Who would you tell if you had been diagnosed with cancer? Your family, close friends and colleagues, perhaps?
The fact that the Princess of Wales did not decide to inform the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their explosive news says a lot about the state of their relationship. Which is why, as I will explain, the time has come for Harry and Meghan to seek forgiveness.
Prince Harry and his wife found out that their sister-in-law Kate had cancer at the same time as the rest of the world: at 6pm on Friday, when Kensington Palace released their brave and moving video message.
As it happens, that was about an hour and 30 minutes later than the royal correspondents, who were given the details confidentially so they could prepare their news. Evidently, they were trusted.
Prince Harry and his wife found out Kate had cancer at the same time as the rest of the world: at 6pm on Friday, when Kensington Palace released their brave and moving video message.
That neither Kate nor Prince William would let Prince Harry know would have been inconceivable just a few years ago.
Think of all those happy photographs and television images of those three, pre-Meghan, together.
Harry often had a wide smile on his face when they participated in their joint engagements. They shared jokes and teased each other happily.
That all changed after Harry met Meghan.
The first public appearance of the so-called ‘Fab Four’ in 2018 seemed awkward. Harry’s expression as he stood next to William and Kate soon went from playful to suspicious and something that looked like resentment.
We were left in no doubt how the brothers’ relationship had broken down when Prince Harry and Meghan gave an interview to American talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
The first public appearance of the so-called ‘Fab Four’ at the Royal Foundation Forum in 2018 seemed awkward. The body language was awkward.
The worst followed. Harry’s expression as he stood next to William and Kate soon went from playful to suspicious and something that looked like resentment.
So we didn’t know to what extent the brothers’ relationship had broken down, although some had their suspicions.
But we were left in no doubt when Prince Harry and Meghan gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey, who had been a surprise guest at their wedding.
The year was 2021 and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, remember, was still alive.
Among the many shocking claims was Meghan’s accusation that Kate had made her cry in a dispute over the flower girls’ dresses at the Sussexes’ wedding.
Even more damaging was the accusation that, among the Royal Family, there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark” the skin of the child she was expecting at the time, Archie, would be.
Back in London, the response was outrage and disgust. When asked about Meghan’s claims a few days later, William responded with barely suppressed fury. “We are not a racist family at all,” he said tersely.
The Royal Family’s distress was heightened by the fact that the interview was broadcast while Prince Philip was in hospital. He died just a month later.
As always, Kate remained silent in public, no matter how much anguish she suffered in private after the insults across the Atlantic.
We saw how diplomatic she is when, after Prince Philip’s funeral in Windsor, she could be seen speaking to Harry as they left St. George’s Chapel before discreetly stepping back and allowing William to speak to his brother more privately. .
However, their kind efforts seemed to make little difference.
In fact, it was thrown back in their faces by Harry and Meghan, who made a tell-all ‘docuseries’ for Netflix, leveling even more insults at the Royal Family.
These included Harry’s suggestion that most men in the Royal Family marry “someone who fits the mold”, while he, Harry, had dared to marry Meghan for love.
How could this not be taken as a cruel mockery of the submissive Kate?
Then, as if the Sussexes hadn’t heaped enough misery on William and Kate, came Harry’s memoir, Spare. Released in January 2023, this was the biggest betrayal of all.
Painting his brother and sister-in-law as cold, heartless villains, the book reveals some of their most intimate conversations, as recalled by Prince Harry. William has chosen to maintain a dignified silence.
Since Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis, there have been numerous suggestions that she and William should end their split with Harry and Meghan.
However, before that can happen, the Sussexes must acknowledge the harm they have caused and the damage done.
Then they should apologize and ask for forgiveness from Catherine and her husband, who deserve nothing less.
How encouraging it would be if, during Easter – a time of renewal – you could begin the renewal of your relationship with the Royal Family.
Sign up here for Richard Eden’s Palace Confidential newsletter.