William’s fears for Harry
Brother’s worry as couple reveal royal struggles
PRINCE William is said to be “worried” about brother Harry and his wife Meghan after their emotional appearances in a TV documentary.
Senior members of the royal family have also privately expressed their “deep concern” for the couple following the airing of the hour-long programme filmed on their tour of Southern Africa.
The couple revealed how they were struggling with the pressure of being in the public eye and he talked about how his mental health is under “constant management”.
Meghan’s comments on how not many people had asked if she is “OK” as she deals with being “a new mum and newlywed” sent shock waves through the households, palace insiders said.
Just hours after the ITV broadcast on Sunday night, it emerged that the Duke of Cambridge has voiced his concern for his brother and sister-in-law.
He hopes Harry and Meghan “are all right”, a source told the BBC. The Palace source added there was a view the couple were “in a fragile place”.
As the Mirror reported yesterday Harry confirmed an apparent rift with William, admitting: “We don’t talk as much as we used to.”
He said they had “bad days” in their relationship but added: “I will always be there for him and as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
SCRUTINY
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, told how the tour had been “exhausting” and now they plan to take a six-week holiday for “much-needed family time”.
They are to spend Thanksgiving in California with Meghan’s mum Doria before returning to the UK to spend the rest of the holiday season with the Queen in keeping with the tradition of Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk.
Meghan’s comments surrounding the “unfair” scrutiny they are facing and Harry suggesting they may one day leave
the UK to live abroad has been met with “horror” by senior royals.
One senior palace source said: “There’s a feeling they are in crisis and haven’t reached out for the necessary help. All the main players in the royal household are there for them, the Queen, Charles, Camilla, William, Kate – they have all offered their help.
“For Meghan to say no one has asked her how she is has been deeply upsetting for several members of the family. The Queen invited the couple to Balmoral at the end of the summer and they turned down the invitation.
“Charles is also fond of Meghan and has always said his door is open at any time if she wanted any advice at all.”
Meghan told ITV news anchor Tom Bradby, who has known Harry for nearly 20 years, that being criticised in the press is “a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes”.
They have been accused of hypocrisy for taking private jets to Ibiza and Nice while talking on climate change and having £3million of taxpayers’ cash spent on their home.
Michael Cole, former BBC royal correspondent and spokesman for Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed at the time Princess Diana and his son Dodi were killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, said: “Quite clearly the prince is suffering some degree of mental torment here.
“I understand that as much as anyone what he might be going through and I extend my sympathy.
“But if you are regarding media intrusion as some kind of torture then the worst thing you can do is to star in an hour-long TV documentary to complain about it. It is, I’m afraid, a major mistake, to confirm the divide that seems to have opened up between him and his brother.
“The speculation is one thing but now the prince has confirmed this fraternal split. With regard to the coverage, it hasn’t been as intrusive and oppressive as we’ve seen unfortunately many times in the past and they’ll have to be a little more stoic.
“They rather want to get away from the stiff upper lip, there’s a case sometimes for enduring the unendurable.”
A source revealed senior royals are
“concerned for the way they are visibly struggling with their respective roles”.
Meghan’s appearance in the programme has drawn comparisons with Princess Diana’s TV interview to BBC journalist Martin Bashir in 1995.
Diana appealed to the public to be seen as a “Queen of people’s hearts” as she dealt with the end of her marriage.
Meghan said: “Any woman especially when they are pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging.
“Then when you have a newborn – you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot.”
Palace sources have confirmed Meghan’s comments over “surviving not thriving” in life caused concern.
She said: “I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
She said they had not been treated fairly despite Bradby posing the
“counter argument” that living with fame and wealth comes with scrutiny.
The royal couple were gifted their five-bedroom home on the Windsor estate, which has cost the taxpayer £3million to renovate.
Meghan also flew to New York for a baby shower thrown by her celeb pals, which cost in the region of £300,000.
Meghan added: “Well, I think the grass is always greener.
“You have no idea. It’s really hard to understand what it’s like but I know what it seems like it should be. It’s a very different thing.”
Prince Harry’s net worth is estimated to be around £30million and Meghan, once best known for US law drama Suits, had a personal fortune of around £3.8million.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace had no comment on the film, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey.
It’s a major mistake to confirm the divide that seems to have opened up between brothers
MICHAEL COLE MOHAMED AL FAYED’S SPOKESMAN WHEN DI DIED