Prince Harry has always been close with his younger cousin, Princess Eugenie, who has stuck by him even as the rest of the family shakes their head in disappointment over his treatment of their grandmother, the Queen.
While Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s behaviour over the past two years has turned them into a pair of royal pariahs – forcing even his brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to distance themselves – Eugenie, who turns 32 this week, apparently has no such qualms.
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The princess, together with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, spent time with her cousin at his home in California earlier this month, leaving the rest of the family in no doubt as to where her loyalties lie.
New Idea has learnt that Kate in particular is struggling with Eugenie’s show of support for the Sussexes.
“Kate and Eugenie were never especially close when they were younger, but Kate made a point of checking in on her when baby August was born,” says a source. “Kate, who lived across the way from Eugenie in Kensington Palace in August’s first months, was a great help to her as she adjusted to new motherhood.
“During those bonding moments, Kate poured her heart out about a lot of personal things, including how she felt about Meghan and Harry ditching then dissing the family.”
Now, says the source, Kate, 40, is “feeling incredibly stressed about taking Eugenie into her confidences, given she’s made it clear she’s on team Sussex”.
The source says Kate was “dismayed” when she saw paparazzi pictures of Meghan, 40 and Harry, 37, treating Eugenie and Jack to a raucous dinner at an exclusive Santa Barbara restaurant during their recent visit to the US.
“Kate didn’t know there was such a warm friendship between Eugenie and the Sussexes, and she expects that everything she’s ever said to Eugenie has gotten right back to Harry and Meghan,” says a source.
“Given their penchant for twisting the truth to suit their narrative, she’s worried that whatever Eugenie has said will be magnified and fed to the press. It’s a horrible situation to be in for Kate, who feels like she’s basically been spied on by someone she was starting to consider a close friend.
“Eugenie’s playing with fire though – it won’t be long before Kate’s husband is in charge of the family, including its purse strings. If William feels Eugenie has slighted his wife in any way, there will be hell to pay.”
Read more in this week’s New Idea, on sale now.
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