible frankly.
“She has the perfect excuse not to come over because Harry has lost his security case.”
GAME CHANGER
Despite Meghan potentially posing a problem regarding the reunion of William and Harry, Mr Fitzwilliams argued anything is possible.
He highlighted how illness in a family can help build bridges.
“Serious illness is the big changer, despite everything that’s happened, given the seriousness of the situation, anything can happen,” said the expert.
“William is under tremendous pressure, he’s got a father and his wife who are seriously ill and on top of that there’s royal duties.
“When you have serious illness it’s a game changer and the situation changes totally.
“There could be something that surprises us all. You could have all the Sussexes over here, it’s perfectly possible a reunion could happen.
“Next week, next month, next year, you could get something you never dreamed you’d get.”
MEGHAN HAS FINAL SAY
Ultimately, the expert suggested Meghan would make the final call on whether Archie and Lilibet visit their family across the pond.
He claimed: “Meghan has the say. There’s no doubt Harry wishes to convey he is a very devoted family man and will put them above everything else. Just like William.
“If Meghan didn’t want to come she could never be forced to.
“It would be extremely unlikely Harry would come over with the kids without Meghan.
A timeline of Prince Harry and William's 'feud': Brothers 'at war'
In 2018, the Sun told how “simmering tension” began when William questioned the speed of Harry and Meghan’s engagement.
The first hints of friction reportedly came after William was introduced to Meghan when she was staying at Kensington Palace.
Once she’d returned home to Canada, William and Harry sat down for a brother-to-brother chat.
He knew Harry was already head-over-heels for her but it has been claimed he advised him to take it slowly.
The younger prince reportedly didn’t take too kindly to the advice, with one royal source saying he “went mental”.
Then in June 2019 Harry and Meghan officially split off from the charity they shared with William and Kate.
The Royal Foundation will be divided between the Sussexes and Cambridges as the couples focus on their own separate charitable endeavours.
Prince William and Prince Harry first established the Royal Foundation in 2009 before Kate joined two years later shortly after their engagement was announced.
The trio would often appear together at events and the Foundation had huge successes with projects like the Invictus Games for injured veterans and the mental health Heads Together campaign.
The Royal Foundation said the decision was made following the conclusion of a review into its structure – but added both couples will continue to work together in the future.
Harry and Meg were living in close proximity to Kate and Wills within the Kensington Palace estate, but they switched to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor before baby Archie was born.
The move further increased rumours of a fallout.
Harry, 39, also hinted in his ITV documentary “Harry and Meghan, An African Journey” that he and his brother had grown apart.
It came after Prince Philip called Meghan the “D.O.W” after the Duchess of Windsor — the American divorcee who led Edward VIII to abdicate.
And he warned the late Queen to be “cautious” of Harry’s then bride-to-be, a royal author claims.
Ingrid Seward revealed in new book My Mother And I that Prince Philip felt it was “uncanny…how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor“.
In 2021, Harry and Meghan give their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where Harry accused his dad of cutting him off financially.
Harry then jetted back to UK to join William in unveiling a statue to their mother Princess Diana in the grounds of Kensington Palace. But sources claimed William didn’t want to attend the memorial amid their ongoing rift.
In 2022, just before their grandmother the Queen died, sources claimed Kate acts as a “peacemaker” between the brothers.
Last year Harry claimed his brother “knocked him to the floor” during an argument about Meghan.
In his book Spare, Harry said William branded Meghan “rude” and “difficult” during a row.
Harry alleged William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor”.
He said he was left with a visible injury to his back following the argument in 2019 at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, where he was living at the time.
In January this year, Harry flew in to be with Charles after the monarch’s shock cancer diagnosis.
Harry flew back to the US the following day – without seeing Wills.
“That would send the message there was a division in the marriage. There’s absolutely no chance that would happen.”
It comes after Princess Kate told the world about her cancer shock in an emotional announcement on Friday, March 22.
She vowed she is “getting stronger everyday” and chose to delay releasing the information to protect her children after rampant speculation.
And, a royal expert claimed the mum-of-three did not share the news with Harry and Meghan beforehand because they “can’t be trusted”.
An insider told the New York Post the Duke and Duchess found out about the diagnosis with the rest of the world.
The course claimed: “They had no idea, and only learned of the news around the same time the rest of the world found out.”
Following Kate’s announcement, the couple released a short statement.
Harry and Meghan said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
Mr Fitzwilliams previously told The Sun: “We also know that they haven’t apparently spoken in many months, and the reason, of course, is that for some four years they’ve caused endless problems to the royal family and so they can’t be trusted.
“William hasn’t trusted Harry and Meghan and I mean with good reason.”
And, royal author Phil Dampier also told The Sun that Harry and Meghan were at the “bottom” of William and Kate’s priorities.
He said: “The Sussexes weren’t told about it because the relationship between William and Harry is at an all time low.
“When Harry came over to see his father after his cancer was diagnosed, William could have made time to meet him had he wanted to attempt a reconciliation, but he didn’t.
“It’s quite simple. I don’t think with all they’ve had to cope with in the last couple of weeks, dealing with Harry and Meghan would certainly have been bottom of their list.”
It comes after the pair’s Netflix “cheerleader” targeted Kate moments after she revealed her cancer diagnosis.