Meghan Markle might be gearing up for a return to the United Kingdom, but her potential visit may not be met with open arms from her royal relatives. It’s been quite some time since the Duchess of Sussex last visited the UK, with her last appearance coinciding with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

In contrast, Prince Harry has made several journeys back to the UK, including attending King Charles’ coronation. However, Meghan and their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, have not accompanied him. This situation may soon change as reports suggest the Sussexes could have their police protection restored, which would ease Harry’s concerns about their safety during visits.

The public is well aware of the tensions between Harry, Meghan, and other members of the royal family. It appears that Harry and his brother, Prince William, are currently not on speaking terms. Last year, their strained relationship was highlighted by overlapping commitments that saw them attending separate events in close proximity to each other.

The tension between the brothers was further strained by an incident where Prince William reportedly felt uneasy about Meghan Markle’s involvement with missing Princess Diana’s diamonds.

The chilly relationship between the once-close brothers and their spouses seems to have originated well before Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties and move to California in 2020.

In his memoir, Spare, Harry disclosed that friction was building among the so-called ‘Fab Four’ in the lead-up to his 2018 wedding to Meghan – when a row over bridesmaids’ dresses erupted between his bride and sister-in-law.

One observer has suggested there’s a particular reason why Meghan’s possible return to Britain would prove a “bitter pill” for Kate and William to digest.

Shane Watson, writing for the Sunday Times, stated: “Of all the royals, William and Kate are the ones who will need to assume the brace position when the Sussex show rolls into town and, unfortunately for them, Meghan’s year has started with a mega boosting bang.”

She continued: “Thanks to a technical glitch on the website of the duchess’s As Ever brand, shoppers were momentarily able to see how much of her product was left in stock, which then allowed some motivated sleuths to work out exactly how many boxes of her signature ‘fruit spread’ had been sold.”

Should the figures prove accurate, Meghan has raked in a staggering £26.7 million from jam sales – proving that her startup enterprise, established just 12 months ago, has been a phenomenal hit with her fans and customers. The commentator continued: “Meghan was not coming back to the UK as the dutiful wife of the Invictus Games founder. She was never stepping onto the tarmac at Heathrow as the Yoko of the royal family, somewhat chastened by the cancelled Spotify deal, the reduced Netflix deal and the alleged backlash in the US where Wills and Kate’s popularity polling outstrips theirs by some considerable amount.”

They went on: “She will happily return now because it will be as one of the Californian business elite, flying the flag of mindful wealth and success – all of which is going to make it even harder than it would have for the Waleses to swallow, and even more gripping to watch for the rest of us.”

Relations between the two couples are thought to have deteriorated further following an ill-judged comment from Meghan about Kate’s “baby brain” in 2018 – though Harry detailed private efforts the foursome undertook to patch things up.

The Duke disclosed that during the private summit designed to clear the air, he quickly realised they were making scant progress, observing: “None of this airing of grievances was doing us any good, I felt.”

He added: “We weren’t getting anywhere. Kate looked out into the garden, gripping the edges of the leather [seat] so tightly that her fingers were white, and said she was owed an apology”.

It appears the underlying tensions have never truly healed, possibly intensifying following the Sussexes’ move to California. In their eponymous Netflix documentary, a poignant moment was captured following their explosive Oprah interview in 2021, where Harry received a text message, reportedly from William.

The contents of the message were not disclosed on camera, but Harry’s reaction suggested he was deeply affected by it.

The publication of his candid memoir, Spare, which offers an in-depth view of his take on family dysfunction and perceived sibling rivalry with William, appears to have done little to bridge the gap.

Harry has even hinted that he left out many details from the book, particularly about his relationship with his elder brother, fearing that the future king would “never forgive” him. He stated in 2023, “It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.”

The Duke further added, “There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know. Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me.”