- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure from the royal family and subsequent move to Los Angeles has impacted both their personal and working relationship with
Prince William and Kate Middleton. - While
Prince Harry admitted that he and Prince William were "on different paths" last year, it seems the distance may have helped the brothers to repair their relationship in recent months. - According to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, the brothers have recently gotten back in touch through video chat.
- There's a possibility that the couples could work together in the future, too.
- Both the Sussexes and Cambridges recently held separate video calls with volunteers for Shout, the mental health textline service they launched together last year.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Prince Harry and
Especially now that the couple have relocated to Los Angeles, they likely won't see Kate Middleton and Prince William as often as they used to.
However, there have been reports that the distance has actually helped to mend Harry and William's relationship. Harry previously addressed rumors of a rift by saying they were "on different paths" last year.
The separation is also affecting the "Fab Four" as a working unit. They were at the forefront of a mental health textline service before Harry and Markle departed from the Royal Foundation.
Here's how the relationship between Harry, Markle, William, and Middleton has changed since the Sussex family's departure.
Princes Harry and William are reportedly back in touch after months of separation
The brothers were last seen together publicly at Harry and Markle's final engagement as working royals on Commonwealth Day in March.
Photos and video footage from the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey suggest the couples did not make eye contact or speak to one another during the event.
However, things appear to have changed since then, according to reports.
Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl last week said the pair are now "back in touch" after Harry's move to Los Angeles.
"There have been clearly some quite major rifts in that relationship, but things have got better and I know that William and Harry are in touch on the phone," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight.
"They have done video calls together, they have done a lot of family birthdays and I think with Prince Charles not being well, that really forced the brothers to pick up the phone and get back in touch."
William also mentioned Harry publicly for the first time since "Megxit," in a letter to The Diana Award last week.
In a note sent to the charity that honors their mother's legacy, William wrote: "My brother and I remain ever appreciative of the work you do to foster, develop, and support young people, particularly at this time of uncertainty."
This comes after the Duke of Cambridge denied "bullying" his brother out of the
The brothers previously made a joint statement to accuse a British newspaper of running a "false story" about their relationship.
"Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge," a spokesperson for the brothers told royal correspondent Rebecca English.
"For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful," the statement went on.
English added that it was made "clear from my conversations this morning that BOTH brothers are deeply, deeply unhappy about suggestions that Harry feels he has been 'bullied' out of the royal family by William."
The statement was thought to be in response by a story in The Times, which claimed that Harry and Markle's reasoning behind stepping back from the royal family was to do with "constantly being told their place."
However, Prince Harry did admit there was a rift between him and William last year
The reports of a feud between the couples surfaced after Harry and Markle split from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation last year to create their own charity.
Harry finally addressed the rumors of a rift in an ITV documentary about his and Markle's tour of Africa that aired in October.
"Part of this role and part of this job, this family, being under the pressure that it's under — inevitably, stuff happens," he said. "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 as I know, he'll always be there for me."
While the BBC reported in October that a "well-placed source" said William was "furious" with Harry about the interview, for another palace official, "that was not his understanding of the prince's mood."
"Instead the official suggested a mood of concern, for the safety of the couple," the BBC said.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams previously told Insider that it was never Harry and Markle's intention to seek approval from the family after their documentary aired.
"There is little doubt that Harry and Meghan's ITV documentary about their Southern African trip where they talked openly about the strain of royal life is unlikely to have gone down well with the most senior royals," Fitzwilliams said.
"It wasn't meant to. Harry gave credence to the rumors of a rift with his brother. Meghan implied that she was surviving, not thriving, and that there were few inquiries as to how she was doing."
The "Fab Four" could be working together again
When Markle and Harry departed from William and Middleton's Royal Foundation in 2019, it was unclear what this would mean for their joint projects which came under the management of the charity and the royal family.
As part of the Heads Together initiative, the couples launched Shout, a mental health textline service, back in May.
They spent six months working on the project together in secret before announcing it to the public.
Even though Harry and Markle left the Royal Foundation just one month later, William mentioned the duke and duchess at a charity event for the project in November.
"Catherine and I — and I know we speak for Harry and Meghan as well — couldn't be more proud of what Shout has accomplished," he told the audience.
—Mikhaila Friel (@MikhailaFriel) November 12, 2019
Harry and Markle will no longer be able to undertake engagements on behalf of the Queen, as of the spring of 2020.
They are, however, still able to represent their patronages as private citizens, which they appear to be doing from their home in LA.
Last week, Harry and Markle surprised Shout crisis volunteers by joining a virtual staff meeting via Zoom — their first known involvement with the charity since they stepped down from their roles.
Then, just a few days later, William and Middleton held their own video call with Shout volunteers to mark one year since its inception.
Although these were two separate calls, it did confirm that Harry and Markle still plan to continue to work with the organization that they launched with William and Middleton.
That means the couples could likely work together in the future, if they aren't already working together behind the scenes on Shout.
The Queen has been keeping in touch with the Sussexes
While Harry and William's reconciliation hasn't been officially confirmed by their representatives, it has been confirmed that the Sussexes have been in touch with the Queen.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes previously told Insider that Harry, Markle, and their son Archie held a video call with the Queen to wish her a happy birthday back in April.
Despite reports that the Queen may not have given the couple her blessing to leave the royal family, Her Majesty came out with a rare emotional statement showing her support for them in January.
"Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognize the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life," the statement read.
"I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family," Her Majesty added.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles gave a heartwarming tribute on Instagram for Archie's first birthday in May.
Prince Charles and Markle have reportedly maintained a close relationship since he walked her down the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
"I know that the Prince of Wales has several times reached out to Meghan," a source told the Evening Standard after the ITV documentary aired.
"They get on and share a love of music too. I know he invited her to a preview of an exhibition at the palace."
Charles also offered to financially support the couple after they stopped using taxpayer funding in the spring, according to The Telegraph.
Whether reports of a reconciliation between the "Fab Four" are true or not, it seems likely that the couples could be back in touch soon, even if just on a professional capacity.
Nonetheless, there's no denying the Queen's promise that Harry, Markle, and Archie will "always be much loved members" of the royal family.
- Read more:
- Prince William mentioned Prince Harry for the first time since reports that the brothers are back in touch
- Prince William and Kate Middleton honored the 'trailblazer' volunteers of their 24/7 crisis support text line in a moving video call
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly paying $21,780 on Frogmore Cottage per month while living in LA