Prince William has “washed his hands” of his estranged brother Prince Harry as the royal family grows “concerned” over the latest wave of Sussex drama, according to a royal insider.
Kinsey Schofield shared insight into the feuding brothers’ current icy status after news surfaced that Harry and Meghan Markle pulled their children from their new UK prep school at the last minute due to security concerns.
“The Sussexes’ presence will always generate noise and distraction, and I think the first few weeks have demonstrated exactly why the royal family remains concerned,” Schofield said.
The “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered” podcast host pointed to the mounting controversies surrounding Harry’s failed push for taxpayer-funded police protection and his father King Charles III’s very public clarification of the Sussexes’ working royal status — or lack thereof.
“Now a school change being played out across the front pages,” Schofield said. “This is precisely the kind of rolling Sussex narrative the Royal Family has spent the last several years trying to move beyond.”
She added, “At this stage, I think he has largely washed his hands of the situation. He has his own family to protect and his responsibilities as Prince of Wales.”
Schofield further explained that the contrast between William and Kate Middleton’s approach and Harry and Markle’s strategy is “striking.”
“The Prince and Princess of Wales are trying to provide stability for their own children while Prince George begins an enormous new chapter at Eton,” Schofield said, referring to the 13-year-old’s prep school in Windsor, England.
“I can understand why another cycle of Sussex drama would be viewed as an unwelcome distraction,” she added.
Schofield has learned that William, 44, believes “firmer boundaries” should have been established with Harry and Markle “much earlier.”
William doesn’t seem interested in being drawn back into the cycle of responding to every one of Harry and Markle’s “grievances or controversies,” according to Schofield.
The way the Prince of Wales deals with Harry differs drastically from their father’s approach.
“Charles is still Harry’s father and there will always be an emotional component to that relationship,” Schofield said. “William can afford to be much more pragmatic.
“From his perspective, I suspect the boundaries are already established and Harry’s choices, and the consequences of those choices, are now Harry’s responsibility.”
This week, a rep for the Sussexes confirmed that the couple had pulled Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, from their new UK school just two days into the term over security concerns.
“The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements,” the spokesperson told Hello! Magazine.
They moved their kids to a new school after heavy traffic was allegedly straining their small security team during the previous commute, as they live an impractical distance from the campus.
“It’s a real shame, because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and their parents,” a source close to Harry, 42, and Markle, 45, told the outlet.
“It was perfect for them in every way and the children really enjoyed their time there. They really wanted to make it work, but they had to make a difficult decision based on the fact that the team couldn’t make the school run operationally secure.”
Page Six previously reported that the kids had been enrolled in a private school with an annual tuition of more than $35,000.
Instead, Archie and Lilibet have been enrolled in a nearby school, and the “Spare” author and Markle are already reportedly added to the WhatsApp groups for parents.
Page Six exclusively revealed that the As Ever founder and Harry were house-hunting in the Cotswolds before their shocking move to the UK last month.
In August, sources confirmed to Page Six that the duo would be moving back to the UK for “an extended period” at the end of the month.
At the time, we were told they wanted their kids to be closer to Charles, who revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2024. The King learned of their move just days before the news went public.
Harry and Markle quietly moved out of their $14 million Montecito mansion and chartered a six-figure private jet to the UK on Aug. 26.
Another insider told Page Six that William and Harry are still not on speaking terms despite the latter’s return to his home country.
Page Six has reached out to reps for William, Harry and Markle for comment.
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