The Royal Insider

The future king is left in the dark – again

Harry and Meghan’s latest assault deserved a call

The sight of William and Kate mingling with RAF cadets was supposed to be a welcome sign it’s business as usual for the royals.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked ‘radiant’ as they gave three cheers for the life of Prince Philip and breezed through their first official engagement since his death.

It was a clear signal: lockdown is easing and the royals have rolled up their sleeves to carry on. But behind palace doors, these reasons to be cheerful were short-lived.

Palace sources tell me there were more than a few raised eyebrows last week when a story from across the Atlantic dropped on the newswires.

‘Harry and Meghan will join A-listers Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez at a COVID concert to “reunite the world”,’ read the headline.

While William and Kate were busy with their cadets, Tinseltown was salivating over the prospect of another appearance by Hollywood’s new power couple.

And it’s fair to say the news dropped like a lead balloon on these shores.

My insider said, ‘Once again, the Palace was forced to read social media to learn what Harry and Meghan were planning for their first appearance since the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

‘It did not go down well in William’s office, especially as it was the first anyone had heard.’

The future king’s advisers are all too aware that the starry Sussexes could eclipse the work of the more dependable Cambridge clan.

With hopes the brothers’ rift might be easing, episodes like this will do nothing to help protect the ceasefire.

Would it really have been that hard for Harry to mention to his brother the Vax Live campaign he is chairing?

William and Kate’s worthy work may not exactly be ‘reuniting the world’, but it is an essential part of safeguarding the future of the Royal Family.

If business as usual now means William has to second-guess his brother’s diary commitments before considering his own, that is one thing.

But if the future king feels he has to compete for airtime with Harry, that will be catastrophic for their relationship.

‘IT DID NOT GO DOWN WELL’