Kate Middleton ‘upset’ by Megxit; The Queen doesn’t want the Cambridges to fly together
The full impact of Harry and Meghan’s royal split on Kate Middleton has been revealed, while the Queen has shocked with a new rule for Prince William.
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Kate Middleton is “really, really upset” Harry and Meghan’s estrangement from the family is having on her husband, a new report says.
People magazine said the Duchess of Cambridge didn’t like the toll the split and the fallout from the Oprah interview, where Meghan revealed an unnamed royal asked what colour her son Archie’s skin would be, have had on Prince William.
“Everything with Harry and Meghan has been hugely stressful, but if anything, it’s pulled [her and William] closer together. She was upset about it because [William] was so upset. Seeing her husband so distraught was tough,” a friend of Kate’s told People.
Kate has won praise from royal watchers for the way she has handled the intense speculation and pressure on the family this year after the Oprah interview and the death of Prince Philip.
“She’s no pushover. She has an inner strength for sure,” the friend said.
Meanwhile, The Queen has urged Prince William to stop flying in helicopters with Kate and their children amid safety fears.
Her Majesty is said to be “terrified” disaster could strike – threatening the succession and monarchy, The Sun reports.
The 95-year-old monarch is believed to have raised concerns with the future king, saying she is “terrified” disaster could strike.
An unwritten rule stops senior royals from flying together, though it has not been enforced in recent times as William’s family grew and began to split their time between London and Norfolk.
QUEEN CANCELS HER XMAS WALKABOUT
It comes as The Queen looks set to cancel her traditional Christmas Day walkabout over fears it could become an Omicron superspreader.
According to The Sun Her Majesty has already called off her festive family party as Covid rips through the UK.
Thousands of royal watchers normally gather to see members of the royal family during their annual December 25 stroll, with some queuing from the early hours of the morning to catch a glimpse.
But aides have reportedly advised the monarch to close the gates to her private grounds to curb coronavirus transmission.
The Sandringham estate in Norfolk may not be closed altogether, but sources claim staff “fully expect” the famous footpath will be fenced off.
One said: “Of course everyone would love everything back to normal – but the situation is anything but.”
The event was also called off last year when daily infections were also on the rise and the UK entered lockdown.
Instead, last year the Queen spent the festive period at Windsor Castle with her late husband Prince Philip.
Scenes are likely to reminiscent of that again this year, during Her Majesty’s first Christmas without the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April aged 99.
If the Christmas Day walk is off, it will be the Queen’s second festive event to be cancelled in a matter of days.
The monarch already revealed it was “with regret” her annual royal get-together lunch in the run up to the big day would not be going ahead as planned – but that it was “the right thing to do” as the Omicron variant rages across the UK.
The decision was described as “a precautionary one” as it was felt the festive lunch would “put too many people’s Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead”.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment further as it is a “private family event”.
The monarch had been due to host The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, among 50 or so other members of the Royal Family, at Windsor Castle on December 21.
There was due to be wine, crackers and a feast inside the castle – before the Queen set off for Sandringham for the big day itself.
Tuesday’s party had been moved from Buckingham Palace to Windsor where the Queen remains on “light duties” after health scares.
Three of her four new grandchildren — August, Lucas and Siena — all born this year, had been expected to join the party.
But US-based Prince Harry, Meghan, Archie and their daughter Lilibet, who was also born this year, were not scheduled to fly over for the party.
QUEEN WARNS WILLS TO STOP FLYING OVER SAFETY FEARS
It comes as the Queen has reportedly urged Prince William to stop flying in helicopters with wife Kate and their children amid safety fears.
Her Majesty is said to be “terrified” disaster could strike – threatening the succession.
According to The Sun, a source close to the 95-year-old monarch revealed she raised concerns with the future king.
An unwritten rule stops senior royals from flying together.
But the protocol has been relaxed as William’s family grew and began to split their time between London and Norfolk.
William, 39, is in line to take the throne after his father Charles, 73, serves as king, followed by his son Prince George, eight.
A change in the line of succession could elevate Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, to the throne — after the pair quit royal duty for life in California.
The Queen had several conversations with William who has previously flown his family the 185 kilometres from Kensington Palace to their home at Anmer Hall, Norfolk.
And it comes after a major probe was launched after two near-misses in one royal helicopter flight.
The Cambridges have released a family photo in Jordan for their Christmas card — and it is believed William and Kate flew there together with George, six-year-old Charlotte and Louis, three.
William is a confident and capable flyer who served five years as an RAF search and rescue pilot and with the air ambulance.
But a source close to the Queen said: “Her Majesty has told close friends and courtiers that she would like William to stop flying himself, particularly in bad weather, as helicopters are not the safest form of transport.
“It keeps the Queen awake at night and she is understandably very worried.
“She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together and can’t imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis.
“The Queen has told William she is worried that, however good he is as a pilot, bad weather and accidents can strike at any time.
“The Queen is delighted in the way William and Kate have risen to the challenge in recent years and knows the monarchy is safe in their hands.
“She thinks the future is bright with them at the helm after Charles but if something happened to him and the family it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Mobile phone footage shot in May shows Wills walking hand-in-hand with his three children and wife to a helicopter at Kensington Palace. They often fly together in a chopper crewed by a team and a pilot.
But William — who was loaned a Bell 429 GlobalRanger aircraft in April — is also known to get behind the controls when family members are on board.
The Royal Family spent £2.1 million (A$3.89m) on helicopter trips last year. Most were for official engagements, while Kate and William shared a chopper during their week-long tour of Scotland in May.
Technically, William should never be on the same flight as his father or his children.
But in 2014, following the birth of George the previous year, William and Kate asked the Queen for permission to all fly together for their tour of Australia.
A Palace official said at the time: “While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have travelled together in the past, it is something the Queen has the final say on.”
It is understood the protocol has been relaxed further since the births of Charlotte and Louis.
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