Prince William to Meghan and Harry: I Don't Want to See Your Kid In London!
It's been four months since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their second child, a girl named Lilibet.
The couple's choice for a name is both significant and a little surprising.
It's a nickname that Prince Philip used in referring to Queen Elizabeth, his wife of 73 years.
No doubt Harry and Meghan felt it was a fitting tribute following Philip's death -- but it seems the gesture hasn't earned them any new fans among the British press or the senior members of the royal family.
Many are upset the Queen has not yet been introduced to Lilibet.
As with everything that upsets the royals, most of the blame is being placed on Meghan.
But is she really the one who's at fault here?
For starters, taking a four-month-old baby on a transcontinental flight is quite an undertaking, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
On top of that, it seems that Prince William has gone to great lenghts to make it clear that Meghan -- and by extension, Lilibet -- is not welcome at Buckingham Palace.
"Both Harry and Meghan were very keen to make that return and make sure that christening happened, particularly in front of Her Majesty The Queen," royal journalist Neil Sean said in a recent interview with the Express.
"But that came to a grinding halt."
And according to Sean, it was William who brought those plans to a grinding halt.
"[M]oving forward, there was one person who basically decided there wasn't an appetite for this and the person that seemingly is, so far, not willing to kiss and make up with his younger brother," said Sean.
"According to a very good source, Prince William was the one who basically said 'no, we don't think this is going to work,' it wasn't a particularly good idea," the journalist added.
There was a time -- not all that long ago, in fact -- when it looked as though William and Harry might be on the berge of burying the hatchet.
First, the brothers were spotted civilly conversing at Prince Philip's funeral.
They converged in London again, not long after, for the unveiling of a Princess Diana memorial statue.
But insiders say the brothers were simply keeping up appearances, and they both continue to show zero interest in burying the hatchet.
And one journalist expects that the holidays will serve as a reminder of just how deep the rift between the two warring factions has become.
"It's perhaps unlikely that they're going to be spending what we would think of as quality time together at Christmas and New Years and birthdays," royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti told Us Weekly.
"Just remember that the queen hasn't met her latest grandaughter. It doesn't seem likely that she's going to anytime soon. She's barely seen Archie for quite a while," he continued.
If the feud were a result of royal protocol issues, perhaps it could be more easily resolved.
"On a human family level, forgetting them being the royal family, there's already quite some frostiness and distance there," Sacerdoti said.
"So I suspect if things can go well, [then] maybe they'll have the occasional meeting, but I don't think it seems very high on anyone's agenda."
Yes, even the royals can let human emotions interfere with their duties from time to time -- and it sounds as though William and Harry will not be setting aside their feelings for the good of their country anytime soon.
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