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When Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex officially left their royal duties behind, many wondered how Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge would feel about this new chapter. One royal expert believes that the Cambridges were happy to see the Sussexes move across the pond.

Kate Middleton and Prince William speak to people looking for work at the London Bridge Jobcentre
Kate Middleton and Prince William | Henry Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world with their announcement

In January, Prince Harry and  Meghan made a surprising announcement — a plan to step back from their royal duties while splitting their time between the UK and North America.

In part, their announcement explained, “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”

Ultimately, the request for a half-in/half-out arrangement wasn’t granted but Queen Elizabeth did support their desire to live a more peaceful life away from the media scrutiny. The couple made their final royal appearance in March 2020.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly happy about the change

Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers: William and Harry -—The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, told ET he believes that Prince William and Kate are pleased that Prince Harry and Meghan exited the royal family.

The biographer shared, “I talked to Ken Wolf, who was the bodyguard to Harry and William when they were little boys. And he said how William was always sort of jealous of the lovable rogue reputation that Harry had and the affection that he generated.”

Lacey believes that jealousy still plagued William, sharing, “And there is certainly a school of thought that William and [his wife] Kate were not happy at the way in which these royal rock stars, Harry and Meghan, overshadowed them, and that they’re quite happy now to have seen them out of the country.”

“There is a school of thought that it suits William very well for Harry and Meghan to be the scapegoats living abroad,” he explained.

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Will Prince Harry and Prince William patch up their relationship?

Since Prince Harry and Meghan left the country, there has been plenty of speculation about how the distance is impacting Harry and William’s fractured relationship.

According to Lacey, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created more challenges for the brothers. “When [Harry and Meghan] left in March, they were committed to coming back in the summer for the queen’s birthday and all the celebrations that go with that,” he explained. “They were committed to coming back in the autumn for various military occasions that meant a lot to Harry and that has not been possible, so it may well be when and if life gets back to normal, the brothers can spend more time together and these fences could be mended.”

Royal fans, Lacey said, are hoping for a positive outcome for the brothers, but explained how it “will require compromise on both sides.”

“I think we’re gonna have to face the reality that these are two brothers that have drawn two different lessons from their troubled childhoods and they’re going in different directions,” the author said. “I think the best we can hope for is that they can maintain their fundamental love and respect for each other and remain in good terms for the future, but I don’t think we’re going to see Prince Harry and Meghan as working royals back in the family.”

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