Furious King Charles is shunning renegade Prince Harry and his diva wife, Meghan Markle with a chilling wall of silence that spells disaster for their dreams of superstardom, sources exclusively tell In Touch. Charles, 75, who was diagnosed with cancer in January, is refusing to take Harry’s calls, say insiders, and now Hollywood’s royalty is following his lead by also snubbing the rebel Duke and Duchess of Sussex four years after they selfishly quit their royal duties and skipped out to California to become mega-wealthy celebrities.
“Silence is NOT golden for Harry and Meghan,” dishes a high-level palace courtier. “They thought they’d be welcomed with open arms when they moved to California, but instead they’re toast, being kept at arm’s length by the very people they expected to kowtow to them.” But it shouldn’t surprise them, notes a palace insider, since “they spewed so many shocking accusations including racism, cruelty and violence at the royals — Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and cancer-stricken Princess Kate Middleton — all trust was destroyed. “Now Harry’s furious father won’t even answer his calls! Tinseltown took notice and invites dried up. The stars are leery about being seen in their orbit.”
The snubbing of the Sussexes was evident when Meghan, 43, flew cross-country from their $14 million Montecito mansion, where she lives with Harry, 39, and their kids, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, to the high-society Hamptons for the G9 Ventures Summer Summit last month. Looking to network with high-powered female entrepreneurs ahead of officially launching her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, the former TV actress was notably missing from photos with A-list attendees like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Diane Sawyer. “I’m told they know if they’re in a picture with Meghan, it’s a tacit approval of her that she can use to promote herself,” dishes an insider.
“Meghan can show up at events where they are at and move into their neighborhood but they are not friends.” The backlash is a deadly blow for the Sussexes’ dreams, say sources. “Perhaps if Meghan demonstrates some humility and genuine kindness and isn’t always so self-serving, she might find herself embraced rather than barely tolerated,” notes another source.
Adds the palace insider, “She thought marrying a prince would make her a somebody, but she’s being seen as manipulative and scheming and trying too hard to be likable.” The snooty duchess has cut her 80-year-old father, Thomas Markle, out of her life, refusing to let him see his grandchildren. And Meghan, with Harry, is reportedly keeping the kids away from Charles, too, until he bows to their demands. “No wonder celebrities appear wary of getting too close,” says the insider. “Reputations are everything in Hollywood. “Gwyneth Paltrow recently posted a supportive message to Catherine, Princess of Wales, so it’s clear where the lines are drawn.”
“William and Kate are IN and Harry and Meghan are OUT!” As for the king, “he has more important things to be focused on than a spoiled brat son who made his bed and now won’t lie in it,” charges the palace courtier. “He feels Harry — and Meghan — started this circus because they wanted their privacy, but all they’ve done is publicly betray, humiliate and lie about the royal family. “I’m told there is complete silence now between him and Harry.”
The duke’s desperation for extra security for his family when visiting England has only worsened the rift, say sources. “He’s officially announced he’s an American resident now and yet he wants his father to reinstate preferential treatment when he visits England because it’s too dangerous,” says the courtier. “They took an unofficial ‘royal’ tour of Nigeria earlier this year and now they’re headed to Colombia, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. “Whatever’s Harry’s game, the king has decided he doesn’t want to play and silence is his best defense — just like the celebrities who don’t want to be part of the Sussexes’ fame-obsessed script.”
