Prince William 'Didn't Want' Diana's Memory Used as 'U.K. Relaunch Pad' for Meghan Markle, Royal Reporter Claims

Prince William reportedly didn't want Meghan Markle to use Princess Diana’s memory to relaunch herself in the British circle, despite her and Prince Harry's recent return to the U.K.

Royal insider Tom Sykes alleged as much during a recent episode of “The Royalist” podcast. The Diana Award, a humanitarian charity both brothers support, was scheduled to host a gala dinner on September 18 at the Raffles Hotel in London.

However, the dinner was recently canceled. Sykes said that while Markle seemed “very keen to go to the event,” William may have stepped in to put the brakes on her plans.

“I wouldn't be surprised, let's put it this way, if William felt that he didn't want his mother's memory used as a kind of relaunch pad for Meghan in the U.K.,” he said.

Sykes reported that the 45-year-old “had apparently even got to the stage of reaching out to British designers to dress her,” for the occasion.

He also claimed, “After a lengthy consultation with our lawyers, I am able to say that it's my understanding that an event organized by the Diana Awards was indeed booked.”

He further stated that “plans had been made for” a renowned musician to perform at the event.

“Key people involved in it had been asked about their availability and if they would be available,” he insisted.

“But why is it no longer going ahead? I think it speaks to what you're saying about the difficulty of the relationship, the difficulty of the situation that Harry is putting William into,” he told Samara Gill, who was also present during the podcast.

The gala dinner that was scheduled to honor Harry and William’s late mother was canceled on very short notice after a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement on September 2.

“Despite Daily Mail’s reporting to the contrary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not scheduled to attend a Diana Award event at Raffles Hotel, OWO London, on September 18,” it read, referring to a Daily Mail article that claimed that the pair were planning to attend the event.

“Facts matter. Accuracy matters. Apparently, neither made the guest list for this particular story,” they added.

The royal insider also explained that Prince William and Prince Harry “are not actually patrons of” the organization. However, the charity still “enjoys the support of both of the princes.”

They had also made separate appearances to support the charity over the years, whether by being present physically or virtually.

It would be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out now that the estranged prince is back in his homeland, particularly because the relationship between the once-close brothers still seems to be on thin ice.