Prince William was reportedly “blindsided” by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s surprise decision to return to the U.K. with their children.
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that the Prince and Princess of Wales are “concerned” about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returning for an extended period beginning this month. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are set to begin school there in September, People magazine reported.
“Prince William was blindsided,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital.
“He had found Harry’s recent eagerness to publicly signal that he wanted to spend more time in Britain unusual, but that is very different from anticipating a full return. William now has to navigate a situation he did not create, did not ask for and, given the state of their relationship, almost certainly would not have chosen.”
A Kensington Palace spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “We would never comment on private family matters.”
In a statement shared with The New York Times, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said, “On the heels of a wonderful trip with family and friends this summer, Harry and Meghan have decided to spend an extended period in the U.K. this autumn. They are excited to have their children spend more time in the country that’s such an important part of their family’s story.”
The spokesperson confirmed that the couple’s businesses will remain unchanged and based in the U.S. Meghan and Harry will also keep their home in California.
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that the Waleses are “feeling uneasy” about facing another chapter in the “endless Sussex soap opera.”
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“It’s about broken trust,” Chard explained. “Prince William is said to feel that Harry and Meghan have spent years attacking the institution, then monetizing their grievances through a very lucrative media operation. From his view, it’s an ongoing campaign for maximum impact and self-gain. He’s not going to fuel it, and he’s not going to endorse behavior he sees as damaging.”
William and Kate were seen arriving in Scotland on Thursday, where they’ll spend time with King Charles at Balmoral Castle. The royal family has spent summers at the Scottish estate since the reign of Queen Victoria, with family members traditionally hunting, fishing and horseback riding there.
The king learned about Harry and Meghan’s move three days before it was made public, according to reports.
“Prince William, along with Catherine, is currently at Balmoral Castle visiting the king,” royal broadcaster Neil Sean told Fox News Digital. “Harry and Meghan have, so far, not been invited to visit the king privately while on a holiday. This will not happen while William is there. I’ve been told he has no desire to connect on any level with his younger brother and simply has no time for [Meghan].”
A spokesperson for Archewell, which handles the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, told Fox News Digital: “We do not comment on the family’s private travel arrangements or meetings with the extended family.”
The Daily Mail reported that the king and his heir held a “Sussex Summit” following the announcement. A source told the outlet that the Prince and Princess of Wales “have no interest in engaging with anything Harry and Meghan do or say.”
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“Things are projected to be tense at Balmoral,” British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. “… Princess Catherine is particularly guarded given how deeply hurt she was by both of them. Both she and Prince William are very determined to maintain their own family stability and remain focused on duty with their royal roles paramount.”
Several royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that William and Harry haven’t been on speaking terms since at least 2022.
“My sources have described genuine concern within the Wales camp,” Schofield said. “I don’t think Prince William and Princess Catherine are sitting at Balmoral panicking about Harry and Meghan returning, but they are understandably apprehensive about what their return could bring. The last several years have taught them that private family tensions have a habit of becoming very public.”
“The concern isn’t simply that Harry and Meghan will be geographically closer,” Schofield continued. “It’s the unpredictability that comes with the Sussexes. There have been interviews, books, documentaries and very personal allegations about members of the royal family. … My sources tell me the Wales camp has not forgotten the hostility directed at them after some of Harry and Meghan’s previous public accusations.”
Schofield said unnamed sources told her Kate is also unsettled by the news.
“My sources tell me that Catherine does not want to revisit that chapter of her life,” Schofield explained. “She has endured very personal allegations, an enormous amount of public scrutiny and a difficult few years. My understanding has always been that her priority is Prince William, their children and the future.”
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“Meghan returning to Britain doesn’t mean Catherine suddenly has an obligation to reopen a relationship that has caused considerable hurt,” she said. “Catherine can wish Harry and Meghan well without wanting them back inside her private life. … The idea of resurrecting the ‘Fab Four’ is fantasy. Too much has happened, and too much has been lost.”
The Sussexes are expected to live at a private, nonroyal residence outside London, The Associated Press reported. They won’t resume their royal duties, which they gave up in 2020.
The couple’s return to the U.K. comes as the king continues treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer diagnosed in 2024. In 2025, Harry said he didn’t know “how much longer my father has” and expressed a desire for his children to get to know their grandfather.
Last month, the king met with Harry, Meghan and their children at Highgrove House.
Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl reported at the time that, according to sources, “not even the Prince and Princess of Wales were made aware that the meeting was taking place.”
“The Sussexes played a blinder with the king welcoming them, having not told him last month of a plan they have had for ages as their children will soon be in school,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital.
The move is understood to have come together relatively quickly, as Harry and Meghan waited to learn whether their children had been accepted to the private school they applied to.
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“Since the brothers haven’t spoken in years, the imminent arrival of the Sussexes places William and Catherine in a pressured and difficult situation,” said Fitzwilliams. “William is reportedly furious. But what is essential is that the king accepts that the Waleses and their children are the future of the monarchy.”
Schofield doesn’t believe reconciliation between the brothers is likely, at least anytime soon.
“Geography cannot repair a relationship where trust has been so badly damaged,” she said. “Harry’s return could make that estrangement more obvious because people will inevitably ask why two brothers living in the same country still aren’t seeing one another. … William and Catherine could suddenly find themselves under public pressure to perform a reconciliation that probably doesn’t exist behind closed doors.”
“… William may have reached the conclusion that distance is healthier than reconciliation, and he is entitled to make that decision,” Schofield said. “The realistic goal at this stage probably isn’t friendship [with Harry]. I would argue it’s peaceful coexistence for the sake of their father. … Harry and Meghan moving back to Britain creates proximity, not reconciliation. They can buy a house near London. They cannot buy back trust.”
