Short walk from each other... but miles apart
Meghan and Harry to be based minutes from Wills this week but there are ‘no plans’ for a meeting
THERE are ‘ no plans’ for Prince William to meet with his estranged brother next week – even though they will be living just half a mile apart, sources say.
Harry and Meghan will embark on a royal-style whirlwind tour on Monday beginning in Manchester.
That will be followed by a day visit to Dusseldorf in Germany on Tuesday and a return to the UK for a charity event on Thursday.
It is believed they will arrive as early as tomorrow and use their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, as a base. William and Kate have now moved into Adelaide Cottage, also on the Queen’s Berkshire estate – just a 15-minute walk, or five-minute drive, from Frogmore. But it is understood that relations between the two brothers are so bad that there are ‘no plans’, sources say, for them to meet. William fears Harry and Meghan will bring a film crew to gather material for their forthcoming fly-on-the-wall documentary as part of their rumoured $100million deal with Netflix. In an interview with US magazine The Cut this week Meghan made a point of saying she had signed no confidentiality agreements with the Royal Family and hinted there was more she could say following last year’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Harry also used his wife’s interview to take another dig at his family. And his forthcoming memoir, in which he is expected to take further swipes, is said to be of deep concern to the royal household.
‘ Trust, particularly at the moment, is a big issue,’ a wellplaced source said. Another said: ‘I really can’t see any progress [in repairing their relationship] until the documentary and book have come out and they see what he has to say. The family have everything to lose and nothing to gain. William is deeply hurt and believes his brother has crossed a line.’ Meghan, 41, and Harry, 37, have a busy programme during their short visit. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in a £10million home in Montecito, California, will attend Manchester’s One Young World Summit on Monday.
Meghan has been a counsellor with the organisation since 2014. The next day the pair will fly to Germany for the launch of the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, the Paralympic- style event for servicemen and women founded by the prince. Intriguingly, the Sussexes have no official plans on Wednesday, leaving them potentially with a day at leisure.
They could travel to Balmoral to see the Queen, but royal sources have already indicated this is unlikely to happen as she has a busy week. Sources close to the couple have also suggested they would be unable to fly to Scotland due to their row with the Metropolitan Police and Home Office over whether they should be given protection in this country.
William and Kate will be at Windsor all week as George, Charlotte and Louis attend their new school. The family will live on the Queen’s Berkshire estate in term-time.
The last time the two couples were in the same country was when Harry and Meghan travelled to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June. Kate, 40, saw Meghan at Trooping the Colour, but it is unclear if they ever spoke. Harry and William’s paths didn’t cross.
The brothers spoke briefly at Prince Philip’s funeral last April and last July when they unveiled a statue of their mother, Diana.
On Thursday the Sussexes will attend the WellChild Awards in London, which mark the bravery of youngsters across the UK. Harry is a long-term patron of the charity. The pair are expected to fly straight back to the US to children Archie, three, and one-year-old Lili.