King Charles is Reportedly “More Decisive” About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Future Than Her late Majesty Was

The late Queen always hoped “that the couple would return to the fold one day.”

King Charles, Prince Harry
(Image credit: Getty)

Unfortunately, relations reportedly remain strained between King Charles and Prince Harry and, The Mirror reports, the King is “more decisive on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s future royal life than the late Queen was,” the outlet writes.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“Her Majesty never stopped hoping there would be some kind of reconciliation and that the couple would return to the fold one day,” a source told The Daily Mail. But Charles, The Mirror reports, has “been more brutal—overseeing events such as the Sussex’s eviction from their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”

“Even if he didn’t authorize it, he must have been aware that the changes were certain to become a talking point,” the source said.

King Charles and Prince Harry in tuxes at a black tie event

(Image credit: Getty)

Though Harry’s attendance at his father’s Coronation was a strong step in the right direction, when Harry and Meghan visit Germany for the Invictus Games on September 9—just one day after the first anniversary of the Queen’s passing—“no royals are expected to see Harry and Meghan when they are in Europe, as they are likely to still be at Balmoral,” The Mirror reports. As to reports that the Sussexes won’t join the rest of the royal family for commemorations of Her late Majesty’s anniversary, “If they are not included in any of those plans, they will find a way to mark the significance in their own way,” a source said.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Royal expert Richard Kay, writing for The Daily Mail, said that Her late Majesty was reticent to push for certain changes as far as Harry and Meghan went “because the late Queen Elizabeth wanted to ensure that anything her grandson might interpret as a snub or the slamming of a royal door was avoided,” he writes.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry interacting

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Harry and Meghan stepped back as working members of the royal family in early 2020 and relocated to California from the U.K., forging a life for themselves in Montecito that included deals with Netflix, Spotify, and Penguin Random House.

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.