Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Prince William refused to attend lunch with Prince Harry amid ‘Megxit,’ royal expert claims

The claim was made by royal biographer and historian Robert Lacey who is also the official consultant on Netflix’s “The Crown.”
Earlier this year, Prince William refused to attend a lunch with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his younger brother Prince Harry to clear the air and heal the alleged rift within the British royal family.

The claim was made by royal biographer Robert Lacey, who is also the official consultant on Netflix’s “The Crown.” The British historian, 76, is releasing a new book titled “Battle of Brothers: William and Harry - The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult,” which addresses the ongoing woes impacted by the royal family.

The book will also put the two brothers’ relationship into a historical context, exploring how the “heir” and the “spare” have impacted the British monarchy over the years. It features numerous interviews with palace insiders.

During a recent appearance on True Royalty TV’s weekly program “The Royal Beat,” Lacey claimed that things were so bad between the brothers following Harry stepping back as a senior royal with his wife Meghan Markle – or "Megxit" – that William turned down a lunch invitation from the queen to avoid spending extra time with the Sussexes.

“It infuriated William to the extent that when the queen said, ‘Alright, let’s have a meeting to talk about all this. Beforehand we will have a family lunch to talk things over, William actually said, ‘No, I do not want to come to the lunch. I will come and negotiate the over the table,’” Lacey claimed in a clip sent to Fox News on Monday.

“But he would not sit down at the family lunch with Harry.” Lacey alleged.

Lacey said that if William is ultimately given the role of the Head of the Royal Marines, “that will mark the rift.”

“I think that they have kept that position open for [Harry] if he wants to come back into the family,” Lacey explained. “If they are going to give it to William, I think that is the end of [the relationship between the boys].”

Rumors of an alleged royal feud came to light in 2019, when British bestselling author Katie Nicholl claimed that since Markle, 39 and Harry, 36 announced their engagement in 2017, William, 38, grew increasingly worried for his brother and his whirlwind romance with the American actress.

“William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly,” Nicholl claimed in the TLC documentary “Kate V. Meghan: Princesses at War?”. “And being close to Harry, you know, probably the only person close enough to say to Harry, ‘This seems to be moving quickly. Are you sure?’ And I think what was meant as well intended brotherly advice just riled Harry.”

“Harry is hugely protective of Meghan,” Nicholl continued. “He saw that as criticism, he interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union. And I don’t think things have been quite right ever since.”

Lacey said William had every right to be cautious.

“Meghan is a self-made woman,” he said. “She becomes a star, she becomes a self-made millionaire. I think that when William sat down with Harry and said there could be problems, I think events have proven him right.”

“I think that [Meghan] has come to realize how [some of her] speeches risk her husband’s relationship with the family and perhaps she may pedal back on some of these more extreme positions,” said Lacey.

The U.K.’s Evening Standard noted that in recent weeks, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been accused of interfering in the U.S. presidential election by urging Americans to vote.

Traditionally, the British royals don’t vote in elections, and “The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters," according to the monarch’s website. However, according to People magazine, there is no law forbidding it.

Lacey told “The Royal Beat” that he found Harry and the former “Suits” star “too preachy” and claimed William does more for some progressive causes than his brother and sister-in-law.

“People have said the Windsors don’t do ‘woke,’” he explained. “They don’t know how to handle progressive causes. However, I think William does it rather well. He does it better than Meghan and Harry.”

After notoriously stepping down as senior members of the British royal family at the start of the year and moving to North America, the Sussexes have recently settled down in Santa Barbara, Calif., after stints of living in Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada.

A rep for the couple confirmed to Fox News that they purchased a home in the coastal city.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year," a spokesperson said. "They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as them as a family."

A source told Page Six, who first reported the news, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hope this is where their son, Archie, 1, can grow up and lead "as normal a life as possible.”

Previously, Harry hinted at an alleged rift with his older brother in last year’s ITV documentary “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.”

“Part of this role and part of this job, this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably stuff happens,” he said at the time. “But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment but I’ll always be there for him and I know he’ll always be there for me.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×