Prince Harry will "come to regret" a veiled dig at the Princess of Wales that reportedly left Prince William furious, a former royal butler had claimed.
Both Harry and wife Meghan Markle released a six-part docuseries on Netflix in December 2022, where they dropped a series of bombshells about life in the Firm, where he appeared to take aim at Kate. In one of the episodes, the Duke of Sussex said there is a temptation in the royal family to marry someone who "fits the mould" - with many believing he was talking about his sister-in-law. He said: "I think for so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mould as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with."
And now former royal butler Paul Burrell, who worked for both Princess Diana and the late Queen, believes Harry will come to regret the comments, especially amid speculation Meghan could be penning her own memoir. He explained: "I think he will come to regret these comments. He has to be careful about attacking the Royal Family. We adore our Royals in this country and Meghan and Harry have forgotten their only USP is being royal, so why are they trying to destroy the institution? It doesn’t make sense. But I think the royal family are stronger than people think they are, and they are much stronger together."
Last month, the new book Charles III New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, claimed friends of the Royal Family believed it was clear Harry was talking about William and Kate in the Netflix series when he made the comment. One tells the author in the book: "On top of all the other breaches of trust, here was Harry making a blatant attack on Catherine. For William, this was the lowest of the low."
And speaking on behalf of Slingo, Paul added: "I understand why they are upset because Kate went to great lengths to find out if a royal life was for her and it caused her issues, but they both worked it out and she committed herself to a life of public service. This wasn’t a case of fitting the mould: it’s a case of finding the right person to do the job."
Several weeks after the Netflix series, when Harry's memoir Spare was published, he also didn't hold back when dishing about Kate and revealed private details about a falling out between her and Meghan in his memoir Spare. He also described how Kate allegedly 'grimaced' when Meghan borrowed her lipgloss and how the women had a disagreement after the Duchess of Sussex said William's wife had "baby brain" after Prince Louis was born.
Royal expert Jennie Bond says Kate was hurt and insulted by the attacks by Harry and Meghan - and it's unlikely their feud will be fixed any time soon. Speaking to OK!, she said: "When you come from a happy, united family – as Catherine does – it's incredibly hard to understand how people can become estranged.
"I think she believed the rift could be fixed and, after Prince Philip's funeral, we saw her talking with Harry and obviously encouraging William to do the same. But we now know that it didn’t work. In fact, William and Harry had a blazing row right after the funeral. There comes a point when you just have to accept that happy families are not a game that everyone can play.
"Catherine has been hurt and insulted by things that Harry and Meghan have said, but she and William are a very strong team, and I suspect that, together, they’ve come to the conclusion that the rift with Harry cannot be fixed in the foreseeable future. They’ve closed their minds to that possibility and decided to get on with their lives."
