One of the biggest casualties of Prince William and Prince Harry’s bitter eight-year fallout has been the unintentional estrangement of their beloved children, George, 13, Charlotte, 11, Louis, eight, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, who reportedly haven’t had any contact since their fathers’ relationship fractured.
But with Harry, 41, having arrived in the UK last week for an extended stay, and his children enrolled to start school next week, the prospects of a secret reunion between the cousins is looking ever more likely.
“Kate’s been consistent in prioritising the children’s wellbeing, and she and William agree it’s going to be awkward for George, Charlotte and Louis to have their cousins so close and not see them,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day. “George and Charlotte are old enough to know what’s going on so there’s no point in avoiding it.”
According to Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice newsletter, Kate, 44, has been gently pressing William for a truce with his brother – if not for the family for the sake of the Crown.
“Kate is the voice of reason,” a source tells. “She knows William and Harry may never be brothers in the way they once were. But they can be civil, they can cooperate, and they can stop feeding the story that the royal family is permanently divided.”
“This isn’t about forgiveness. It’s about strategy,” the source adds. “Kate is thinking about the institution and the future, when William is king and she is queen.”
Cousins reunite
And the future queen is applying the same sound reasoning when it comes reuniting her children with their cousins.
“Kate would never do anything behind William’s back, but she’s been a key peacemaker between William and his father – and she expects this will be the same. She wants to arrange with Harry – no Meghan or William, to keep the temperature down – for the cousins to meet, just for a couple of hours. Something extremely low-key and private at a neutral location, like a trusted friend’s estate,” reveals the insider.
With Harry and Meghan, 45, rumoured to be househunting in the Cotswolds, recent reports suggest it will be Harry who becomes the key stay-at-home parent, while Meghan will come and go to “keep her business dreams alive in California”, giving Kate the perfect opportunity.
“The whole point of Kate facilitating it would be to make it just about the kids – and keeping William, 44, and Meghan away for those first few meetings takes away the two biggest tensions.
“Kate’s so excited to see Archie and Lilibet. She plans to take the lead and make it feel natural and friendly for the children.
“George and Charlotte won’t disappoint anyone with their excitement about meeting their cousins. Even with the deep rift between the grown-ups, Kate doesn’t think the cousins should be permanent casualties of it, especially now Archie and Lilibet are living in the UK.”
