It should be a glorious time for the British royal family, with Prince Harry becoming a father for the first time.
Instead, the duke and his new wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are forcing the palace to an ugly crossroads, in which there are genuine fears the couple will raise their baby as a civilian, far away from the influence of his brother Prince William and sister-in-law Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who are fast cementing their future roles as king and queen.
Now, Meghan has hit the Cambridges with the cruellest betrayal of all.
Duchess Meghan has other plans when it comes to her new child’s relationship with the Cambridges. (Image: Getty)
As her feud with Kate continues to rumble, royal insiders tell Woman’s Day the 37-year-old Suits star has said she wants William’s wife to have nothing to do with her new baby.
For Kate, who until Meghan arrived on the scene was incredibly close to her brother-in-law Harry and is also a born mother, the news has come as the most heartbreaking of blows.
Sources tell Woman’s Day she’s been in tears for days, wanting only for this drama to subside and the family to be whole once more.
Kate is reportedly devastated by the news. (Image: Getty)
Kate’s brave face
After Meghan’s cruel comments about Kate, 37, and following months of rumours that all is far from well between William and Harry, their body language spoke for itself on Easter Sunday during a church service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, which Meghan did not attend.
“Harry and William did not speak, and Harry only offered a brief pleasantry to Kate,” a long-time royal watcher tells Woman’s Day.
“Wills and Kate looked thrilled to be hanging out with the rest of the family. They were laughing with Zara and Mike [Tindall], and even joking around with Beatrice and Eugenie.
But Harry looked very out of place. He made all the niceties and bowed to the Queen, but mostly looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else on the planet.
“Of course, Kate must have been hurting more than anyone would ever know, but she did what she could to put on a brave face and enjoy the company of the rest of the family, who simply adore her.”
WATCH: Kate Middleton plays with young kids on visit to a children’s centre. Story continues after video…
The warring couple’s feud reached a public boiling point last week when a bombshell report in respected newspaper The Sunday Times revealed that Harry and Meghan were “being considered” for a representative role, which would see them move to Africa for two to three years in 2020.
And while many view the move as something of a “banishment” from the Queen, insiders say Meghan, who is tipped to be taking just three months’ maternity leave, would be happy to raise her child away from the rest of Harry’s family and run their own show.
“Botswana holds a special place in both Meghan and Harry’s hearts, given it was their first holiday together and where they fell in love,” one source tells us.
“When the move to Africa was first mentioned, they both agreed that if they were going to spend months at a time anywhere, that’s where it would be.”
A royal ‘madhouse’
The news comes after Meghan began ruffling feathers among royals and palace staff from the moment she arrived at Kensington Palace.
Widespread reports of her diva behaviour include allegations that she made Kate cry over the way she spoke to her daughter Princess Charlotte in the lead-up to her wedding to Harry, she was terrorising workers with demands at 5am, four of her aides quit in rapid succession and she has thrown several tantrums over her right to wear certain tiaras.
“All of this of course gets back to William, and he refuses to be in charge of such a madhouse, especially when it’s all leaking out to the press – usually via Meghan’s people – and making a mockery of the institution he’s preparing to run,” says a source.
“If Harry and Meghan do get sent to Africa, he’s hoping it’ll teach Meghan a lesson, and ensure she knows her place.”
Sources claim Meghan and Harry could be moving away from the UK. (Image: Getty)
Still, sources tell Woman’s Day that Meghan and Harry, 34, are not only OK with the move to Africa but that Meghan’s plotting to use it against William and Kate in the long run.
“The duchess is dead against this traditional, boring, conservative future that William has planned for the family, and she feels very bitter about the way he has swept them aside so callously,” says the source.
“They have every intention of becoming superstars in their own right in a country they love so dearly, and it’s their chance to raise their baby without them being stifled by William and Kate telling them how to raise a royal child.”
“Meghan is excited at the prospect of raising her child in a semi-normal environment, and you can bet she’ll have some firm words to say if William and Kate try to get involved.
“She doesn’t want them involved in her family’s life at all.”
WATCH: Kate Middleton talks about Meghan Markle’s new baby. Story continues after video…
It’s said that Harry’s reluctance to put his foot down and insist Meghan allow Wills and Kate to be close to his child has left Kate, in particular, shocked and heartbroken.
“Kate is the first to admit that she and Meghan have never been close, but she always assumed that when Baby Sussex arrived, they would finally find common ground,” says a source.
“In a way, Kate predicted that it would be the baby who saved the royal family from this terrible rift. She hates that William and Harry have fallen out after being as close as brothers can be for their entire lives.”
Meghan’s growing concern for Baby Sussex
At its core, friends of the mother-of-three tell us that Kate, who last week shared three gorgeous portraits of her son Prince Louis to mark his first birthday, was simply looking forward to having another little one to spoil.
“Kate adores babies. She was born to be a mother and was looking forward to helping and imparting that wisdom on Meghan,” says the source.
“Family comes first to her, but that doesn’t seem to be Meghan’s philosophy.”
“Of course, everyone’s seen how she cut out her own father, sister and brother the second there was any conflict – and that was long before she married Harry, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that she’s going down this route again.”
Meghan is reportedly going to hide her child away from the public eye. (Image: Getty)
Palace insiders say there’s now a groundswell of concern among courtiers that Meghan will not only ban Kate from knowing her child, but that she’ll also hide the little one away from the public eye.
“William and Kate understand the world wants to see their children grow up, which is why they make such an effort to share personal pictures and stories about their family life,” says another royal source.
“Not to mention the cold, hard fact that the taxpayer funds this idyllic family lifestyle, so Kate is of the opinion that it’s not too much to ask to share a pretty picture every now and then.
“If Harry and Meghan start hiding their child away, it’s going to open up a whole bunch of new problems for the family. There will be public backlash, guaranteed.”
