Following the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving out of Kensington Palace, stories about tension behind the scenes of the royal family started to leak out to the press. Katie Nicholl, the royal reporter from Vanity Fair, spoke to a source close to the family who claims Prince William and his younger brother had “a bit of a fallout” over Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry and Meghan announced their engagement shortly after Thanksgiving in 2017. Just one month later, Queen Elizabeth invited Meghan to spend Christmas with the royal family at their Sandringham estate. This put Meghan on the fast track into royal life, which Prince William reportedly took issue with. This might be because his wife, Kate Middleton, was not allowed to spend Christmas at Sandringham until she was married into the family.
“Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so,” a mutual friend of both Princes told Nicholl. “They had a bit of a fallout, which was only resolved when Prince Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort. That’s when the Cambridges invited the Sussexes to spend Christmas with them.”
While some speculated there was tension between Kate and Meghan, there are now multiple reports claiming the tension between the two princes led to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moving to Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. “Kate and Meghan are very different people and they don’t have a lot in common but they have made an effort to get along,” another source told Nicholl for Vanity Fair. “Any issues are between the brothers.”
Royal reporter for Express, Richard Palmer, echoed these claims in his own report. “The story behind Harry and Meghan’s move to Frogmore Cottage? Harry and Meghan spreading their wings. No big fallout but Kate and Meghan not close. No royal properties available in London apparently.”
The story behind Harry and Meghan’s move to Frogmore Cottage? Harry and Meghan spreading their wings. No big fallout but Kate and Meghan not close. No royal properties available in London apparently.
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 26, 2018
Palmer also wrote that “it is clear that Meghan is regarded as difficult and demanding by some in the family and on the staff.” This is similar to a recent Daily Mail story which claims that Meghan is determined to shake up the royal family, often wakes up at 5 a.m. ready to work, and that the “Palace staff have never experienced anything remotely like Meghan’s formidable work ethic.”
The story behind Harry and Meghan’s move to Frogmore Cottage? Harry and Meghan spreading their wings. No big fallout but Kate and Meghan not close. No royal properties available in London apparently.
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 26, 2018
It seems clear that, whatever they may be, there are some tensions behind the scenes for the royal family. According to Daily Mail‘s Rebecca English, these hiccups aren’t anything particularly dramatic. Instead, they’re simply growing pains all families go through at some point. “The idea of the two of them as ‘the boys’, the brothers doing everything together and living in each other’s pockets, has been pushed with good intentions, but hasn’t really existed for some time,” a source explained.
“The truth is that they have both just grown up. They are rare in that they live together and work together, but there has been a stepping back,” the source said. “They are still incredibly close, closer than most siblings, but now Harry has married and is about to become a father, so it’s a good time for him to be planning his own future. There is no acrimony.”
Though Meghan was reportedly an “acquired taste” for Kate and “the royal lifestyle and constraints are taking a time for Meghan to get used to,” these backstage problems aren’t as salacious as some are making them out to be. “While there are some tensions behind the scenes, Kate is pretty unflappable and nothing has become bad enough to make Harry and Meghan want to move out. People are genuinely pleased to see them so happy,” the Daily Mail‘s source said.
“The truth is that there simply isn’t enough room at Kensington Palace for them and I know they have been looking at Windsor as a possibility since before the wedding,” the source continued.
Work has reportedly already begun on renovating Frogmore Cottage, turning it into a five-bedroom home for Harry, Meghan, their two dogs, and their growing family.
