Meghan Markle, even if she tried, cannot save her husband from feeling some pain and regret over missing an important upcoming event.
Prince Harry will have to politely decline making an appearance, or perhaps he will not be invited due to some bittersweet and very private thoughts held by his aunt, Princess Anne.
Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, announced his engagement to pediatric nurse Harriet Sperling in early August and reportedly informed Prince William and Kate Middleton of the happy news before it was shared with the public.
That tidbit indicates that the heir and his wife will certainly attend the ceremony in the coming months.
This situation raises a new question: Where does that leave Prince Harry, one of Peter‘s closest friends and beloved cousins?
The pair grew up together and forged a strong bond, with Peter confessing: “There was quite a gang of us and we caused quite a bit of mayhem and chaos.”
However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to leave the UK and later criticize the monarchy in his memoir, Spare, and in interviews put him in a tough spot with his family.
Prince Harry also hurts Princess Anne, who views loyalty above all else. Princess Anne once loved and adored her nephews, but that is reportedly no longer the case. She is utterly confused, disappointed, and livid by Prince Harry’s rejection of the monarchy and royal duties.
A royal insider said, as reported by the Sunday Times: “He [ Prince Harry ] really should have talked to Princess Anne. She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently from Charles. She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path.”
The person went on to claim that Princess Anne was a roadmap for Prince Harry to have an impactful and fulfilling life as a spare, adding: “In her twenties, she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that. He should discuss her experiences with her. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”
BBC’s Jennie Bond talked to The Mirror, explaining that Princess Anne could have been the one to guide her nephew through the trenches, but that ship has sailed, carrying many grudges and disdain.
The journalist said: “She could have told her nephew that ‘playing second fiddle’ is the wrong way to look at his status. Instead, as she has shown, the second born can be an invaluable support to the institution of monarchy, and a vital friend, confidant, and wingman/woman to the Monarch.”
She concluded by: “She could have explained that they are a team, a firm, working together to keep the monarchy relevant and using their platform to help charities and communities. To Anne, loyalty is paramount, and I suspect she feels that Harry has been extremely disloyal to his father, brother, and the monarchy. She might well find that hard to forgive.”
Now, Peter Phillips faces an impossible position: he is unlikely to invite Prince Harry if his mother, Princess Anne, harbors bitter feelings about Harry‘s actions toward her brother and the monarchy.
