Meghan & Harry's Rumored Hope To Make William Jealous In Australia Backfired With Major Public Snub

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex's trip to Australia didn't necessarily bode well for their supposed royal return aspirations. And, there's one goal that the controversial couple reportedly had during their tour down under that could make reuniting with the royals particularly difficult. Rumor has it that Harry and Meghan were hoping to make William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales jealous with a get-together during their trip. Unfortunately for them, this didn't work out like they planned. 

Harry has reportedly been eyeing a return to the U.K. Yet, that apparently doesn't mean that he and Meghan aren't still feeling a bit competitive with their relatives across the pond. William is friends with the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's son, Robert Irwin. During their Australia trip, Harry and Meghan reportedly reached out to meet up with Robert. While the formerly royal couple may have hoped to make William jealous by cozying up to his pal, this didn't happen. Harry and Meghan got rejected. The reason? The Irwin family didn't want to betray William. Yikes — that one had to hurt for the Sussexes.

If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to make Prince William jealous, then the rumored reason that they received a "no" RSVP from the Irwins surely made the Sussexes regret ever asking. A source told New Idea, "They meant no ill-will towards the Sussexes, but at the end of the day they are all staunch monarchists and fiercely loyal to The Firm," per the Daily Mail. 

When news of the Sussex snub hit X, folks were quick to guess that Harry and Meghan's desire to hang out with the Irwins wasn't in good faith. "She only wanted to meet Robert because he's close with William," one X user commented on a tweet about the awkward invite rejection. "Requesting a meet up with the Irwins is just [Meghan] deliberately provoking William, and also deliberately putting the Irwins esp Robert on the spot," another commenter hypothesized. Yet, an insider told New Idea that "Aligning with the Irwins' worthy causes is something that Meghan and Harry could be on board with," suggesting that Robert Irwin's work as a conservationist was what caught Harry and Meghan's attention, rather than a desire to annoy William. Even so, one X user wrote, "They couldn't care less about their conservation work or them in general, it's the fact they have a relationship with the RF." Regardless of why Harry and Meghan actually wanted to meet with the Irwins, the whole ordeal likely left them embarrassed.