Prince Harry and Meghan Markle rarely visit the UK since they stepped down as working royals in 2020. As a result, they rarely see the Windsors. The last time the Duke of Sussex was in the UK, it was for a Thanksgiving Service for the 10-year anniversary of The Invictus Games held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 8 May.
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Though the Prince was in the capital, he was unable to see his father, as King Charles’ schedule was full. Prince Harry last saw his father in February after King Charles shared an important update on his health, and that meeting was allegedly only 45 minutes long.
As time goes on, it seems less and less likely that a reconciliation will happen between the Sussexes and the Royal Family but two royals may help build a bridge between the two parties.
Prince William can count on his cousins
Recently, Prince William has been forced to rely on the support of his cousins at royal engagements. Indeed, as it currently stands, there are very few working royals available. The most recent example of this was a Buckingham Palace garden party for 8,000 guests for which Prince William asked his 5 cousins for help.
As per The Telegraph, the Prince of Wales had reportedly sent a WhatsApp message to Peter Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to ask them to attend the event.
He himself hosted the garden party on behalf of his father, King Charles and without his wife, Princess Kate, who were both at home, recovering from their respective treatments. Still according to The Telegraph, this event was a glimpse at what type of reign Prince William would choose.
Indeed, they explain that he may not opt for the same ‘slimmed-down’ monarchy as his father, and may prefer a reign similar to his grandmother’s, Queen Elizabeth II, who also relied heavily on her cousins for support.
Prince William’s cousins didn’t hesitate to rally behind the future king. A source told The Telegraph:
The cousins are all very close and always have been. I think people liked seeing them being there together and supporting each other.
Indeed, following the garden party, Princess Eugenie took to Instagram and posted that she was ‘delighted’ to help her family.
Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family to meet some special individuals at the Buckingham Palace garden party who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities and the country.
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice have stepped up
As King Charles and Princess Kate have taken a step back from royal duties to focus on their health, The Firm has been relying on other members of the Royal Family. Therefore, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice stepped up to help out their cousin, but it isn’t the first time they’ve filled in.
Indeed, during King Charles’ coronation celebrations, the two sisters attended several events together as The Firm was spread thin with so many events happening at once. Moreover, it is believed that Princess Beatrice may be a lot of help to King Charles in the coming months.
According to Daily Mail, Princess Beatrice may accompany King Charles in June during the Japanese State Visit. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but sources have claimed that the Palace is ‘still considering how best to deploy Beatrice’.
However, despite the York sisters stepping up to help, it is said that King Charles will not change their status to working royal once again. Moreover, though their royal status may not change during Charles' reign, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice enjoy a comfortable spot within the Firm. Indeed, they are both on the sideline and in the fold. The two are also popular among their family and are believed to be close with both Prince William and Prince Harry. That leads us to wonder: could be the key to a family reconciliation?
Are Princess Eugenie and Beatrice the key to family reconciliation?
As royal fans know, Prince Harry and Meghan have a very strained relationship with the Royal Family, except with two members, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
Indeed, since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left the UK, the only family member to have visited them in the US is Princess Eugenie back in 2022. Moreover, Prince Harry has always been close with the York sisters.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have already helped with one family reconciliation. Indeed, Sarah Ferguson - Prince Andrew’s ex-wife and Eugenie and Beatrice’s mother - was invited to spend Christmas with the family, a first in 30 years. She was also invited to the Christmas Day walkabout with the rest of the family.
Speaking about their bond, Tom Quinn told Mirror:
Although Harry and Meghan have little sympathy for Prince Andrew, they’ve kept in regular contact with Beatrice and Eugenie who have always been free of any associations with Meghan’s angry, bitter time in the UK.
Could a similar olive branch be handed to Prince Harry and Meghan thanks to Prince William’s closeness to his cousins?
Prince William worried about Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice’s relationship with Prince Harry?
According to royal author, Tom Quinn, Prince William is allegedly concerned about the closeness between Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Prince Harry and Meghan.
For William and Kate an alliance between Harry and Meghan and Beatrice and Eugenie is a huge worry.
According to Quinn, the three cousins have a lot in common as Eugenie and Beatrice are ‘virtual outcasts’.
They sense that Beatrice and Eugenie feel that, as virtual outcasts themselves, they have far more in common with Harry and Megan than with any other part of the family.
Quinn adds that the situation is ‘made worse’ due to the fact that Princess Kate is currently out of action. The alleged concern for the Royal Family involves the possibility for Prince Harry and Meghan to become more popular as Princess Kate takes a break from royal duties.
The worry for the senior royals is that after their tour of Nigeria, Harry and Meghan will seize the initiative, revelling in positive publicity while Kate is forced to stay in the background.
Moreover, a friend of Princess Kate reportedly told Daily Beast that the Prince and Princess of Wales are not ready to meet up with the Sussexes. The friend then explained that it’s ‘not about apologies’ and that Prince William just wants to ‘protect his family’ so his wife can recover without ‘stressful situations’. The friend said that any reconciliation between the Waleses and the Sussexes is 'a fantasy'.
The friend added:
The idea that Harry and the kids are going to descend on Balmoral this summer is wishful thinking. It's all just very sad.
Read more:
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle allegedly invited to Ghana after their ‘successful’ Nigerian trip
⋙ Sarah Ferguson in Cannes: 'All I want to say to everyone in this room is stop, stop, stop'
Sources:
The Telegraph: ‘Prince William’s plan to put young royals centre stage – and end the ‘slimmed down’ monarchy’
Mirror: ‘Harry and Meghan 'becoming increasingly close to two royals as virtual outcasts in the family'
Daily Mail: ‘’Bring in the Bea team! King Charles calls up Princess Beatrice to add some glamour in Kate Middleton's absence’
Daily Beast: ‘Prince William Reconciling With Prince Harry Is a ‘Fantasy,’ Friend Says’
