Royal Expert Claims Princess Kate is Done "Playing Peacemaker" With King Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William

"She did try over a period of years and finally threw up her hands in disgust."

Prince Harry, Princess Kate and Prince William wearing coats standing next to each other and smiling at the camera
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Every time Prince Harry, King Charles III and Prince William are in the same country there's bound to be headlines about whether they'll meet up. Tensions have been high since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry's memoir, Spare—but whether or not her in-laws are speaking is not Princess Kate's problem, says one royal commentator.

Christopher Andersen, author of The King, recently told Fox News that the Princess of Wales has bigger issues to worry about as she continues to recover from her cancer battle.

"The idea that Kate somehow still has the time and energy to continue playing peacemaker is rubbish," he told the outlet.

"She did try over a period of years and finally threw up her hands in disgust. She did her bit, but it wasn't enough to build a bridge between William and Charles on the one side and Harry on the other," the author continued.

Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry standing together and wearing blue Heads Together sweatbands around their foreheads

The trio occasionally carried out joint engagements when Prince Harry was living in the U.K.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added that "The Wales family has had a tremendously difficult year" amid the princess's diagnosis. "Catherine will wish to avoid anything that promotes negative energy," he told Fox News.

Staying out of drama seems on par with the Princess of Wales's recent remarks about her healing journey. Kate —who announced she was diagnosed with cancer in March—announced she had completed chemotherapy in a moving Sept. 9 video.

"Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus," she said in the clip, adding, "Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes."

Since then, the princess has made a quiet return to royal duties. On Oct. 2 she met with teenage cancer patient Liz Hatton, who shares the royal's love of photography.

Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, King Charles, Queen Camilla

The princess shared a smile with her in-laws during June's Trooping the Colour in London.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Oct. 10, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance to meet with emergency responders and families of the children killed in a July knife attack in Southport, England. While it seems likely we might see more of these unannounced appearances when the princess is feeling up for an outing, there is one event on the royal calendar that fans can expect to see Kate attend.

Her annual Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey is in the works, with the Princess of Wales holding a planning meeting for the event last month.

As for King Charles and Prince Harry's relationship, reports suggest The King is making an increased effort to get to know his grandkids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who live an ocean away in Montecito, Calif. And while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be thousands of miles from The King, that hasn't kept the Duke of Sussex from visiting when the monarch was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

"I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could," Prince Harry told Good Morning America in February, speaking of his father's diagnosis and adding, "Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that."

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.

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