'They've Been Stabbed in the Back': Ex-Royal Butler Says William, Kate Feel Betrayed Ahead of Harry, Meghan's UK Return

Prince William and Kate Middleton are 'apprehensive' and feel 'stabbed in the back' ahead of Prince Harry's planned visit to the UK next week with Meghan Markle and their two children, according to a former royal butler. The trip, due to centre on a 7 July event for the Invictus Games in Birmingham, is still expected to go ahead despite a row over security arrangements.

Harry initially confirmed he would return to Britain with Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for what would be the family's first visit since 2022, only to rapidly backtrack when he was told they would not receive full-time police protection. Security for senior figures is determined by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as RAVEC, which considers requests case by case and usually restricts taxpayer-funded protection to working royals.

Within hours of announcing the trip, Harry was reported to have 'reconsidered' bringing his wife and children after being informed that RAVEC would not reinstate the level of police cover he once enjoyed as a full-time member of the Royal Family. That uncertainty briefly raised the prospect of Harry travelling alone, or not at all.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex later insisted he was exploring 'every available option' to ensure the family can travel together on 7 July. Nothing is confirmed yet, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but at the time of writing Harry 'is still intending' to come with Meghan and the children.

Prince William And Kate Middleton Face Awkward Return Of Harry And Meghan

This will be the first time Prince William and Kate Middleton have been in the same country as Harry and Meghan for an extended period since relations deteriorated following the couple's move to the United States and Harry's subsequent public criticism of the monarchy.

In television interviews and written accounts, Harry has accused the institution and some of its members of failing to support him and Meghan, feeding hostile briefings to the media and ignoring the emotional toll on his wife. Senior royals have largely declined to respond in detail, sticking to the familiar line about 'recollections may vary,' but the damage has plainly lingered.

Grant Harrold, who worked closely with King Charles when he was Prince of Wales and has long-standing insight into royal household culture, says the Prince and Princess of Wales are bracing for the fallout from Harry's visit rather than looking forward to a warm reunion.

'I think William and Kate will be apprehensive about Harry and Meghan's visit, even quite concerned,' he said. 'And with good reason, they've been stabbed in the back. While I'm not sure there will be any sort of reunion between the two couples, even just knowing that Harry and Meghan are here will be a lot.'

It is a blunt diagnosis, but it tallies with the public trajectory of the brothers' relationship. William has stayed resolutely inside the royal tent, carrying out duties 'by the book,' as Harrold puts it. Harry has stood outside that tent and described, in sometimes excruciating detail, what he says went on inside.

According to the former butler, Princess Kate is nonetheless urging her husband to find a way to see his younger brother during the short UK stay. The idea of a quiet meeting between the princes with or without Meghan present has hovered over every royal gathering for several years, only to come to nothing.

How Security And Media Pressure Shape Prince William And Kate Middleton's Dilemma

Harry's security fight has become a proxy for the wider rupture. In his view, the refusal to provide full police protection when he visits Britain leaves his family exposed and effectively deters them from spending time in the country. For the palace and the Home Office, it is a matter of precedent and fairness: protection follows duty, not the other way round.

Against that backdrop, Harrold suggests Prince William and Kate Middleton are worried not only about the personal tension but also about the circus that follows Harry and Meghan wherever they go.

'The private conversations the King has with his youngest son could hugely move the dial on the current situation,' he said, arguing that any progress would likely happen out of sight, if at all. 'Also, they know there will be a lot of media attention around them, and you never know which way that will go so that's another worry for them.'

If the two couples are seen in public together, it would be interpreted as a truce. If they are not, that absence will be read as confirmation of a deep freeze. Either way, the images or lack of them will race around the world.

Harrold believes, on the surface at least, the Waleses will give nothing away.

'If we see them out and about, they will have their poker faces on. The official line will be that everything is business as usual. But it will be at the front of their minds,' he said.

He is in no doubt about William's private reaction. 'I don't think Prince William will be happy about it. It feels like a case of the younger sibling getting away with everything. Harry has said terrible things about his family, while William has played his role as prince 'by the book' with all the challenges that bring.'

What happens in Birmingham, and in whatever private rooms are offered up for difficult conversations, will be watched more closely than the Invictus countdown itself.