Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan as Royals Arrive for Balmoral Vacation
The Prince and Princess of Wales kicked off their summer stay in Scotland a day after the Sussex family's bombshell move announcement.
King Charles arrived for his annual stay at Balmoral on Tuesday, August 18, just a day before the news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be moving back to Britain. As royal circles processed the surprise relocation, Prince William and Princess Kate quietly joined the Royal Family in Scotland on Thursday—and according to one editor, the Waleses are likely “not delighted.”
Princess Anne’s children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips are already at the castle with their families—including new royal wife Harriet Sperling—and Hello! magazine confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the Balmoral estate on August 20.
Speaking on Hello!’s “A Right Royal Podcast,” the magazine’s royal editor, Emily Nash, noted there’s been “complete radio silence” coming from William and Kate’s side. “I imagine they're not delighted about this,” she added.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured with Duchess Sophie, Prince William, Princess Kate and King Charles on Commonwealth Day 2020.
Members of the Royal Family are currently spending their annual summer break on the Balmoral estate.
The Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales remain estranged, and with the couples not on speaking terms, the Sussex family's move to Britain will open a can of worms for both.
“It's going to be a very, very difficult hill to climb, having them suddenly back in the U.K., popping up, doing things publicly, if that's where they go with this,” Nash says of Harry and Meghan. “So much has been said and done that has damaged that relationship, almost beyond repair.”
A reconciliation seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, and Nash noted that when it comes to William and Kate, “I can't see a world in which they would be welcoming them back with open arms.”
The two couples did not interact publicly during Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022.
King Charles was reportedly told about Harry and Meghan’s plans on Sunday, August 16, and Nash shared that the family has “had time to process this” ahead of their Balmoral break.
“We believe the Waleses were made aware beforehand,” she said. “They didn't find out at the same time as the rest of the world.”
