Kate Middleton Had 'Less Interest' Than Prince William in Trying to Stop Prince Harry's Royal Exit, Book Claims

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, with Prince William and Kate Middleton managing their exit in different ways.

According to Russell Myers' new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, the Princess of Wales, 44, "had less interest than her husband in trying to persuade Harry to stay in his current role.”

“She believed William and Harry’s fundamental differences as the ‘heir and the spare’ had created the inevitability of Harry wanting more from his role than being a bit-part player," Myers noted.

However, “William was intensely saddened at his brother’s decision to quit.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved their family to Montecito, Calif., in late 2020 and have rarely been back to the United Kingdom.

At the time of their Megxit announcement, Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, were making moves to be "financially independent" while continuing to support the late Queen Elizabeth.

William, 43, and the Invictus Games founder "had been drifting apart for years, but now he knew deep down that there would be no turning back," the source dished.

"Fond memories of their childhood, from helping each other through the tragedy of their mother’s death, to growing up in the public eye, were now tarnished by the division at the heart of the family," the author penned.

The Sussexes and The Firm have been at war over the last few years, with Harry releasing his bombshell tell-all memoir Spare in 2023. Meghan and Harry had an in-depth chat with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, where they criticized the royal family.

Last month, royal author Robert Jobson told HELLO! magazine how the Duke of Cambridge is trying to protect the monarchy's next era and doesn't need his younger brother's drama.

“William and Kate are the embodiment of the future of the monarchy, while Harry looks trapped in the past," he said.

The Prince of Wales is "focused on duty" while Harry is dead set "on grievance."

"William is building a future, and he no longer needs Harry’s drama," Jobson said. "You can’t bridge that gap when one brother is moving forward, and the other won’t let go of the past and the bitterness."

"Reconciliation needs compromise, but it mostly needs trust, and there is no trust between the brothers," the Windsor Legacy author noted.