Prince Harry ‘feels more Spare than ever’ after Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement – expert

A royal expert says Prince Harry is likely feeling the rift between him and his brother Prince William more keenly following Princess Kate’s brave public address on her cancer diagnosis

The gulf between Prince Harry and his family was never more evident than in the wake of Princess Kate’s sad cancer announcement, a royal expert has claimed.

Harry, who used to be incredibly close to his sister–in-law, was only informed about her diagnosis a short time before her video was released to the public. There was even a ‘strategy’ put in place regarding the Sussexes and when they should be told.

It’s not long until Harry returns to the UK in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. And there is speculation he and William could reunite and start to heal their rift – not least because of Kate’s health diagnosis.

But, Harry and Meghan are on the back foot, according to royal historian and expert Dr Tessa Dunlop. She told the Mirror: “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.”

Dr Tessa continued: “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?

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“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.

“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’s series, all majoring on a criticism of a family in which Kate and William are centrepieces.”

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