Why the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex called a "temporary truce" last year

Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship has been strained for years now. And since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure from royal life, relocating to California in 2020, the Waleses and Sussexes are said to be living separate lives.

In fact, amid their complicated fallout, featuring the Sussexes' 2021 Oprah interview and Prince Harry's tell-all memoir Spare, the two brothers are said to have stopped speaking.

However, according to royal experts, there was once a "temporary truce" between the two couples, with both sides making efforts for a reconciliation following the Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis last year.

Princess Kate confirmed her cancer diagnosis in 2024, taking an extended break from duties to complete her chemotherapy treatment and focus on her subsequent recovery. And according to royal expert Tom Quinn, it was over this time that the two couples got back in contact.

"Kate‘s cancer diagnosis really threw Meghan and Harry," Tom Quinn, author of Yes Ma'Am, The Secret Life of Royal Servants, reported to The Sun this week.

"Meghan’s relationship with Kate was already beyond repair, but there was no way the shocking cancer diagnosis could be completely ignored. The result? A very temporary truce that saw kind, if formal, messages of sympathy winging their way from California to Windsor."

However, according to Quinn, the "truce" was short-lived, with the distance reportedly returning following Princess Kate's recovery.

"Beyond those formal messages Kate and Meghan’s feud continues, but as they have nothing to do with each other it’s more about ice than fire," Quinn continued. "Unforgivable things have been said and cannot be unsaid. The messages of sympathy were strictly limited; there were no warm gossipy chit-chats by phone and once Kate was in remission the great icy silence descended once again."

We will continue to update this story.