Chances of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's reconciliation bleaker than ever - expert

Hannah Furnell Sun, November 1, 2026 at 3:53 PM UTC

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A royal expert says it's unlikely that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will reconcile, especially since their husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry, remain estranged.

In late August, the Duke, 42, and Duchess of Sussex, 45, relocated back to the U.K. with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. On September 7, as they settled in the Cotswolds, King Charles issued a letter confirming that the couple would remain non-working royals. Since then, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, have kept silent.

While some sources have claimed that William and Kate no longer care what Harry and Meghan do, others have alleged that the brothers could be closer to repairing their relationship than ever before, with private talks in the works. However, there's been little talk of how Kate and Meghan could help repair their relationship. Royal expert Laura Windsor says they can't.

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Windsor, Queen of Etiquette, and Netflix's Bridgerton on-set Etiquette expert at Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy, told The Express US that both women have obligations to stand by their husbands. Kate also has a duty to follow protocol as a senior member of the Royal Family.

The expert explained, "Catherine will always stand by her husband. Just as Harry and Meghan, will present themselves as a united couple. Could a reconciliation between Catherine and Meghan help bring William and Harry closer together? It seems unlikely.

A royal expert believes Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle won't reconcile (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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She continued, "Catherine cannot be expected to act as a mediator at the expense of her own relationship, her standing within the Royal Family, or to take sides. Meghan's public actions have led many people to question what motivates her. It seems that when Meghan does something, there is often a wider agenda behind it. And that perception matters."

Windsor added, "When you are connected to the Royal Family, you are not simply representing yourself. You are associated with an institution built on duty, discretion and service, and the public expects a certain level of decorum and respect for the very principles that have been upheld for centuries. And that is precisely why reconciliation would require more than a public gesture or a photograph of the two couples together."

The royal expert added that Harry has a "significant" step to take, one he has so far avoided: to "acknowledge the hurt caused and to apologize to his brother."

Windsor continued, "The decision to make private family matters public is perhaps the most damaging and hurtful thing a family member can do, let alone a member of the Royal family, which has traditionally upheld the philosophy of 'never complain, never explain.' There has always been a strong expectation that private matters should remain private.

By speaking publicly about such matters, Harry inevitably has damaged the trust between himself and his brother, the King and the public. Whether every detail that has been reported is accurate is a conversation for another day, but the very act of disclosing deeply personal family grievances inevitably has consequences."

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A royal expert believes that Prince Harry owes Prince William an apology (Image: Getty Images)

The damage cannot be repaired overnight, and so far there has been no sign on Harry's part to rebuild that trust. His recent interview with GQ comes across as self-serving - whinging and grieving over the loss of the very people he has alienated."

Ultimately, Windsor said trust can't be easily rebuilt between the brothers. She added, "It requires accountability, discretion (i.e. the opposite of going to the press and airing your frustration as though you are suddenly the victim), consistency, sincerity and, above all, a willingness to put the relationship before personal interests....It cannot happen simply because it makes a good story for the press or allows you to portray yourself as the wronged party."

Windsor finds it difficult to see a "genuine reconciliation," emphasizing the word genuine. She concluded, "William will ask for nothing less than sincerity.

She explained, "A father's love for his son is very different to a brother's love for his sibling, and if any reconciliation were to be made, I suspect it would be very polite, very formal and very distant, at least in the beginning...when Harry has apologized."

The brothers' relationship began to deteriorate around 2017, when William allegedly expressed doubts and advised Harry not to rush into marriage with Meghan, which Harry viewed as unsupportive.

Their estrangement officially kicked off when Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals and left the U.K. in 2020. Things haven't gotten better as Harry and Meghan have continued to voice their grievances about the Royal Family in several interviews and documentaries.

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry detailed a 2019 physical altercation at Nottingham Cottage where William allegedly pushed him to the floor during a heated argument.

Prince William and Prince Harry have been estranged since about 2020 (Image: Getty Images)

Last month, sources told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice that William and Kate have "stopped caring" about the drama surrounding Harry and Meghan. "The anger has gone," one source said. "William spent years being furious. Catherine was deeply hurt. But you cannot stay angry forever. Eventually, you stop fighting and simply stop caring."

At the time, Kate was reportedly in agreement and wasn't "sitting around talking about Meghan," a source alleged. "She has moved on. There was a time when every accusation and every headline reopened the wound. That simply isn't happening anymore."

William and Kate's silence spoke volumes, the insider noted, adding that the "opposite of love isn't hate - it's indifference." That was reportedly where William and Kate were at the time. They were not looking for "revenge" and don't want "another war." They just wanted to "get on with their lives."

Sources now suggest William and Harry are preparing to hold private talks. However, William reportedly has one non-negotiable condition: Meghan has to stop talking about his wife and their children. Sources told Naughty But Nice that the brothers have realized that their continued estrangement has now become embarrassing.

"This cannot continue," a royal insider told the outlet. "Two grown men avoiding each other is making them both look petty and foolish. Their feud has become a national joke. William is willing to speak to Harry, but he wants Catherine and his children kept out of Meghan's mouth. No public comments, no private briefings, no dragging his wife or children into their grievances. They're off-limits."

In his new appearance on One More Question and GQ, Harry reaffirmed his hopes of reconciling with William and the larger Royal Family. "I want it to work out. Of course I do," Harry said. "With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That's the key point." He added that he "of course" grieves his estrangement from William.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”