‘Conflict of interest’: Royal expert sounds the alarm for William and Kate ahead of Sussexes’ return to Britain

Palace insiders are sounding the alarm for the Prince and Princess of Wales as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex prepare for their bombshell return to the UK.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter warns William and Catherine may struggle to keep the spotlight on their official duties while Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan Markle, 45, dominate the news cycle.

“It becomes a conflict of interest for the monarchy,” Arbiter told nine.com.au.

“I think at some point there’s going to have to be very clear lines drawn in terms of clarifying what it is Harry and Meghan do, whether that’s doing it as Harry and Meghan Sussex.

“He [Harry] will never not be a prince. He will always be a prince of the realm. But is it that he does his charitable work as Harry Sussex, just to remove the contrast? And that’s going to be for the King and Buckingham Palace to figure out.”

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The warning comes after the working royals showed a united front at the weekend.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were pictured attending a Sunday church service near the Balmoral estate, their first public outing since news broke of the Sussexes’ planned return.

Joining the King and Queen were the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children – Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight – alongside Princess Anne, her husband Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his daughter Lady Louise, who recently graduated from St Andrews University and is taking a gap year.

Arbiter said keeping the focus on the Crown’s everyday work would be an uphill battle.

“I think it will be challenging, there is no question,” she said.

“William goes to open a community centre, and he’ll be pushed off the front pages by Harry because Harry’s clickbait, and Harry’s the soap opera. Like Harry or hate him, everyone’s just drawn into this story, and so that’s going to be complicated.

“It’s also going to be complicated if William goes off on a diplomatic mission — let’s say the government sends him to Israel — and Harry thinks, ‘Oh, do you know what? I think I’m going to go to Colombia.’ I think William will be disappointed by it.”

Adding fuel to the fire is the upcoming release of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, a memoir by Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer.

“William is the only person who has not sold out his mother and capitalised on his mother’s memory,” Arbiter said, noting how Harry has spoken extensively about his mother in interviews and his explosive memoir, Spare.

“William has just kept his head down and gotten on with the job,” Arbiter explained.

“To date – other than right after the Oprah interview when William said, ‘We are very much not a racist family’, and when the late Queen Elizabeth said ‘recollections may vary’ – despite every grenade lobbed in their direction, they have never risen to the bait. They’ve never said a word, and I think that’s probably been quite frustrating for Harry.

“You’ve seen him saying things almost trying to goad his brother, but William hasn’t done it. I genuinely think William and Catherine have moved on. Cancer resets so much of your perspective. They don’t have room, time, or energy for this negativity and the three-ring circus following the Sussexes everywhere they go.

“They’ve got their initiatives, a very happy, loving family, and they’ve faced an incredibly difficult two years emotionally and physically with both Catherine and the King’s cancer diagnoses. I think they’ve moved on.”

Meanwhile, reports that Meghan was lined up for a role in Guy Ritchie’s drama The Gentlemen have cooled following public backlash.

However, commercial avenues remain open for the Duchess, who recently appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia and launched her lifestyle brand, As Ever, alongside her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. Harry also continues his philanthropic commitments, including the Invictus Games heading to Birmingham in 2027.

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Yet Arbiter cautions that mixing commerce with royal status won’t fly in Britain.

“You can do this in Australia or America, show up to a charity gig and then merchandise your clothes right after – but you cannot do that in England.

“It will be seen as gauche, classless, and distasteful. That just will not go over well. Plus, everything they do reflects on the monarchy. That’s where I question this decision, because they have so much more freedom in America.”

With rumours swirling that the Sussexes might split their time between Canada, Australia, or the UK, Arbiter remains sceptical of their sudden change of heart.

“If Harry wants to spend more time in England, sure, come spend the school holidays. But collectively, the whole world is being gaslit,” she said.

“Just six weeks ago, Harry cancelled plans for Meghan to appear at Invictus, claiming the UK wasn’t safe without publicly funded security. Now they’re enrolling kids in school and moving back? Make it make sense.”

Harry has reportedly made a fresh plea to the Home Secretary for publicly funded security, a battle he has been waging since leaving the UK.