Prince William & Kate Middleton Are Between A Rock And A Hard Place After Sussex Return 'Derailed' Their Lives

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex seemed happy and settled at their home in Montecito, California after they left royal life in 2020. However, the Sussexes have surprised many by returning to the U.K. after six years away. In doing so, they've apparently thrown a wrench into the works for William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

"There's a sense that William is going to have to be watching over his shoulder the whole time. He doesn't know what his brother is going to spring on them all next," an unnamed source reportedly close to the situation told Vanity Fair. Harry and Meghan's arrival comes as the Wales family was doing well after Kate's cancer recovery journey and as they'd publicly put much of the drama with Harry and Meghan behind them. "This was meant to be a happy time for him," the source explained. "Catherine is doing well and George is just about to start Eton. This has just derailed them."

Even though Harry and Meghan are not in the U.K. as working royals, it could be that their mere presence in the U.K. causes drama for the Prince and Princess of Wales, especially as it seems unlikely that the brothers will be able to fully avoid each other. They might want to though; Harry and William's frosty relationship has shown no public signs of thawing. It's not clear if the brothers being in the same country at the same time will make things better between them, or worse.

There have apparently been talks within the royal family about ensuring that Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex don't try to reinsert themselves into official royal duties. But even with that boundary set, there does seem to have been a reconciliation between Prince Harry and King Charles III, as the entire Sussex family met with the king and Queen Camilla in July 2026. Them moving to the U.K. at all seems like a positive sign about the relationship, since it seems unlikely that they would have moved, even as private citizens, without some sort of blessing from the king. With that, it could be an expectation for William to be the next royal to fold and welcome Harry and Meghan back to the family.

Andrew Morton, who wrote a biography on Princess Diana, told Vanity Fair: "By coming back home, Harry has changed the narrative and William is fuming. I think there will be pressure on William to be the bigger person and forgive his brother, but I think that is still some way off."

While Harry and Meghan aren't going to be busy with any official royal duties, they do still have their own work to do. Harry is still working with the Invictus Games, an international competition for wounded service members. As for Meghan, her show "With Love, Meghan" wasn't renewed for a third season with Netflix, but she still heads her lifestyle brand "As Ever." Plus, there have been rumors that Meghan might be returning to acting with a part in Netflix's "The Gentlemen."