Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Mocked as 'Sleeper Cells' Who Are Secretly Plotting to Undermine Then 'Replace' Kate Middleton and William as Senior Royals 

Prince Harry is facing fresh ridicule from royal insiders who claim he and Meghan Markle are viewed inside palace circles as "sleeper cells" poised to undermine – and ultimately replace – Prince William and Princess Kate.

Harry's recent brief reunion with King Charles during a return to Britain has triggered what one senior aide called a "wave of deep unease" in royal circles about the impact his and his wife's return to the folds of The Firm may have on the institution.

Harry's visit – his first time seeing Charles in nearly two years – unfolded at Clarence House, where the King, 77, held a short meeting with his younger son between cancer treatments. The Duke of Sussex was in the U.K. for a series of charity engagements before returning to California, while his older brother Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, both 43, remained absent from any reconciliation efforts.

The rift between the brothers has remained one of the monarchy's most sensitive open wounds since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Royal observers say the couple's revived proximity to Charles – however fleeting – has re-ignited long-held fears within Kensington Palace.

One well-placed source said: "Among William's team, there is a belief that Harry and Meghan have positioned themselves as a sort of alternative royal unit. The term 'sleeper cells' is being used half-jokingly, but the suspicion is very real."

The source added: "The idea is that they destabilize from afar, then step in when the pressure mounts, and that there is then a danger of Harry and Meghan launching fresh attacks on William and Kate to further destabilize the monarchy.

"They are a toxic poison for the royal family is the biggest and most widespread fear at the moment."

Another source warned: "They will simply want to replace William and Kate as The Firm's senior figures if they return to the royal family – Harry's vanity and Meghan's ego will dictate that. They should be kept as far from the royals as possible."

A separate palace figure offered an even blunter assessment. A palace insider said: "The concern is the pattern. Harry drops in, causes a ripple, then disappears – and all the while the output from California keeps nibbling away at William and Kate's standing. To many within the institution, it looks coordinated rather than accidental."

Another source said the "upside" is King Charles and William and "filled with paranoia" about Harry's return to the royals.

They said: "There's a huge fear Harry can't help himself and would be recording every conversation and meeting as material for his second memoir or another Netflix series."

Another insider said: "Whenever Harry shows up in London, even with the best intentions, anxiety spikes. Staff immediately start worrying about who he meets, what is discussed, and how it might be spun later. There's a sense that anything said in private could be turned into leverage. Fair or not, the prevailing view is that Harry and Meghan introduce volatility. That's the real problem. At this point it's not about patching things up with them – it's about managing the prospect of the fallout if they do return to the royal family."