Despite the royal brothers’ very different roles, longtime palace staffers had the “homogenous idea” of the two princes working in tandem
By
Simon Perry
April 10, 2019 08:00 AM
Prince William and Prince Harry are heading down different paths.
Despite the royal brothers’ very different roles — William, 36, is preparing to be the future king while Harry, 34, prepares for first-time fatherhood — longtime palace staffers had the “homogenous idea” of the two princes working in tandem. However, it’s now clear that with the additions of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle — and their growing families — a united foursome wasn’t feasible.
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“It was only going to work until they married — and it went on a while longer than perhaps was originally thought,” one palace courtier tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
Last month, Meghan and Harry officially split from Kate and William, breaking up their joint “court” at Kensington Palace by creating two separate offices.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have since moved out of London to Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Cottage – about 25 miles away – and launched their own Instagram page.
“It’s a shame,” says the household source. “There was power in that unity and great strength in the foursome, but I see why it is happening. There is always that tension: trying to do the PR thing and then realizing that they are just real people. They want their own place and their own things.”
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“There is never any doubt that they will be there for each other 100 percent and support each other when it matters,” according to one insider.
“Maybe they’ll come back together a little later,” says the source close to the royal household. “It’s another stage in the growing up. Sometimes you have to break away in order to come back.”