Despite reports that Prince Harry could be moving towards a truce with Prince William and Prince Charles, some insiders are telling Best Life that rather than finding a way to come together, the Duke of Sussex has resigned himself to the idea that he and Duchess Meghan may now be split apart from the family for good.
Some outlets have claimed Harry has struggled with the dual loyalties to the royals and to his wife. But a source told Best Life, "The Duke of Sussex now sees there is no point in trying to reach a truce. During his brief stay in England, Harry felt he was badly treated by several family members. He had not realized how much of his differences with his father and brother affected the entire family." As a result, said this insider, "Harry might, for all intents and purposes, just walk away rather than keep trying to make Charles and William see his side of the story."
Read on to find out why all signs point to the beginning of the end for Harry, Meghan, and the royals.
Harry and Meghan are not focused on winning over the Royal Family—or naysayers in the U.K.
Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesMeghan and Harry have seen their popularity plummet in the U.K. in the wake of Megxit (and even more so after the Oprah Winfrey interview). A Palace insider told Best Life, "Building an international Sussex brand has been the goal from the get-go. Winning over the naysayers and haters in the U.K. was never important. Harry and Meghan want to focus on the positive, and not waste time on negativity."
Their newly minted brand of celebrity philanthropy has made them A-list stars in the States, as evidenced by their multi-million dollar Netflix and Spotify deals. A YouGov poll after the Sussexes' tell-all interview with Winfrey showed 40 percent of Americans have sympathy for the Sussexes, but only 22 percent of people in the U.K. say their sympathy lies with Harry and Meghan.
Harry received a rock star welcome as one of the headliners at VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World last weekend, while Meghan made a pre-taped appearance speaking about the disproportionate number of women and girls who have suffered as a result of the pandemic.
"In the States, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are huge stars and their disclosures about their troubles within the Royal Family make them far more sympathetic to American audiences than here in Britain," said the source. "The royals have no control over the media in America where producers do not have to worry about access if they do something that displeases the Palace. Harry and Meghan have full control over their own narrative."
RELATED: Diana's Friends Fear Harry Could Make This "Unthinkable" Decision Next
Harry and Meghan have retained their titles and have continued to use them for new projects.
Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesWhen the official Megxit agreement was announced in March of last year, it stipulated that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would retain their titles, but the couple agreed to not use the "HRH" styling (His/Her Royal Highness). That didn't change when the couple announced they had no plans to return to the royal ranks after the agreed upon review period earlier this year.
When it was announced that Meghan had written a children's book, to be published next month, royal watchers raised their eyebrows at the news that she would be credited as "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" on its cover. Earlier this year, Better Up, a mental health services company, announced Prince Harry had joined the Silicon Valley start-up as Chief Impact Officer. CEO Alexi Robichaux was upfront about the PR value of having a prince on the payroll when he told the Associated Press, “It’s awesome. I mean, look, we’ll take the press, it certainly helps,” he said. But, he added, “That’s not the driving motivation here.”
In a poll conducted last week by Daily Express, 97 percent of the respondents answered "yes" when asked, "Do you agree Harry and Meghan are cashing in on their royal titles?"
"Many people don't understand why, if Meghan and Harry were so determined to leave royal life, they insist on using their titles in all their projects," said a source. "That doesn't sit right with many people in the U.K. who see it as profiting from an institution they no longer contribute to, but in America, royal titles or not, they are the most famous couple in the world and that translates into huge stardom."
Harry and Meghan have proven they will not be silent about their experiences as senior royals.
Harpo Productions via CBSWhen the Sussexes spoke to ITV in Oct. 2019 about their struggles with life in the spotlight, it was an early indication that they wanted to get their story out, whatever the consequences may be. They engaged in a game of verbal volleyball with Queen Elizabeth when the terms of the official exit agreement were announced, proclaiming they could not be of service as part-time royals. The couple put out their own statement with a not-so-subtle dig at the Queen stating, "Service is universal."
Then came the biggest bombshell of all—the primetime Winfrey interview, which threw the Palace into chaos. The royals held crisis talks in response to Harry and Meghan's claims they had been subjected to racist questioning and were offered no help when the duchess was suffering from extreme mental distress. Recently, the family was stunned once more when they learned there would be an updated edition of Finding Freedom, the sympathetic tell-all book about the couple first published in 2020, coming in August. In addition to disclosing information about Sussexes' life in California, the new version will likely reveal the behind-the-scenes goings-on during Megxit and the subsequent fallout, including the backstory on the couple's decision to do the televised sit-down.
"It's quite clear no matter happens, Harry and Meghan will continue to do as they please, while retaining the status that comes from a royal title," a royal source told Best Life. "If that doesn't prove they've come out on top, what does?"
And for more royals news, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Prince Charles and Prince William may leave it to Harry and Meghan to "sort things out on their own."
Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImageThe Daily Mirror's Russell Myers has said William and Charles "want to draw a line under Harry and Meghan" and "unite in getting back to business." Speaking to talkRADIO (via The Daily Mail), the royals reporter revealed the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales view the ongoing feud with the Sussexes as a "distraction for the family." Myers believes William and Charles could decide to let Harry and Meghan "sort things out on their own." The royals expert claims that William and Charles have the full support of the rest of the Royal Family, who are "very, very united" on this issue.
The question is: Would Meghan and Harry even care? "Harry and Meghan have lost nothing. They are living a very successful post-royal life in California building their brand and are feeling empowered and free. They still have their royal titles. The Royal Family is looking for a way to gain some control over what they do and say, but can't," one source told Best Life. "Prince Charles may choose to cut them out down the road, but it's already happened on Harry and Meghan's terms."
Another insider added, "If the royals decide to walk away from the fight, Harry and Meghan could feel they've won by default. Harry is still upset over how things went during his trip home for Prince Philip's funeral and Meghan is likely not going back to the U.K. now or any time in the future. They won't be sorry to see this highly fraught period in their lives come to a close."
RELATED: These 3 Royals Aren't Willing to Forgive Prince Harry, Says Source.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
