But it\u2019s certain that it\u2019s a potentially explosive situation. For King Charles, it\u2019s a long overdue reunion with his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet \u2013 and he\u2019s already missed so many of their milestones since the Sussex family relocated to their Montecito home in California after Megxit in 2020.<\/p>\n
Archie and Lilibet reportedly last saw their grandfather in person during Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 \u2013 and that is far too long for any grandfather, never mind one who is being treated for cancer.<\/p>\n
But news that the Sussexes are heading across the pond to Harry\u2019s home turf must be sending shockwaves through William\u2019s nervous system, who can\u2019t forgive his brother Harry for bombshell claims about the monarchy in his memoir Spare and in the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.<\/p>\n
The fact that Harry is coming home must be going around William\u2019s mind on a painful loop \u2013 and I know how he might be feeling. I dread any family get-togethers after being estranged from my half-siblings since my dad died in 2024.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m really dreading bumping into them in Cornwall this summer, where I want to go for my late dad\u2019s would-be birthday in August \u2013 a place he loved and where we spent all our childhood summers. The trouble is, I have a feeling they will want to do the same thing. Because that is the thing about families. You may have different narratives and stories, but you share the same history, and that is hard to abandon.<\/p>\n
\nWhat matters is that you arrive prepared, remain connected to your values, and conduct yourself in a way that reflects who you want to be, regardless of how others choose to behave<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Kathleen Saxton, psychotherapist<\/p>\n
There would be nothing more toxic and stressful than colliding with my half-siblings as we clamber down the wild cliffs to recreate our childhoods and go surfing on the beach.<\/p>\n
Not only would it bring up precious memories if I saw them doing exactly the same thing and might temporarily throw me off guard and into a false sense of security, but it would be incredibly awkward.<\/p>\n
I have no idea what their reactions would be \u2013 and that is not a good situation for my children Lola, 10 and Liberty, eight. They have mourned the loss of their relationship with their older cousins who they never see, and to see them while building a sandcastle could be fun, it would also bring up painful feelings. I would know in my heart that there is no future in our relationship, as none of the adults speaks to each other.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how to deal with it as I don\u2019t want to text my half-siblings whom I haven\u2019t spoken to in years and ask, \u201cAre you going to be in Cornwall in mid-August? Because I don\u2019t want to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I live in fear of any upcoming family weddings, christenings, or funerals, because I am not really very good at pretending nothing is wrong or giving or receiving the silent treatment. I am at a point of protecting my own sanity and moving on, and I don\u2019t need family upsets and dysfunction to derail me, and this is likely what William must be feeling.<\/p>\n
Deep down, these types of family wars \u2013 based largely on sibling rivalry, jealousy and resentment \u2013 bring up pain that I am desperate to lay to rest.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2282200626...jpeg\")
The fact that Harry is coming home must be going around William\u2019s mind on a painful loop (Getty)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also an issue getting together with family and friends who may also want a reunion to remember my dad but are torn with differing opinions and thoughts over who is right or wrong. Are you Team Harry or Team William? It\u2019s no different in my family \u2013 and largely depends on who has bitten your ear off to get their side of the story across better \u2013 or who is loyal to whom \u2013 and why?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a big mess \u2013 and one that I do not want ruining my summer plans, just as I try to have some special time with my children. So what to do?<\/p>\n
When family relationships have become strained, fractured or estranged, there is rarely a perfect solution, says psychotherapist Kathleen Saxton, author of 2025\u2019s My Parent the Peacock: Discovery and Recovery from Narcissistic Parenting and the upcoming book Sly and Mighty: How to Recognise, Resist and Rise Above Toxic Power.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe history is often long, the wounds are often deep, and not everything can be repaired,\u201d Saxton tells me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat matters is that you arrive prepared, remain connected to your values, and conduct yourself in a way that reflects who you want to be, regardless of how others choose to behave,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is not to create the perfect family gathering. It is to ensure that you and your children can attend with clarity, dignity and emotional resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n
In these situations, she advises that rather than focusing on changing other people, it can be more helpful to develop a strategy that allows you and your children to navigate the occasion with confidence and emotional stability.<\/p>\n
\nThe Sussexes may well be wanting to take back power \u2013 and have every right to come back to England, Harry\u2019s true home \u2013 but let\u2019s not pretend this isn\u2019t an emotional minefield<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
As a psychotherapist, she often suggests the acronym \u201cABLE\u201d, she tells me: Acceptance (acknowledging reality as it is, rather than as we wish it to be), Boundaries (be clear about what is and is not acceptable for you and your children), Limit (reduce emotional risk by limiting exposure) and Escape (always have an exit strategy).<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly, expect that difficult feelings may surface. Sadness, grief, guilt, shame or disappointment are common when families gather after periods of conflict or estrangement,\u201d says Saxton.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese emotions do not necessarily mean you have done anything wrong. They are often a natural response to the gap between the family we have and the family we hoped for.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s never as simple as \u201ccoming home\u201d. The Sussexes may well be wanting to take back power \u2013 and have every right to come back to England, Harry\u2019s true home \u2013 but let\u2019s not pretend this isn\u2019t an emotional minefield. I may not be in the midst of a public royal war, but anyone in this situation needs some advice on crisis management and a therapist on tap to navigate the pain and find a way out to the other side.<\/p>\n
Harry\u2019s homecoming comes with notes \u2013 and I\u2019m paying close attention. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1045461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[9],"tags":[157021,15527,47671,12044,393,77,352,253496,44888,609,1452,17742,457,2249,2832,154673,7796,99936,16,15,23904,4950],"class_list":["post-1045460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-arts-culture-and-entertainment","tag-british-royalty","tag-color-image","tag-duke","tag-england","tag-entertainment","tag-farm","tag-headshot","tag-horizontal","tag-human-interest","tag-listening","tag-one-person","tag-people","tag-photography","tag-prince-of-wales","tag-prince-william-of-wales","tag-royalty","tag-totnes","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-visit","tag-wellbeing"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1045460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1045461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1045460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1045460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1045460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/meghan.jpg\")
Harry and Meghan have been estranged from Charles, William and Kate since \u2018Megxit\u2019 in 2020 (Getty)<\/p>\n