Prince William has reportedly ramped up efforts to keep Prince Harry and Meghan Markle away from future royal events amid the Sussexes’ betrayals of the monarchy and constant leaks to the press.
SkyNews.com.au Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan says Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, in a tell-all interview, said that he was sad.
Mr Markle has spoken out this week and publicly begged the Duchess of Sussex to allow him to meet his grandchildren.
“He’s in failing health, he’s about to turn 80 and he’s never met his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet,” Mr Sullivan told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.
“It was sort of one last kinda ditch effort in the media to beg Meghan to see him.”
William, 41, and Harry, 39, have grown increasingly estranged since the Duke of Sussex married Meghan Markle in 2018 and ties worsened after the Sussexes left royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
More recently, Will was allegedly “enraged” about embarrassing revelations published in Harry’s memoir Spare, including allegations William’s wife Princess Catherine brought Meghan to tears.
On Thursday, a source inside the palace told the Daily Beast that William is leading efforts to exclude the Sussexes from future royal events over concerns the couple will continue to leak private conversations.
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The Wales’ cut ties with the Sussexes altogether after Spare. Picture: Getty
“There is a sense that William has stepped into the Prince Philip role,” the source told the outlet.
“Philip ruled the family with a rod of iron (and) now William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline… He can be scary!”
Philip, who died in 2021 at the age of 99, was considered the gatekeeper of the royal family and infamously banned ex-working royals like Sarah Ferguson from attending any royal occasions.
The then-Duke of Edinburgh’s dislike for his former daughter-in-law Fergie was reportedly so intense that he insisted the Duchess of York spend her Christmases alone while her daughters joined the royal family at Sandringham.
Philip allegedly did not care for Markle either and reportedly gave Meghan the cruel nickname “Wallis Simpson” behind her back.
Prince Philip was the reported gatekeeper of royal events. Picture by Tim Graham/Getty Images.
The same palace insider said William has a similar capacity to cut off his younger brother and does not want Harry to return to the fold “in any way, shape or form”.
“(William) wants absolute ban on Harry returning in any way, shape or form to the family fold,” the source said.
Meanwhile, King Charles is understood to have a more forgiving attitude to his younger son, reflected in Harry’s invite to events like the coronation even after the Duke of Sussex slammed the monarchy in Spare.
Charles has also indicated that he is receptive to the concerns of his daughter-in-law Meghan about her perceived mistreatment during her brief time as a working royal.
The King is believed to be pushing Markle to allow him to spend more time with his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, which is currently limited to FaceTime.