Skipping out. The Sussexes reportedly have “no plans” to attend an event in honor of the late Princess of Wales—and the reason why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not attend Princess Diana‘s event may have something to do with the person who’s hosting.

Prince William, 39, is expected to host the event at Kensington Palace, according to Entertainment Tonight. The Duke of Cambridge’s event comes three months after he attended a Princess Diana tribute alongside his brother, Prince Harry, in the palace’s Sunken Garden. At the time, private donors who made the statue unveiling possible were originally set to be honored in a separate event, however, it was ultimately postponed due to COVID restrictions. Now, those private donors will be in attendance at William’s event in honor of Princess Diana again—but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be there. 

A rep for the couple confirmed their absence in a statement to ET, writing, “There are no plans for [Harry and Meghan] to be in the U.K. for the private donor event.” While the rep did not provide a clear explanation as to why the Sussexes are skipping the event, it’s possible that tensions between Harry and William may have played a role in the decision.

Harry and William’s relationship reportedly remains strained following the Duke of Sussex’s royal exit with his wife Meghan in 2020. While Harry’s move to the US deepened his rift with his brother, it was his tell-all interview with Oprah in March 2021 that brought tensions to an all-time high. During the tell-all, Harry described his relationship with William as one of “space” before calling him and their father, Prince Charles, “trapped” by their roles in the royal family. Months later, it appears that this “space” has only continued to grow.

As Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie described to ET, “The relationship between Harry and William is still very much one of distance. I don’t just mean physical [distance], across the Atlantic, but they are not talking that much, and that is exactly how sources close to William have put it.”

Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey

Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.

For more about Prince Harry and Prince William’s feud, check out historian Robert Lacey’s 2020 book, Battle of Brothers. In this New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, Lacey takes a close look at Harry and William’s relationship throughout the years and considers each moment that led to their eventual estrangement. From the impact of their mother Princess Diana’s tragic death and the pressures of their roles in the royal family (William, the future king vs. Harry, the spare), to the influence their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have had on their differing paths, Battle of Brothers reveals all the “highs, lows, and discretions” of these brothers’ lives in a way “never offered before.”

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