Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been told they need to make a big move if they want to heal the rift with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, according to a royal expert.

A Royal commentator has indicated that prospects for Prince Harry and William to patch things up are grim without one significant move. The feuding princes have maintained a chilly rapport recently, with their fraternal discord grabbing headlines following Harry and Meghan Markle’s sensational break from Royal duties in 2020.

Their rift was further spotlighted when Harry disclosed to Oprah Winfrey during a revelatory interview that he and his brother were treading ‘different paths’. Post-interview, the Duke of Sussex made bombshell assertions in his memoir Spare about a physical clash with William at Frogmore Cottage, where Harry and Meghan formerly resided, exacerbating the divide.

As ties with William and Princess Kate became chillier, Royal pundits dashed any hopes of an amicable reconciliation.

However, a broadcaster believes that the consensus is that the divide between the so-called Fab Four can be mended if Harry and Meghan make reparative gestures. Richard Eden of the Daily Mail, host of the Palace Confidential podcast, explored the siblings’ strife and stressed that it hinges on the Sussexes extending apologies for their various statements.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry currently reside in the United States (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Richard remarked: “I’ve been speaking to people about the chances of a reconciliation between the brothers. But everyone really has made the same point that it won’t happen until Harry and Meghan really apologize for everything they have said,” reports the Mirror.

He added: “They need to apologize, at least privately, but also, how can there be that reconciliation when William and Catherine just don’t know what will later appear in a TV program or in a book? Genuinely, once you’ve lost that trust you’ve kind of lost it forever.”

Since leaving the Royal Family, Harry has made only a few visits back to the UK, with his children coming over just once for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. It is thought that this was the only time King Charles met his granddaughter, Princess Lilibet, who was born in the US.

Now, rumors suggest Harry and Meghan might decline any Christmas invitations from the UK, including one from Harry’s uncle, Charles Spencer, preferring to spend the holiday season in America. Speaking to OK!, former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond offered insights into why Meghan may choose a California Christmas.

The relationship between the royal brothers is said to be strained (Image: PA)

She explained: “I think most women like to be with their mums on Christmas Day. Given that Doria does not seem to have any other family she wants to share the festivities with, I think it’s a fair bet that Meghan will want to be with her and that would mean them all being in California. I don’t imagine that Doria would want to spend such a special time with people she barely knows – in other words, the Spencers.”

When discussing potential European jaunts over the festive period, one pundit commented that it’s unlikely a visit to Portugal is on the cards unless Eugenie and Jack are in residence. Despite Princess Eugenie and her spouse Jack Brooksbank dividing their time between Portugal and Britain since 2022, Jennie speculates, “Eugenie will want to be with her mum [Sarah Ferguson] on Christmas Day.”