Amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the U.K., the King and his heir are “in sync” when it comes to this

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the U.K. has put new strain on the rifts within the royal family
• While Harry has made steps to repair his relationship with King Charles, things between him and his brother, Prince William, remain “broken down,” according to royal experts
• The King and Prince William, however, are said to be “completely united” when it comes to one thing surrounding Harry and Meghan’s return

Prince Harry is on different paths of reconciliation with Prince William and King Charles, but the British monarch and his heir are on the same page when it comes to one thing.

Harry, 42, and Meghan Markle, 45, returned to England on Aug. 26, just a week after announcing their plans to establish a non-royal home base in the U.K. with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Harry has been estranged from his family since he and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020 and moved their family to Montecito, Calif. While he has been in recent contact with his father — including a July meeting with the King and Queen Camilla at Highgrove — tensions between Harry and Prince William remain strained, with no direct communication between the brothers.

Regardless, royal author Russell Myers tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that King Charles, 77, and Prince William, 44, are on the same page when it comes to one thing regarding Harry and Meghan.

“The King and William are completely united on the Sussexes not representing the royal family,” says Myers. “It’s without a doubt how in sync they are on this matter.”

On Sept. 7, a letter was issued on behalf of King Charles stating that Harry and Meghan remain nonworking royals. The guidance, which reiterates the terms agreed when the couple stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020, was provided after a “number of requests” for clarity about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their return to the U.K.

PEOPLE understands that King Charles and Harry have spoken at least once since the Sussexes’ arrival back in Britain but have not seen each other. William and Harry, meanwhile, remain estranged.

“William’s view is clear — any relationship his father has with Harry or the Sussexes as a family is entirely up to him,” says Myers. “But looking toward the future, he will have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”

According to royal author Simon Vigar, William and Kate Middleton are relying on an age-old royal philosophy: “It is keep calm and carry on. They see it as a sideshow and ancient history.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales have kept things focused on their family and their royal work. So far in September, they’ve dropped their eldest child, Prince George, off to begin his first year of Eton College, and stepped out for multiple royal engagements, including a joint appearance in support of one of William’s mental health initiatives on World Suicide Prevention Day.

“They are shining a light on things that are important to them,” says Ailsa Anderson, the late Queen Elizabeth’s press secretary. “What they don’t want is all this other noise becoming a distraction.”

“It will be incredibly draining,” adds royal historian Amanda Foreman. “They will always have to look over their shoulders and factor them in. And all they can do is deflect. Yet, they’ll get lots of jabs and questions: ‘When are you going to make up with your brother?’ ”

Vigar wonders whether next year’s 30th anniversary of Diana’s death could eventually provide an opportunity for her sons to reconcile.

“Diana would have hated all this and would have banged their heads together and wouldn’t have allowed [the rift] to happen,” he says.

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“It’s clearly incredibly difficult. The trust has broken down,” says Anderson. “Let’s hope it’s not broken completely, and there’s a chink in the armor on both sides, and there could be some sort of reconciliation. But that’s not happening anytime soon.”

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