According to royal experts, the key to the Duke of Sussex reconciling with the Royal Family could be in the hands of his cousin, Princess Eugenie. On The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: “The great hope for that [reconciliation] is Princess Eugenie. I think because there was some talk of him going to have a house in Portugal.
“She is the one who is still able to be in touch with them and she, I suspect, could be the one who could link the children together.”Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank tied the knot in 2018, just a few months after Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding.
Their sons, August and Ernest, are close in age to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, adding another layer of connection between the cousins.
Despite Harry and Meghan buying an investment property in Portugal near Eugenie and her husband, the relationship was claimed to have faltered in recent years, but this has been disproven by a source close to Prince Harry.
Sources told People Magazine that the cousins’ relationship remains strong, dismissing claims made by broadcaster Piers Morgan.
He alleged that Harry went “completely ballistic” after Eugenie was photographed outside a London pub with a group that included Morgan. The photos, which showed Eugenie sharing a brief hug with him, sparked speculation of a failing relationship between the two cousins.
The source said: “The Duke remains close to Princess Eugenie. They always have and always will be.”
In the 2022 Netflix docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex recalled a memorable Halloween night out in 2016 with Eugenie and her future husband, Jack Brooksbank, whilst the couple were dating.
Specualting on the fallout confusion, The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson said: “They went for a pub lunch and there was a bit of upset in Montecito because obviously Piers Morgan and Meghan have bashed heads in the past and Harry have bashed heads in the past and that they took a dim view of Eugenie going out for a pub.”
Hugo added: “Well I hope that relationship does survive because I think that’s a really important link”, to which Matt replied: “It’s the last remaining link.”
Prince Harry last saw his father, King Charles, in February 2024, shortly after the King announced his cancer diagnosis. Harry immediately flew to the UK to see his father, but their meeting at Clarence House was notably brief.