King Charles and Prince William are in lockstep on one condition for any Sussex return.
The monarch, 77, and the Prince of Wales, 44, are “completely united on the Sussexes not representing the royal family,” royal author Russell Myers said in a cover story published Tuesday. The father-son pair are reportedly “without a doubt … in sync” on that point, even as they differ sharply in their personal dealings with the estranged duke.
Charles confirmed last week that Prince Harry, who turned 42 on Tuesday, and Meghan Markle, 45, are not working royals but “private citizens.” In an official statement, the monarch noted, “It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign.” Harry and Markle have reportedly taken issue with that framing, considering themselves “public figures” despite their withdrawn status.
William has yet to react publicly to his estranged sibling’s return or their father’s announcement. He and wife Kate Middleton remain estranged from Harry and Markle, while Charles has spoken directly to the Duke of Sussex. The Prince of Wales believes his father’s connection to Harry is “entirely up to him,” Myers told the outlet Tuesday. But for himself, William will reportedly “have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”
Royal expert Kinsey Schofield said that William has “washed his hands” of his brother. “He has his own family to protect and his responsibilities as Prince of Wales,” she said, referencing William and Middleton’s three children — Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8. “The Prince and Princess of Wales are trying to provide stability for their own children while Prince George begins an enormous new chapter at Eton,” she continued. Schofield dubbed Harry and Markle’s headline-making return an “unwelcome distraction” from their son starting at William’s alma mater.
The Sussexes’ visit has been shadowed by security concerns from the start. Markle’s private phone number was leaked in a school parents’ text thread, a breach that added to the couple’s anxieties. Additionally, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, were pulled out of their ritzy prep school this week after just two days over traffic issues, compounding the tumult of the family’s stay.
Reps for Charles, William, Harry and Markle did not immediately respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.
The current tension traces back to January 2020, when Harry and Markle announced they were stepping back as senior working royals. The move, dubbed “Megxit” by the press, triggered a family rupture that deepened through subsequent tell-all interviews, a Netflix documentary series, and Harry’s memoir “Spare.” The duke’s claims of physical altercations with William and accusations that an unnamed royal raised concerns about son Archie’s skin color before his birth fueled lasting estrangement. Charles’s cancer diagnosis in early 2024 briefly thawed some communication, but the brothers have remained publicly distant, with William focused on his own ascending role and family stability.
The Sussexes’ present status as non-working royals — and Charles’s explicit “private citizens” label — leaves them without official security or royal protocol protections during UK visits, a friction point that has repeatedly surfaced in legal challenges and public complaints from Harry.
