Prince Harry, Meghan Markle did not meet Prince William in UK over 'huge rift'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reunited with Prince Charles, Camilla, and Queen Elizabeth II last week in the U.K. ahead of their trip to the Netherlands over the weekend. Unfortunately, Prince William was unavailable to meet them.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly paid the royals a visit at Windsor to have some "clear the air" talks ahead of their visit to The Hague for the Invictus Games. Their return to the country would not have made headlines had they not been spotted by a busload of visitors heading to St. George's Chapel for the Maundy Thursday service. Their representative eventually confirmed their visit.

However, the couple did not get the chance to meet and talk with the Duke of Cambridge and royal expert Chris Ship has revealed why. Speaking on "Good Morning Britain," he said William was away at the time of the visit. However, he doubted that the brothers would have met up for some "olive branch" talks had Prince William been there.

He said, "William is away at the moment, but this huge rift Harry and William have is still there. I would've been surprised had he also met William on the day he dropped in on his grandmother and father."

Ship added, "Those conversations would've been difficult enough."

The royal correspondent said it was expected of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "to pop in and see the Queen at some point" because they were travelling to Europe. He said that "it would have been unthinkable for him to come all this way from California and not see" his grandmother. He wondered what "the temperature was like" in that room when the couple met with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Camilla.

This is the first time that Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. since Megxit in January 2020, while it is the second trip back for Prince Harry. He went home after their infamous Oprah interview in March 2021 to be there for Prince Philip's funeral in April. He then joined Prince William in London for the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue at the Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace. The couple travelled to the U.K. without their children Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 10 months.