Kate Middleton’s plan to get Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘back in the fold’
Kate Middleton told friends it “wasn’t too late” for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to mend bridges with the royal family until the Oprah interview changed everything.
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Kate Middleton told friends that it “wasn’t too late” to “pull Harry and Meghan back into the fold” before their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview was broadcast around the world, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duchess of Cambridge is said to have “taken the same approach as The Queen” before the interview in hoping that the “much loved members of The Firm” would come back to the family.
“I have been reliably informed she was even telling her friends before the Oprah interview that she did not think it was too late to pull them back in,” royal expert Camilla Tominey said in a piece for Stella magazine.
Ms Tominey said a royal source had told her that “Kate’s natural instinct is to smooth things over”.
During the infamous Winfrey interview in March, Meghan claimed Kate made her cry before she married Prince Harry as the couple dropped a series of bombshells including saying there was “concern” over Archie’s skin colour.
When Prince Harry was reunited with his family at Prince Philip’s funeral in April, Kate was the first family member seen speaking to him.
Ms Tominey said that Kate decided to “rise above it” and act as a peacemaker at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
It comes as Kate’s uncle, Gary Goldsmith, described her as a “brilliant arbiter and peacemaker” and insisted she is doing everything she can to make things right between her husband and his brother.
Speaking to Closer magazine, Goldsmith, who is the brother of Carole Middleton, said that Prince Harry needs to “get a grip” and stop his “self-indulgent episode” before there is “no common ground or relationship to rebuild”.
QUEEN WILL FIND HARRY, MEGHAN’S BEHAVIOUR ‘DEPLORABLE’
Meanwhile, a royal expert has claimed the Queen will have found Prince Harry and Meghan’s recent behaviour “deplorable”.
The Sussexes’ incendiary Oprah Winfrey interview in March caused uproar amid claims of racism and mental health struggles.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, told UK media Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive allegations will hurt the royal family.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “The Sussexes’ activities, when they’ve spoken out, have been very, very damaging.
“There’s no doubt about it.”
He added: “The Queen will have found the way the Sussexes have handled things, I think, deplorable.”
Harry and Meghan have not directly criticised The Queen, with reports suggesting Prince Charles would “close ranks” with his mother if they did.
HARRY, MEGHAN CAUSE NEW HEADACHES FOR ROYALS
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to attend the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in what would create a “fresh headache” for the royal family.
The Duke of Sussex wants to be included in next year’s four-day celebration for his grandmother the Queen, after plans for the occasion were released by Buckingham Palace.
The Palace confirmed England will be given a four-day Bank Holiday weekend so they can celebrate the Queen’s 70th year on the throne in June of 2022.
Harry, 36, wants to be in attendance to celebrate – even though he and his wife Meghan, 39, officially stepped down as working royals in “Megxit”.
The Sun reports that it leaves organisers with an enormous headache as they try to work out what to do with the couple during the party.
A source told The Sun: “Harry wants to be there. It is already causing a headache and is going to be very awkward.
“Where will they be positioned if they turn up? What events can they attend?
“Will we put them on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the fly-past?
“This is a celebration for the Queen’s 70 years of service to the nation and should not be overshadowed.
“There are now so many questions about what to do with Harry and Meghan.”
QUEEN’S WEEKEND
The Queen will mark her 70th year on the throne with a four-day Platinum Jubilee celebration, giving Britons a four-day Bank Holiday weekend.
Details of the momentous occasion were revealed by Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, and will take place from June 2-5, 2022.
A live concert featuring “the world’s biggest entertainment stars” will be held at the Palace and has been titled Platinum Party at the Palace.
During the event, the Queen will also spend her time with members of the royal family.
She will reach the historic milestone of her 70-year reign on February 6 next year, when she will be 96.
On the first day of the long weekend celebrations, the annual Trooping the Colour parade will return for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and feature 1400 soldiers.
It will be followed by a special Platinum Jubilee Beacons event which will see beacons being lit across the UK and Commonwealth for the first time.
On the second day, a Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Queen will be joined by members of the royal family at the Derby, held at Epsom Downs on the Saturday.
It is unclear which members of the Firm will attend, and if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may return to the UK or acknowledge the occasion from their new home in Los Angeles.
The live concert at the palace will take place on that evening which the Queen will attend.
Performers at the live concert have not been named.
The final celebration will be a Big Jubilee Lunch, with street parties held across Britain, which will include a Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
It will feature 5,000 people from the UK and the Commonwealth performing around the area of Buckingham Palace.
It will include street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costume, the Palace confirmed.
The Palace also revealed the Queen and members of the royal family will spend the next 12 months travelling around the country to undertake a variety of engagements to mark the historic occasion.
This will finish with the focal point of the Platinum Jubilee Weekend.
The Palace said: “An extended bank holiday, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June, will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.
“The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began on February 6, 1952, with her coronation taking place on June 2 the following year.
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