According to a source, heir to the throne Prince William is already looking ahead to when he is King – and has already thought about what his reign will mean for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince William with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (
Image: PA)

Prince William is reportedly already planning for his reign and what it will mean for his estranged brother Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The heir to the throne and his younger brother Harry have now been locked in a bitter feud for several years – and it seems there is no end in sight. One of the flashpoints in their rift was the publication of Harry’s explosive memoir, Spare, in which he claimed that William physically attacked him in a heated row at Kensington Palace. Harry and wife Meghan quit their royal roles almost four years ago and currently live in California outside the royal fold pursuing projects with the likes of streaming giant Netflix. And a source told the Express that when William ascends the throne, not much will change with regard to his brother and sister-in-law. They said: “William is already planning for when he becomes King, and he doesn’t see a future for the Sussexes in the Royal Family. The feeling is that allowing the Sussexes back into the fold is a bad move and they should be resigned to the fringes indefinitely.”

William and Harry were briefly reunited last week for the memorial service for their late uncle. The brothers are said to have stood practically “back to back” without speaking to another. The feuding brothers were in the same room for what’s thought to be the first time since King Charles’ coronation last year following the death of Lord Robert Fellowes. The service, held in Snettisham, Norfolk, last Thursday, saw the two standing just “five yards” apart, but reportedly did not exchange a single word.

Prince Harry made a rushed trip to the UK from his California home for the service this week after Lord Fellowes, who was Princess Diana’s brother-in-law as well as private secretary to the late-Queen during the 1990s, sadly passed away last month at the age of 82. But while the two brothers were able to put aside their differences for one day to pay their respects, mourners at the event claimed both made it very clear they would not be publicly speaking with one another. One mourner told The Sun : “They were only five yards from each other.”

It’s understood William, 41, and Harry, 39, sat on opposite sides of St Mary’s Church for the ceremony, separated by fellow mourners and the church aisle. “They were sat two or three rows back from the front, not at the back, but they were on opposite sides of the aisle,” a mourner said. “And then there were family members on the rest of the seats between them, so maybe that is something that was arranged.”

A source said: “A lot of people were taking the chance to speak to them. They were only about five yards from each other, it was virtually back to back. When we left the reception they were both still there, but as we were on a walk we saw Harry driven off in a black Range Rover.”