'Two Competing Courts': Queen Camilla Is Standing Tall In Kate's Corner Amid Meghan's UK Return

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex has come home to the U.K., and he's brought the entire family. Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have made the move somewhat temporarily; they aren't at this time giving up their house in Montecito. However, they're going to be there long enough that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will be enrolling in school. Their move back to England comes amidst the ongoing feud between Harry and William, Prince of Wales. While Harry and Meghan aren't going to be returning to life as working royals, it will certainly be interesting to see if/how they spend time with other royals and if/how sides are taken between the two brothers. We do have a clue as to where at least one royal might stand. Queen Camilla is apparently going to be backing William and Catherine, Princess of Wales if there is any competition or drama with Harry and Meghan.

Historian and royal expert Andrew Lownie told the Daily Mail that if there are "two competing courts" in regards to Harry and William upon Harry's return, "the Queen, who is very close to Kate, has been stiffening the resolve of the King to establish clear boundaries for [the Sussexes]." It might be that even as non-working royals, Harry and Meghan could steal the spotlight away from William and Kate, the future king and queen.

Lownie told the Daily Mail that William and Kate think that Harry and Meghan might be making a play to get a "half in, half out" version of royal life. It's what Harry mentioned wanting at the infamous "Sandringham summit" with Queen Elizabeth in January 2020. The queen reportedly wasn't on board with that option, and the couple left royal life not long after.

It doesn't come as a huge surprise that Queen Camilla would be siding with the Prince and Princess of Wales over Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. One of the startling revelations from Harry's memoir "Spare" was that he and William didn't want their father to marry Camilla. Harry also talked about how he's  felt betrayed by some in the palace, including Camilla, when stories about him came out in the press. He clearly felt that Camilla had something to do with at least some of that.

In "Spare," Harry wrote about the wedding between Camilla and his father: "I had complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who, I believed, had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar ... In a funny way I even wanted Camilla to be happy. Maybe she'd be less dangerous if she was happy?" It's not clear if Harry's feelings have changed about Camilla, and it might be that Camilla still isn't that impressed with his characterization of her.

King Charles and Harry have apparently taken steps towards reconciliation; the entire Sussex family was able to meet up with the king and Camilla over the summer. However, it sounds like other royals will be harder to win over. Given all the drama that has unfolded between the royals since Harry and Meghan first left the U.K., it's hard to guess exactly how their return will actually play out.