Has Meghan Markle and Kate's Relationship Improved Since Harry's Return to the UK? Here's What's Known

LONDON — More than three weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated back to Britain, no confirmed evidence has emerged that Meghan's relationship with Catherine, Princess of Wales, has meaningfully improved, despite a wave of tabloid reporting speculating about the possibility of a thaw between the two women.

Harry and Meghan, along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, moved from California back to the United Kingdom in late August, settling into a private, non-royal residence outside London ahead of the start of the new school term. The move placed the Sussexes geographically closer to Prince William and Kate for the first time since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and relocated to the United States in January 2020, a shift that has inevitably renewed public speculation about the state of relations between the two couples.

That speculation, however, has been driven almost entirely by unnamed sources cited in celebrity and royal-focused outlets rather than by any on-the-record statement from Meghan, Kate, or representatives acting on their behalf. Multiple outlets have reported, citing unidentified insiders, that Meghan is taking what one source described as a cautious approach toward Kate, wanting to avoid repeating past tensions while remaining open to eventually improving the relationship. According to one such account, published by The National Examiner and cited by other outlets, an unnamed insider said Meghan still feels Kate could have handled certain past situations differently, a reference to disagreements detailed years earlier in Harry's memoir, "Spare." In that book, Harry wrote at length about tensions between Meghan and Kate, including described disagreements over lip gloss, wedding preparations, and a conversation involving the phrase "baby brain."

Other anonymously sourced reports have offered a more skeptical read on the prospects for reconciliation. One outlet, citing an unnamed source, reported that Meghan is "still" seeking greater trust with Kate as the Sussexes settle back into life in Britain, while cautioning that the family's renewed geographic proximity "does not necessarily signal an immediate reconciliation." Additional anonymously sourced claims circulating in recent weeks have included assertions that Kate has "secretly confided" in a new royal ally about the situation, that she intends to "rise above" perceived criticism from Meghan, and that she has "ruled out" any reunion during earlier points in the ongoing saga. None of these individual claims have been independently verified or confirmed by either family.

Royal commentators quoted by name, as opposed to anonymous sources, have generally offered more measured assessments focused on the broader dynamic between the two households rather than specific claims about Kate and Meghan's personal relationship. Commentary published by People and cited by other outlets noted that William and Kate have remained focused on their own family milestones and royal duties during this period, including Prince George's start at Eton College, which coincided closely with the Sussexes' return and Buckingham Palace's subsequent letter reiterating that Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals. Royal commentators have suggested that William and Kate are determined not to let renewed speculation about the Sussexes overshadow their own priorities, even as the family's physical proximity has added a layer of complexity that did not exist while Harry and Meghan were based in California.

Separately, some reports have framed any potential relationship repair between Meghan and Kate as connected to broader questions about Harry's own relationship with his father and brother. One account described Harry as having quietly worked to rebuild ties with Kate specifically, even as tension reportedly persists elsewhere within the family, though this claim, like most others circulating in recent weeks, was attributed to an unnamed source rather than confirmed directly by any of the parties involved.

What is confirmed, rather than speculated, is more limited in scope. Buckingham Palace issued a letter on September 7 formally reiterating that Harry and Meghan remain private citizens rather than working royals, a message that a spokesperson for the couple said left them "a little surprised" given the lack of advance notice. Harry made his first public appearance since the family's return at the Invictus Spirit Awards on September 17, attending without Meghan, who was reported to be at home with the couple's children. In brief remarks to Hello! magazine at that event, Harry described the preceding two weeks as "eventful" without offering any specific comment on his relationship with William, Kate, or the broader family dynamic.

No public appearance, joint statement, or confirmed private meeting between Meghan and Kate has been reported since the Sussexes' return to Britain. Absent such direct confirmation, the substantial volume of coverage speculating about improvement, or continued strain, in their relationship remains sourced to anonymous insiders whose claims cannot be independently verified, a pattern that has characterized much of the reporting on the Sussex-Wales dynamic for several years.

For now, the honest answer to whether Meghan and Kate's relationship has improved since Harry's return to the U.K. is that there is no confirmed public evidence either way. What coverage exists rests almost entirely on unnamed sources offering competing, sometimes contradictory characterizations, leaving the actual state of the relationship between the two women a matter of speculation rather than established fact as the Sussexes continue settling into their extended stay in Britain.