Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Exit from the Firm Has Reportedly Had \201cA Huge Impact\201d on Prince William and Princess Kate and Their Marriage

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back as working members of the royal family in January 2020 and moved to the U.S., their lives were forever changed—but Harry and Meghan weren’t the only ones who felt the seismic shift. The Firm being down two working royals has trickled down to impact the Prince and Princess of Wales, The Mirror reports, and their exit has had “a huge impact” on William and Kate’s marriage, the outlet reports.

A source said, per the publication, that William and Kate harbor resentment because they were left “to pick up the work they dropped when they moved to the States,” they said. “The extra workload that’s been handed to them is huge.” William and Kate have taken on “even more responsibility” in the three-and-a-half years since the step back, and they said this has had a “huge impact on their marriage and family life.”

Add to the step back projects like Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries and Harry’s memoir, Spare—both of which at times openly criticize members of the royal family—and William and Kate are feeling the strain: “At times it can feel like they are cracking under this relentless pressure,” they said. “With less time at home together and having to spend more time apart, they feel constantly torn apart in different directions and they insist that wouldn’t be happening if Harry and Meghan hadn’t abandoned their royal duties,” they said.

With the loss of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the past two years, as well as Harry, Meghan, and Prince Andrew no longer working as senior royals, King Charles’ longtime wish for a slimmed-down monarchy has no doubt come true. And it does seem like William and Kate are busier and more out front than ever these days, but not this past week—their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are on half-term break from Lambrook School, and William and Kate took the week off to spend quality time with them.