Pope Francis’ funeral was a who’s who of important people, including heads of state from different countries. The British Royal Family sent one representative to the funeral, and a lot of people were surprised that it wasn’t King Charles, particularly considering the funeral was also attended by a lot of Presidents, including U.S. President Donald Trump himself. But for the royals, things are different.

Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William would be attending the pontiff’s funeral on April 26. There was no mention of the Prince’s wife, or any other representative from the family, on the announcement, which left people wondering not just about Kate Middleton, but about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the chances they would show up at the funeral. President Trump was, after all, present, but so was former U.S. President Joe Biden.

Related: Did William really cheat on Kate?

But Prince Harry and Meghan skipped Pope Francis’s funeral, and so did Kate Middleton, with Prince William representing the British Royal family by himself. According to Page Six, it’s “not customary for a British royal’s other half to be required to attend.”

There was concern as the news followed William transitioning to the lawyers who represented Princess Diana in her divorce from King Charles. However, sources tell the Daily Mail that this had nothing to do with his marriage. ”William wanted to strike out on his own. He did not want to continue using his father’s lawyers. It’s as simple as that. He wants to be his own man.” The new firm William is using represented Diana in her divorce, but also specializes in dispute resolution, private client & family law, real estate, and reputation protection, among others. So presumably, Kate’s absence has nothing to do with her marriage to William, and she was just never expected to attend.

King Charles “will not travel to the Vatican, per protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals, Buckingham Palace has confirmed,” Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained to Vanity Fair last week. King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005 on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. The now-Queen Camilla didn’t attend the funeral with Charles. 

This is likely the same reason we didn’t see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the funeral. Lately, there have been rumors of a deepening feud between King Charles and Prince Harry. It seems unlikely the Prince would have wanted to make matters worse by attending a funeral where the rules of protocol were so clear, even if he had been invited, which isn’t clear that he was.

Particularly considering there have been reports that when William takes the throne, he plans to strike a much harsher tone with his brother, Prince Harry, than King Charles has taken so far. “It’s no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with. He thinks he has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldn’t take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king,” a palace insider told The Daily Beast.

All of those things considered, it’s likely Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are focused on the one battle they’re already fighting, which is the battle over their security. In early April, Prince Harry told reporters they would “be shocked” to hear “what’s being held back” in the case, adding that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure,” adding, “and that’s really sad.” The ongoing court case has apparently deepened the rift between King Charles and his son, and though it seems Prince Harry isn’t doing anything to make it worse, things are already pretty bad as they stand.