Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been rumored to be increasingly isolated from the royal family over the past year, and now, multiple insiders confirm that the couple is feeling “bruised and vulnerable” as the rift between them and Prince William and Kate Middleton continues to widen.
According to a new interview with insiders from People magazine, the royal couples seem to be headed in different directions in their lives. Royal family followers know that Meghan and Harry moved to Frogmore Cottage at Windsor late last year, reportedly to get a little space to raise their first child.
Now, reports say that the couple is taking an extended six-week break to get away from it all and regroup.
“Just on a human level, if you take everything else out of the equation, I don’t think they’re in very good shape to deal with anything right now,” an insider revealed. “Everyone is hoping that they will come back from this break stronger than ever, and maybe with some time out of the spotlight, they can figure out what path to take next.”
Apparently, the rift between Harry and William started when the elder royal warned his brother to take things slow with the American actress, but the two quickly became engaged and then married. Since then, the brothers’ relationship has seemingly deteriorated.
Earlier this month, that separation was evident when the couples united for Remembrance Day events.
“Everyone was doing their duties, doing what they needed to do on behalf of the family—and that was that,” a source said. “But there is a divide between the four of them.”
Apparently things are so divided that Harry and Meghan decided not to spend the holidays with the royal family at Sandringham, something that one insider believes may be an indication of things to come.
A source close to the family says that William and Kate are increasingly moving towards their role as future heads of the country, further widening a gap that opened as the two men entered adulthood. The insider emphasized that the separation isn’t due to any bad blood, but merely a consequence of growing up and establishing a family.
Royal historian Robert Lacey added that the brothers were united by the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997, but they naturally began drifting apart as they aged.
Another insider said that as things move forward, the couples will likely continue to diverge as they get older and establish themselves in their own ways.
