Kate Middleton refuses to pull Prince William back into Prince Harry’s ‘circus’: expert
Kate Middleton has zero interest in trying to make peace during Prince Harry’s chaotic visit to the U.K.
The claim was made by multiple royal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital after a source told Us Weekly the Princess of Wales was "trying to convince" her husband, Prince William, to meet with his estranged brother.
"Kate is no longer in the business of trying to reunite the brothers," Christopher Andersen, author of "Kate!," told Fox News Digital. "It really is a year of magical thinking when people seriously suggest that the Princess of Wales has the emotional bandwidth to cope with the Sussexes."
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"Unfortunately, my sources do not believe Princess Catherine is pushing for Prince William to meet Prince Harry," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard also told Fox News Digital. "She isn’t pushing for a meeting. She is, however, the one royal who could soften things emotionally, hence the reason Princess Catherine, 'the peacemaker,’ keeps rearing her head."
"The feeling inside the Wales camp is that Catherine will not allow her family, and especially William, to be sucked back into the Sussex drama," Chard shared. "The Sussex circus of briefings, counter-briefings and public spectacle is seen as tiresome and, frankly, not good for the Wales family’s well-being."
Harry's trip to his home country sparked controversy before it even began.
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On July 6, Harry's spokesperson told People magazine that an offer for the Duke of Sussex to stay at Buckingham Palace during his London visit was withdrawn after he had formally accepted it.
However, palace sources disputed that account, saying Harry failed to respond by the deadline and that his later acceptance came only after arrangements could no longer be made.
Harry had also hoped to bring his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two young children to Britain for the first time since 2022. But after learning the family would receive police protection only while on royal property — and not throughout the visit — it was reported on July 4 that Harry decided they would not accompany him.
On July 6, the prince arrived in London alone. He is expected to be in the U.K. through July 11. It's unclear whether he will meet with his father or whether his family will join him later in the week.
Russell Myers, royal editor of the Mirror, reported that King Charles "has no plans to alter his diary this week" to see Harry after his son decided not to bring his grandchildren. Myers pointed out that the king, who is still seeking cancer treatment, has only met Prince Archie "a handful of times" when Harry and Meghan lived in the U.K. and has met Princess Lilibet only once, in the summer of 2022.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
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"Harry has made a song and dance out of this visit," said Chard. "If reconciliation was truly the goal, you would think he would have flown Meghan, Archie and Lilibet over quietly to see King Charles. A warm family reunion without the leaks or press involvement. Instead, Harry remains a wild card. He’s unpredictable to the establishment."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing what they described as unbearable intrusions by the British press and a lack of support from the palace.
Harry has also been denied restoration of taxpayer-funded security by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC).
People magazine reported that Harry's team spent several days exploring ways to make the visit safe through enhanced private security arrangements. Palace sources claimed Harry initially declined the invitation to stay at a royal residence before accepting it on Saturday.
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that William has zero interest in reuniting with his brother — and Kate will stand by her husband.
"King Charles has always been hopeful regarding a form of reconciliation, while Prince William remains resolute in opposition to any such thawing," said Fordwich.
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"Given Prince William’s stance, it is highly unlikely that Princess Catherine has been pressing him for a reconciliation. She, too, suffered from all of Harry’s disclosures in ‘Spare.’ She, along with many, is beyond frustrated at Harry’s shenanigans, given the debacle around his stay."
"The trip was a mess before Harry arrived," said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams. "Princess Catherine would support whatever William decided in dealing with his brother. Looking at the chaos the visit has become, it isn’t difficult to see why William and Catherine are certain to stay out of it. If the Sussexes were sincere, it would be private."
Chard stressed that the position of Kensington Palace, which handles the offices of the Prince and Princess of Wales, hasn’t changed.
"The optics of a meeting right now are damaging to the institution," she said. "Peace is wanted. But not at the cost of stability."
In May, Andersen told Fox News Digital that Kate refused to stop trying to mend William and Harry’s relationship. However, Harry’s remarks about the king’s mortality became the breaking point. Kensington Palace told Fox News Digital it does not comment on books.
"She would not give up," said Andersen. "Even after Harry threw William under the bus in his memoir ‘Spare,’ she was willing to keep trying. And the final break came.
"The final straw came really shortly after the king was diagnosed with cancer, when Harry [essentially] said, ‘I’d like to mend fences because we just don’t know how long [my father] has to live.’ Well, that kind of statement can be very hurtful to somebody who doesn’t really want to consider their own mortality and is battling cancer."
"It was hurtful to Kate as well, I believe," said Andersen. "And, of course, it just ignited this firestorm of speculation about how sick the king really was at this point. And Kate pretty much felt that would be it.
"She wasn’t going to try anymore. So she has not. And as a result, there has been no chance of any … As a matter of fact, I don’t think we’re ever going to see them make amends. At least it’s not on the horizon now."
In May 2025, Harry told the BBC he wanted to reconcile with his family after losing a court battle over his publicly funded security, which he said led to his father no longer speaking to him.
"I would love reconciliation with my family," said the 41-year-old. "There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has."
Andersen wrote that Kate, 44, was "disappointed" with Harry, while William, 44, was "apoplectic" with rage over the remarks, a courtier claimed. Andersen also wrote that Kate told William she "was done with Harry."
"Princess Catherine is the sweetest, most loving person you could ever know," a Sandringham staffer told Andersen. "But like everyone else, she has her limits."
