Kate Middleton isn’t getting in the middle of the battling brothers.
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that the Princess of Wales isn’t attempting any new peace talks with Prince Harry following reports she’s been making "late night calls" to her brother-in-law.
U.K.’s Closer magazine alleged that the mother of three, who is married to Harry’s older brother Prince William, has been reaching out to the 38-year-old "to tell him to keep his chin up and not worry too much about these temporary setbacks."
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Reps for the Duke of Sussex and Kensington Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The relationship between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex is said to be strained following Harry’s stormy royal exit in 2020 alongside his wife Meghan Markle.
"My contacts at Kensington Palace have told me that this story has no truth to it," said Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast.
"The Princess of Wales is not making late night calls to Prince Harry," Schofield stressed. "A significant amount of William’s unhappiness toward Harry revolves around Harry and Meghan discussing Catherine so openly to Oprah and within [Harry’s memoir] ‘Spare.’ Catherine is very respectful of Prince William’s feelings and wouldn’t go behind his back to execute anything… The thought of her crawling out of bed to make phone calls is quite silly."
"William and Catherine do not receive regular updates on Harry and Meghan, so Kate would not be aware of any difficulties Harry was having to advise him to ‘keep his chin up,’" Schofield shared. "The Prince and Princess of Wales are laser focused on their goals for 2023 and are not distracted by the drama that seems to follow the Sussexes. They have made it a point to distance themselves. Meanwhile, Harry is defiant and will insist that there aren’t any ‘difficulties.’
"I personally don’t believe that Harry would speak to Catherine privately without Meghan’s blessing," Schofield added.
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William and Harry, who were once close, have been estranged since the couple made their royal exit. During the king’s coronation in May, the brothers were never seen speaking or even acknowledging each other. After the ceremony, Harry headed swiftly back to California.
The breakdown of the brothers’ relationship allegedly started before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said "I do." In 2019, Vanity Fair correspondent and royal author Katie Nicholl participated in the TLC documentary "Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War?" where she claimed William, 41, was increasingly worried about his brother and his whirlwind romance with Markle, 42. The couple announced their engagement in 2018.
"William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly," Nicholl said at the time. "And being close to Harry, you know, probably the only person close enough to say to Harry, ‘This seems to be moving quickly. Are you sure?’ And I think what was meant as well-intended brotherly advice just riled Harry."
"Harry is hugely protective of Meghan," continued Nicholl. "He saw that as criticism, he interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union. And I don’t think things have been quite right ever since."
The "Suits" actress became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. In 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back as senior royals, citing what they described as the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They moved to the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito that year.
The couple sat for a two-hour TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, launched a six-part Netflix docuseries about their life together and Harry released his best-selling memoir.
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"Following Megxit, Kate did what she could to try and mend the rift between the brothers," said Christopher Andersen, author of "The King."
"She urged William to reach out to Harry, and when the opportunity for some sort of breakthrough occurred during Prince Philip's funeral [in 2021], Kate physically stepped aside so the brothers could walk next to each other and chat," he noted. "Sadly, nothing came of it. All of that is in the past in the wake of the scalding things Harry wrote about William in 'Spare.’"
"Kate has thrown up her hands," he continued. "I seriously doubt that she's making furtive calls to Harry in an effort to patch things up. That is not her style and not her place. Things could blow up in her face and she knows it. She's famously cautious – that's how she got to where she is."
Harry’s "His Royal Highness" title was noticeably gone from the royal family’s website Tuesday, more than three years after he and his wife made their exit. As part of the agreement made between the couple and the royal family in January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would no longer use their "HRH" titles after stepping back from their official positions. HRH titles are spoken and written in front of the names of princes and princesses and their spouses.
The royal experts agreed that the Princess of Wales, 41, was once close to Harry.
"They made each other laugh," said Andersen. "Kate and Harry always felt William took things too seriously, so there were plenty of eye-rolling and giggles behind the heir's back."
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A month before the Prince and Princess of Wales said "I do," Harry described Middleton as "a fantastic girl."
"I’m really looking forward to getting her under my wing," he’s quoted as saying. "She’ll be taking me under her wing, probably."
"I loved my new sister-in-law," he wrote in his book. "I felt she was more sister than in-law, the sister I’d never had and always wanted, and I was pleased that she’d forever be standing by Willy’s side. They made each other visibly happy, and therefore I was happy too."
He also wrote about their first time meeting, saying she was "carefree, sweet [and] kind."
"She’d done a gap year in Florence, knew about photography, art," he recalled. "And clothes. She loved clothes… I liked seeing Kate laugh. Better yet, I liked making her laugh. And I was quite good at it."
Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich said that if given the opportunity, Middleton would be the one most likely to make the first move in a possible reconciliation.
"Her level-headed approach, derived from growing up with and maintaining an exceptionally close family has been on display during many troubling times," Fordwich explained. "She even told her close friends, prior to the Oprah interview, that she did not think it was then too late to ‘pull them back in.’"
"It was with great aplomb, and indeed seemed entirely spontaneous, when Kate made the two brothers talk to each other following the service for Prince Philip," she shared. "Despite no one else doing so, from the family congregation of only 30, she engaged self-exiled Harry in polite conversation. She was a most regal peacemaker with her maneuvering between her husband and brother-in-law, convening them in conversation. So picking up the phone at this time is highly likely."
True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen previously told Fox News Digital that at this point, an intervention is necessary to kick off peace talks.
"I think there is so much water under the bridge between William and Harry that how they intend to find that common ground is beyond most royal commentators," Bullen explained. "I think there needs to be a brokerage from another person. There almost needs to be an intervention. It requires both parties to be willing to come to the table."
"But I think it’s going to be very difficult to see how this is going to happen," Bullen admitted. "People have such entrenched views. [During] the coronation, the seating plan was carefully worked out [so] that they wouldn’t have to have an interaction.… I think it will require big apologies from both sides. But whether they’re going to come or not, I think it’s pretty unlikely."
