Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still have two loyal allies in the royal family
Prince Harry has seen tensions rise, particularly with his brother, Prince William
While Prince Harry’s relationship with much of the royal family has grown increasingly strained since his royal departure in 2020, there are two royals who insiders say remain firmly in his corner: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
The Duke of Sussex, who has shared personal stories about royal life in his Netflix docuseries and 2023 memoir Spare, has seen tensions rise, particularly with his brother, Prince William.
However, according to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Harry’s bond with his cousins Eugenie and Beatrice has endured.
“I think Harry is closest to the York sisters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie,” Burrell said in an interview with Genting Casino.
“They’re from the same era as him, similar age and the younger members understand how archaic the rules can be — and don’t always agree with them."
He continued: “Harry, Eugenie and Beatrice live in the real world now. Eugenie and Beatrice have to go out, catch a bus, walk down the street like the rest of us. Harry being such a rebel has made him lose favour with the establishment and the senior royals.”
Despite this, Burrell added, “The younger royals understand his position with everything, including the court case this week, and support him — even at their own cost.”
Are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still close to Princess Eugenie?
Despite Meghan and Harry’s strained ties with the royal family, Princess Eugenie remains one of their closest allies. She was the first royal Harry introduced Meghan to in 2016 when they started dating.
In 2022, Eugenie even made a rare cameo in the couple’s Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. She was seen playing on the beach in California with Prince Archie, 5—a sign of her enduring bond with the Sussexes.
Recently, a source close to the Duke confirmed to People magazine that there’s no rift, saying: “The Duke remains close to Princess Eugenie. They always have and always will be.”
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