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As the defiant royal couple relaunch their Sussex brand in the US, insiders warn it will push the two princes further apart
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WHEN THE DUKE and Duchess of Sussex stepped out in Canada last week, at an event for Prince Harry’s Invictus Games ‘One Year to Go’ celebrations (the next games for wounded and sick soldiers and veterans will take place in Vancouver and Toronto in 2025), their message was clear. It was not only very much ‘ business as usual’ for the couple, who have been the centre of yet another hailstorm of stories about the ongoing royal rift recently, but a declaration that the Sussex brand is flourishing – despite some damaging news regarding the future of their foundation, Archewell, last month.
The pair arrived in Whistler accompanied by a camera crew and seemed to be in high spirits. Harry chatted to those training for Invictus 2025, while Meghan took pictures and captured video. The duchess cut a glamorous figure on the slopes in a Calvin Klein coat, Sorel snow boots and a Burberry cashmere beanie, as she filmed her husband, who jokingly asked if he needed to ‘sign a waiver’ before he had a go at sit-skiing.
The timing for this publicity trail was certainly apt, given the reports surrounding Harry’s fleeting return to the UK just the previous week. When news broke that King Charles was beginning treatment for cancer, Harry flew straight to the UK. After the father and son’s 30-minute meeting at Kensing ton Palace – the first time they had seen one another since Charles’s coronation – speculation was rife about what it meant for Harry, as well as Meghan’s, relationships with the royals after years of rifts and rows. One newspaper questioned whether this apparent truce with Charles could hint at a reconciliation between Harry and William, adding that the Prince of Wales ‘needed his brother’ now more than ever because of increasing pressure on him due to Charles’s illness and Kate’s serious health concerns following abdominal surgery last month.
And yet, Harry’s visit to the UK lasted less than 48 hours. By Wednesday night he’d already caught a flight back to the States, where he was due to present an award at the NFL Honors event in Vegas the next day. With William stepping up to perform duties in the King’s absence, and Harry appearing at public events to promote his own brand, it’s clear that their distance is ever-growing rather than closing. For that reason, say royal sources, although there is a gap with the King and the Princess of Wales out of action, it’s not one that could or ever would be filled by Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42. ‘They’ve
