Sunday was a big day for the royals: Not only was it Easter, a day on which many of the adults in the British royal family tend to go to church together, but it was also Queen Elizabethβs 93rd birthday. The turnout this year was impressive. The queen, obviously, was there. As were Kate Middleton, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and some of the other usual suspects. (Meghan Markle wasnβt there, but sheβs due to give birth any day now, so her absence was understandable.)
But that day, all eyes were on Prince William and Prince Harry, as the two brothers seemed like they might be avoiding each other. So, what gives?
Letβs back up a bit. There have been nonstop reports for months about supposed βtensionsβ between the brothers. The rumors started around the time of Prince Charlesβs 70th birthday β stories of Wills reportedly being βgrandβ and Harry feeling βimprisonedβ in Kensington Palace β then trickled down to affect their wives for a bit, before falling back onto the Wales boys.
People reported earlier this month that tensions between the brothers βdeepenedβ when Harry announced that he wanted to marry Meghan βafter less than a year of dating.β William is said to have βcautionedβ Harry that things were moving too fast, which reportedly left his younger brother angry and hurt. On top of that, the brothers are in different places in their lives and have different roles in the royal family now, People notes. The changes in their positions and passions are evident in the formal splitting of their courts (offices), and Prince Harry and Meghanβs recent move to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate.
Back to this weekend. Meghan and Prince Harry are currently awaiting the birth of their first child β an event that has been met with global excitement (although theyβve still had to deal with negative tabloid BS in the meantime). But on Sunday morning β yes, the day of the Easter outing β a report appeared in the Sunday Times that royal courtiers have βdrawn up plansβ to send Meghan and Prince Harry out of the country for work β probably Africa β for potentially two to three years.
While that could be interpreted as a great opportunity for Meghan and Harry if they want it, the βsourcesβ that spoke with the Times offered some shady quotes. Lainey Gossip notes that a source said of Willsβs reaction to Harry and Meghanβs popularity: βPeople are telling William, βDonβt worry. Your influence will grow and Harryβs will fade. This is peak Harry.ββ Another spoke of trying to contain and βharnessβ the Sussexes. But a follow-up report in the Daily Mail stated that they may be gone for just six months, and that the trip is a dream of Harryβs, rather than a ploy to get rid of him for now.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, royal reporter Omid Scobie wrote for Harperβs Bazaar that while Meghan and Prince Harry do plan to take on projects overseas, they have no intention of leaving the U.K. for years. A Kensington Palace source also told Scobie that the Sussexesβs popularity isnβt a factor in the plans to take on international projects. βPrince William has nothing to do about these plans,β the source told Scobie. βThe Duke supports whatever the couple choose to do.β
So what does this mean? Well, the Timesβ report broke the same morning as the Easter celebrations, and it seemed like the brothers didnβt really interact much at the church.
This doesnβt necessarily mean the brothers are fighting, but weβre all so used to seeing them act warmly toward one another that their behavior on Easter is a bit jarring, especially in the context of the non-stop reports about a potential feud. But Prince Harry was photographed cracking a joke with Kate Middleton (and Prince William smirked a bit as well), so perhaps this is just a normal family thing where two siblings momentarily arenβt as close and arenβt really getting along but will eventually find their way back to each other. Weβll have to stay tuned for their next event together to find out.
This post has been updated to include a new report.