Palace divided: Why Prince William and Prince Harry are planning to go their separate ways
Prince William and Prince Harry’s brotherly bond is one that has flourished in front of the world, despite the many pressures and hardships they have faced together.
It is common for the young generation of royals – William, Kate, Harry and Meghan – to be spotted together at various engagements, with some even dubbing them the royal version of the Fab Four.
However, there are reports that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning a formal division of their joint household, Kensington Palace.
According to The Sunday Times’ royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah, the dynamic will change after Harry and Meghan welcome their first child into the world.
"The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex are preparing to go their separate ways," says Nikkhah.
"William and Harry are considering plans to split the Kensington Palace household and create two separate courts as their future roles with Kate and Meghan diverge," she adds.
The royal residence of Kensington Palace comprises of a main palace and additional homes on the grounds.
It also operates as management of the young royals and their duties.
Harry and Meghan currently reside in a cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds but it is expected they will move into an apartment in the main palace as they await the birth of their baby.
In the future, William’s responsibilities will continue to increase as he prepares to become king, while Harry will branch out into a different set of responsibilities.
“There is a gulf in the style and approach to the type of work that William and Kate will increasingly do as future head of state and consort, and Harry and Meghan, who have more of a blank canvas with their roles," says a royal insider at The Sunday Times.
"[The] William and Harry double-act has naturally been supplanted by the two couples and their families," The Times’ insider continues.
They add: "When William becomes the Prince of Wales, he will take on a lot of extra responsibility, including the Duchy of Cornwall and all that entails. Harry and Meghan have none of that, and seem ambitious about forging their own paths."
Harry and Meghan will continue to focus on their work for mental health, disability, veterans and youth.
While the brothers won’t live too far away from each other, splitting Kensington Palace will accommodate their growing families.
The much-loved brothers will continue to delight fans with their close-knit relationship but will have different levels of management to support their evolving royal roles.
“The brothers have leant on each other and looked after each other since their mother died. But now they have their own families, they no longer rely on each other as before," confirmed The Sunday Times insider.
"They have become different people with different outlooks on life. Splitting the household is the obvious thing to do."