Prince Harry and Meghan are said to have been some of the last royals to know about Kate's cancer diagnosis.
The former working royals, who fled the Firm to start a new life in America in 2020, have an infamously strained relationship with Kate and her husband Prince William after they launched a series of 'truth bombs' about their relatives.
Harry went to town on Kate in his autobiography, Spare, and claimed William physically attacked him after a row about Meghan. And with relations at a reported all-time low, it has been claimed that the Sussexes were kept in the dark about Kate's diagnosis until the last minute.
When Kate's cancer news was revealed in a moving video on March 22, Harry and Meghan made a short public statement, sending " health and healing" to her and her family. It was later reported that the Sussexes had been in touch privately with William and Kate.
But royal historian and expert Dr Tessa Dunlop believes the delicate situation may have heightened Harry's beliefs about his place in the family. "Harry is the self-identifying royal 'Spare'. And in the wake of his sister-in-law's health revelations, I expect he feels more spare than ever," she said.
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The news about the princess comes as Meghan prepares to fully launch her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. And , although it's not their fault, Harry and Meghan are now on the back foot, Tessa says. She told the Mirror : "I feel compassion for Harry and Meghan. No, they don't have cancer, and yes, they have been publicly critical of the British Royal Family. But in our own families, how many of us hold back our feelings on the off-chance a sibling or sister-in-law might get sick? I rest my case.
"But while it is not entirely their fault, the Sussexes are now on the back foot. Harry's book 'Spare' is permanent proof that he and one of the world's most famous women, Kate, are no longer close. (Let’s not mention William).
"Beyond the uncomfortable optics, it is also possible that the Sussex brand will have taken a knock. Firstly, hard though it may be to believe, the public only has so much bandwidth for royal celebrity, and right now it is Kate who is the global icon. That she would rather not be, especially in such unhappy circumstances, garners her all the more sympathy.
"Sure, Harry and Meghan had a right to complain about press intrusion and difficult dynamics within the institution of royalty. But can anything compare with the nightmare assault on Kate over the last two months? She was behind palace walls grappling with major surgery and a cancer diagnosis when the world was losing its mind over her whereabouts. The Princess of Wales’s response was spellbinding. A lesson in magnanimity – she thanked us for our messages and reached out beyond the trolls to fellow cancer sufferers. That is a very hard act to follow."
She continued: "These days Meghan identifies as a ‘feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity,’ Harry is ‘humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate.’
"Implicit in the careful cultivation of this brand is the idea that the Duke and Duchess are the caring ones, not the royal family they have openly criticised. Understandably many will insist we must not compare the two-sister-in-laws or indeed the brothers, but on one level the Sussexes invited us to do just that when they publicly spilt the beans with Oprah, published an autobiography and made a Netflix series, all majoring on a criticism of a family in which Kate and William are centrepieces.
"Harry and Meghan posited themselves as the alternative to royalty, the couple who believed in service outside monarchy. They encouraged us to look at them as an American version of royalty-lite (their children are prince and princess). All their branding nudges us towards sideways glances between the House of Montecito and the House of Windsor.
"Duchess Meghan is using more than a touch of regal glamour to brand her new site, American Riveria Orchard. Meanwhile, Harry is the self-identifying royal ‘Spare’. And in the wake of his sister-in-law’s health revelations, I expect he feels more spare than ever. The Sussexes must plan their next public move with extreme care. The timing and optics matter like never before."
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