Prince Harry and King Charles’s 'distant' relationship laid bare

Thank you for following our live blog on the Royal Family today. We will be back tomorrow with all the latest Royal news.

All updates from today can be found below or here.

As the brother of a future Queen, James Middleton has spent a fair amount of time with the Royal Family since his sister, Princess Kate, married Prince William in 2011.

While he does not appear at every royal event, James and the rest of Kate’s family have been spotted at a number of major royal occasions and some of the smaller ones behind closed doors too.

One of the smaller events attended by James was a birthday party held for Princess Kate by the late Queen Elizabeth II. While James, who turns 38 today, wanted to make a good impression in front of Her Majesty, it seems this did not go to plan.

Writing in his book Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, the dad-of-one spoke about how he was late for the birthday gathering at Sandringham, which resulted in a funny royal blunder.

Prince Harry has publicly expressed how proud he is of his wife Meghan Markle in a rare interview this week. The Duke of Sussex, 40, spoke to People magazine about his wife’s latest business ventures, including the launch of her brand As Ever and her podcast Confessions of A Female Founder.

This is the first time the dad-of-two has addressed Meghan’s latest projects, launched just five years after the couple stepped down as senior royals in 2020.

Harry shared a sweet three-word message to his wife as he said “I’m incredibly proud”. He told the publication: “I am so happy for my wife and fully support absolutely everything she’s done and continues to do.”

Queen Camilla put her best fashion foot forward in Italy last week as she stepped out in a series of show-stopping ensembles during her State Visit with King Charles III. The Queen looked stylish in a polka dot Fiona Clare frock, but the look was almost identical to one of Princess Kate’s iconic ensembles – minus a few minor details.

Camilla, 77, rocked the navy and white look that featured a lapel collar and midi length design. This appears to be a new addition to her wardrobe, which was created by her go-to designer. However, it appears the royal copied Kate, who has a love affair with spotted patterns.

James Middleton shared a candid video and heartfelt statement on Instagram as he celebrated his 38th birthday with his family on April 15. The Princess of Wales's younger brother, posted a sweet home video of his son, Inigo, happily eating breakfast outside alongside chickens and two dogs sat on a bench.

A very cheery Inigo then took to the seat of a red tractor, and in another clip he attempted to feed the chickens, while his wife Alizée watched on with the family's dogs. He may only be 18 months old but the tot is already showing interest in countryside pursuits.

Princess Anne was reportedly left “surprised” today when she found out a successful sportswoman had to campaign to wear shorts while playing hockey. During an Investiture ceremony on Wednesday, The Princess Royal, 74, made Commonwealth Games-winning hockey player Tess Howard an MBE.

Ms Howard, who was part of England women’s 2022 gold medal squad, was made an MBE for her services to inclusive sportswear for women and girls, which she said is a “ridiculous” campaign. The GB athlete founded Inclusive Sportswear in 2023 to “champion rigorous inclusivity, dismantle participation barriers, and inspire belonging for every body in sport”.

After being made an MBE on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, Ms Howard- who plays for East Grinstead Hockey Club in West Sussex - said she felt “very honoured” by the award.

Prince Harry quitting royal life five years ago did not only send shockwaves across the world, but across the Royal Family too. Since 2020, the Duke of Sussex has seen a number of his relationships with his royal relatives become strained, especially since moving to the US and sharing his side of the story on a number of personal Royal Family moments on both his Netflix docuseries and in his 2023 memoir Spare.

While this has soured some of his relationships, including with his now estranged brother Prince William, others have remained as strong as ever. This includes his relationship with his two cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, with Eugenie having even flown out to California to spend time with the prince.

In an interview with Genting Casino, former royal butler Paul Burrell said he thinks Harry is closest to his cousins out of all his royal relatives despite living across the pond from them.

Prince William is set to make a return to royal work after the Easter Holidays next week, however Princess Kate will not be by his side.

It has been announced this week that William, 42, will visit Mentivity, an organisation dedicated to empowering young people through access to quality youth services and safe spaces, on April 24. The engagement comes after the Prince of Wales has taken some time off royal duty to enjoy the Easter holidays with his three children.

The organisation William is set to visit next week was founded in 2016 and helps over 400 local young people each week through various programmes the organisation runs. Some of these workshops and programmes take place at Mentivity House, the organisation's community centre on the Aylesbury Estate in south London, where the prince will meet various people involved in Mentivity.

Prince George sparked a fan frenzy on Tuesday night as he joined Prince William at Villa Park in Birmingham to watch their beloved Aston Villa take on PSG. Sadly, the game ended in heartbreak, with a 4-5 defeat on aggregate. Even though they didn't get the result they wanted, 11-year-old George was surrounded by some of his family's very close friends - including his godfather, The Duke of Westminster.

Despite being chosen as one of George's seven godparents when he was born in 2013, Tuesday night's game is thought to have marked one of the first times the young royal has been pictured with his godfather in public.

Meghan Markle is set to make an appearance at a huge event in just a few days time as she will join a number of famous faces and speak at the TIME100 Summit on April 23.

Alongside celebrities like Demi Moore and Ryan Reynolds, the Duchess will join "world's most influential people" and appear as a keynote speaker, although she has not been named among 2025's TIME100 list.

The website states: "The fifth-annual TIME100 Summit will feature leaders from the global TIME community to spotlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world. Speakers for the day-long event include: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and founder of As Ever, actor and producer."

Prince Harry has not fallen out with his cousin Princess Eugenie, an insider insists, after Piers Morgan claimed they fell out after he was pictured hugging Eugenie.

The outspoken broadcaster claimed on a recent episode of his show Uncensored that the Duke of Sussex went "completely ballistic" after the princess was pictured socialising with him.Harry's response was understood to be because of Mr Morgan's repeated criticism of the Sussexes, especially his wife Meghan Markle.

But now a source has told People magazine that the rumours of a rift between the cousins is entirely untrue. They said: "The Duke remains close to Princess Eugenie. They always have and always will be."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have taken their children on holiday to celebrate the launch of the Duchess of Sussex's new business ventures.

The family of four went on a sun-soaked getaway to mark Meghan's new projects, which include her Netflix show, podcast and products under her As Ever brand, People magazine reports.

It comes as the Duke of Sussex told the publication that he's "incredibly proud" of his wife. Harry said: "I am so happy for my wife and fully support absolutely everything she’s done and continues to do. I'm incredibly proud."

Good afternoon. Royal reporter Jasmine Carey here and I will be bringing you all the latest Royal Family updates this afternoon.

You can contact me at jasmine.carey@reachplc.com

Meghan Markle has been accused of copying President Donald Trump in a bid to make the world "obsessed with her". The 43-year-old launched the second episode of her podcast series, Confessions of a Female Founder, on Tuesday. Despite it reaching 19th place on Spotify's podcast charts, critics have said - following the release of the first two episodes - that it offers "no substance".

As reported by The Sun, royal expert Mark Borkowski has said that the podcast shows that Meghan appears "desperate" to be liked by the world. Speaking of the Duchess, he said: "One could argue that's a major success because, you know, it keeps her in this sort of public gaze and keeps the global media obsessed about her story..."

Prince George sparked a fan frenzy on Tuesday night as he joined Prince William at Villa Park in Birmingham to watch their beloved Aston Villa take on PSG. Sadly, the game ended in heartbreak, with a 4-5 defeat on aggregate. Even though they didn't get the result they wanted, 11-year-old George was surrounded by some of his family's very close friends - including his godfather, The Duke of Westminster.

Despite being chosen as one of George's seven godparents when he was born in 2013, Tuesday night's game is thought to have marked one of the first times the young royal has been pictured with his godfather in public.

Queen Mary of Denmark has issued a statement following the death of a former employee and close friend. Michael Halbye was skiing in the Verbier region on Saturday when he fell off piste and was injured. In a statement after the accident, the company Kirkbi - who also that owns Lego - said that Mr Halbye was immediately airlifted to hospital but he died from internal bleeding shortly afterwards.

Writing on the Mary Fonden website, the Danish Queen - who married King Frederik in 2004 - wrote a statement after his death on April 12. She said: "I have received with great sadness the news of Michael Halbye's sudden death. Michael Halbye was a man who possessed a rare positive energy, extensive knowledge and a strong commitment to making a difference for those outside the community.

Fans who listened to episode two of Meghan Markle's new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder are convinced the show is "all about her". On Tuesday, 15 April, Meghan released an episode featuring Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. The episode description states: "In this dynamic episode, Meghan sits down with Reshma Saujani, a tenacious founder who's built two successful nonprofits that close the gender gap for women: first, Girls Who Code and now, Moms First."

Following the release of the second episode, a social media user on X posted: "Her show should be dynamic and tell interesting and compelling stories about women who build a brand. No such thing happens instead it's all about her and that's annoying."

Meghan Markle has been slammed by a royal expert this week who claims one of her decisions surrounding her new podcast “doesn’t make sense”. Since the launch of Confessions of A Female Founder last week, The Duchess of Sussex, 43, has released two episodes in which she sits down with fellow female businesswomen for candid conversations.

While the podcast has been doing well in the charts, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the decision to release her podcast between 8am and 9am in the UK - which is just after midnight in California - does not make much sense. Speaking to Express.co.uk, Fitzwilliams said the duchess should have released the episodes at a time better suited to a US audience. Talking about the timing of the podcast release in Britain, Mr Fitzwilliams said: “This strategy doesn’t make sense, and the listening figures are not impressive either.”

Meghan Markle has set her sights on brands associated with Princess Kate in her latest move as an influencer. In March, the Duchess of Sussex was slammed for monetising the monarchy after cashing in on her title – despite stepping down as a working royal back in 2020.

The 43-year-old set up an online shop attached to her Instagram account, that sees her give her royal approval of fashion, beauty and now Easter products. Her latest "Easter Edit", which she uploaded to her ShopMy page on Monday, notably features brands and timeless classic staples that have been seen on Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

In recent weeks, the Duchess of Sussex has dominated the spotlight following the launch of her new Netflix series, As Ever brand and new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, with her highly lauded return to social media earlier this year having sent the media into a frenzy.

Yet while many spouses could be accused of being victims of the green eyed monster in such a situation, Prince Harry couldn’t be prouder - or happier - with his wife’s success, and even lifted the lid on precisely how much he is supporting her ventures in a new interview with PEOPLE magazine.

Prince Harry is “cursed with charisma but hates being a prince” according to a royal author. The Duke of Sussex, 40, stepped back from royal life with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 and has not looked back since. While many royal fans were surprised at Harry’s decision at the time, especially as he seemed to enjoy royal duty, one royal expert said the duke did not like being a prince.

Speaking on The Mirror's royal podcast - named Pod Save the Queen at the time of the interview in 2022 - royal author Andrew Morton said: “They (Harry and Meghan) were thinking about living in New Zealand, and they even spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand about this - so they had all kinds of plots and thoughts for their future. It didn't work out because when it actually comes down to it, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma but hates being a prince and I think that he saw Meghan as a way out.”

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