Did Prince William and Kate Middleton cement a royal split?
On Friday, it was confirmed by a Buckingham Palace statement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have officially told the Queen they will not be returning as working members of the royal family.
If you’ve been keeping up with the royal family, this may not come as a surprise as media outlets have commonly speculated the couple’s indifference with working alongside the rest of the royal family. Many people are also wondering: Do Prince William & Kate Middleton have any involvement with this situation at all?
Official statement
A statement released by the Buckingham Palace officially confirmed that the Royal Family were “saddened by their decision”, but that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will “remain much loved members of the family”. However, Sky News reported that their royal correspondent, Rhiannon Mills, admitted there appeared to be “tense discussions” behind the scenes and the couple did not sound happy.
Could this departure be because of ongoing reported tension between Prince William & Kate Middleton with Prince Harry & Meghan Markle? Throughout the years, media outlets have often speculated on their rocky relationship, so it comes as no surprise that people are now drawing their own conclusions on why this decision from the Duke & Duchess of Sussex came to be.
Tumultuous relationships
There have been many moments in the past that show that Prince William & Kate Middleton could have affected this decision for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to step down. In an interview with Express News, celebrity biographer Sean Smith claimed that William & Kate did not have the “mega-watt charisma” that Harry & Meghan had.
On his website following Meghan & Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals last year, Smith wrote about his speculation that jealousy from Prince William and Kate may have had something to do with it. “That visit she did to that school in Dagenham on her farewell tour said everything you needed to know about the approachability of Meghan Markle that the others just do not have”, Smith confessed.
Another event that had people wondering if Meghan & Harry’s relationship with Prince William and Kate certainly was not all sunshine & rainbows was from back in October of 2018, when the couples decided to officially split. Instead of the four of them sharing Kensington Palace and sharing social media profiles, the couples decided to part ways and separate themselves from each other.
A source explained to The Sunday Times following the separation from Prince Harry and Meghan with Prince William and Kate that “now they have their own families, they no longer rely on each other as before. There is a gulf in the style and approach to the type of work that William and Kate will increasingly do as future head of state and consort, and Harry and Meghan, who have more of a blank canvas with their roles”.
Private matters
Whether or not Prince William and Kate had something to do with this matter is certainly a question that is in all of our minds, but at the end of the day, family is family and the royal family should be allowed to keep some matters private and out of the business of media outlets & gossip columns.
Following the big decision, honorary military appointments & royal patronages from the couple will be returned to the Queen and “redistributed among working members of The Royal Family”.
In the couple’s statement, Harry & Meghan announced: “As evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal”.
