PR Expert Says Meghan Markle Has More To Gain From Kate Middleton Reconciliation Than Kate Amid Royal Return

LONDON — A prominent public relations expert says Meghan Markle stands to gain considerably more from a potential reconciliation with Kate Middleton than the Princess of Wales does, arguing that the two women's vastly different public standing and future paths make any thaw between them significantly more valuable to the Duchess of Sussex.

PR expert Mark Borkowski, speaking to i News, said that regardless of what happens between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, Kate's position remains secure given her status as the future queen consort. Borkowski's comments come amid renewed speculation about the possibility of a thaw between the two sisters-in-law following Meghan and Prince Harry's recent return to the United Kingdom with their two children.

The gap in public opinion between the two women remains substantial, according to a recent YouGov poll cited in the report. William and Kate currently hold the highest favorability ratings among members of the British royal family, with net approval scores of 60% and 61%, respectively. Harry and Meghan, by contrast, remain deeply unpopular with the British public, registering net favorability ratings of negative 25% and negative 43%, respectively.

According to Borkowski, that stark disparity in public perception is central to why a reconciliation would carry asymmetric value for the two women. He said Kate's future within the royal family is already effectively guaranteed, regardless of whether any relationship with the Sussexes improves, since she remains on track to eventually become queen consort no matter the outcome.

Meghan's situation, Borkowski argued, looks considerably different. He suggested that her broader personal ambition has always centered on making a meaningful impact, and that healing the rift with Kate could open doors currently closed to her. According to Borkowski, a reconciliation might allow Meghan to operate more freely across both the United Kingdom and the United States, a flexibility he noted Kate has never needed to consider given her fixed position within the royal institution.

Borkowski also raised the possibility that even informal acceptance back into royal circles, short of any formal return to official duties, could provide Meghan with a form of institutional credibility she currently lacks. He argued that this kind of acceptance could help her pursue the sort of influence and impact she has long sought, both in Britain and in the United States, opportunities he suggested a continued estrangement simply cannot provide.

"A reconciliation is worth more to Meghan," Borkowski said, summarizing his view of how differently the two women's public standing and future trajectories are shaped by the ongoing rift.

The timing of Borkowski's comments adds another layer to the broader speculation surrounding the Sussexes' return to Britain. According to the report, Harry has reportedly already been working quietly to rebuild his relationship with Kate specifically, even as tension is said to persist elsewhere within the broader royal family, particularly in his relationship with his brother, Prince William.

Borkowski's analysis adds to a long and often contradictory stream of reporting and commentary surrounding the relationship between Meghan and Kate since the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Various royal commentators and outlets have offered competing characterizations of the relationship's status over the years, ranging from claims that Kate had effectively "closed her mind" to reconciliation following the couple's departure, to more recent suggestions that Kate has been actively seeking common ground with Meghan as part of a broader personal effort to find peace following her own cancer diagnosis and treatment.

One British journalist, Jennie Bond, previously told OK! Magazine that Kate had grown so hurt by Harry and Meghan's actions after leaving the royal family that reconciliation seemed unlikely, describing how difficult it can be for someone from a close, united family, as she characterized Kate's own upbringing, to fully understand how such an estrangement could occur. Other reporting has suggested a more hopeful trajectory, with some sources describing Kate as wanting the current year to represent a broader period of personal peace across multiple areas of her life, including her relationship with the Sussexes.

Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich has separately suggested that while Meghan has expressed genuine remorse over the state of the relationship and a desire for reconciliation, Kate may see limited benefit in repairing the bond given how far the relationship has deteriorated in the years since the Sussexes' departure and their subsequent public criticisms of the royal family, including through their Oprah Winfrey interview, a Netflix docuseries and Harry's memoir, "Spare."

Neither Kensington Palace nor representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have publicly commented on Borkowski's specific analysis or confirmed any active reconciliation discussions between Meghan and Kate. The palace has generally maintained a policy of not commenting publicly on the personal relationship dynamics between members of the royal family and the Sussexes since their 2020 departure from official duties.

Borkowski's framing of the relationship in terms of asymmetric reputational stakes reflects a broader pattern within royal commentary, where PR and image-focused analysts have increasingly assessed the Sussexes' various public moves, including interviews, media appearances and now their return to Britain, through the lens of strategic reputation management rather than purely personal or emotional considerations.

With Meghan and Harry now settled back in the United Kingdom alongside their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, speculation over the future of Meghan's relationship with Kate is likely to continue in the coming months, particularly as the family navigates other significant developments, including Prince George's recent start at Eton College and the broader question of how visible a role, if any, the Sussexes will play in British public life going forward. For now, Borkowski's analysis adds a distinctly strategic dimension to that ongoing speculation, framing any eventual reconciliation less as a matter of personal forgiveness and more as a calculation over whose public image and future opportunities stand to benefit most from repairing one of the royal family's most closely watched personal rifts.