The Royal Family is being torn apart from within – and Queen Camilla has already chosen a side

Queen Camilla is standing by Kate Middleton amid renewed tensions surrounding the return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the UK, and is even pushing King Charles to set clear boundaries for the couple – this was claimed by royal historian and author Andrew Lownie. This comes after Harry and Meghan landed in the UK this week ahead of an extended stay in the country, with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, having been enrolled in school.

According to the report, Harry and Meghan arrived in Birmingham this week ahead of what is defined as an "extended stay" in the UK. The couple is expected to reside in a home that does not belong to the royal family outside of London, while their children will study in the country. Their return comes six years after the two gave up their status as senior royals and moved to live in the United States.

Although it was claimed that King Charles only found out about their plans three days before it was published, Lownie presents a different version. According to him, the King and Prince William knew about the plan for a long time, but preferred to keep their distance while public reaction was being tested. He even supported the possibility that there is a kind of institutional plan to bring the couple back to the UK.

"The King and the Prince of Wales knew for a long time about the Sussexes' plan to return to the UK, but it suited their purposes to distance themselves while public opinion was being tested," Lownie claimed. According to him, William and Kate are worried that Harry and Meghan are now trying to achieve a version of that "half-in, half-out" status they sought in the past – meaning to maintain a connection to the royal house without fully returning to official duties.

Lownie claimed that such a situation could create "two competing courts" around the royal house. According to him, Camilla is not neutral in the dispute: "The Queen, who is very close to Kate, is strengthening the King's resolve to set clear boundaries for Harry and Meghan." He added that within the family there is still significant disagreement over how Charles handled the couple's issue.

Relations between Camilla and Harry have been tense for years. In his autobiography "Spare" and subsequently in interviews to promote it, Harry presented his stepmother in a negative light and claimed that she worked to rehabilitate her image after her affair with Charles while he was married to Princess Diana. Among other things, he accused her of having ties to media outlets and leaking stories intended to strengthen her public standing.

In an interview with "60 Minutes," Harry even escalated the matter. He claimed that Camilla's need to "rehabilitate her image" made her "dangerous" due to the connections she cultivated with the British press. According to him, there was "open willingness on both sides to trade information," and in a hierarchical structure like the royal family, this could leave "people or bodies in the street."

Despite the harsh words, Harry has said in the past that he loves all his family members. When asked about his relationship with Camilla, he admitted that the two had not spoken for a long time, but added that when they do meet, the relationship between them is pleasant. Last month they did indeed meet again at Highgrove House, and according to sources who spoke to the newspaper, the atmosphere was "polite and without accusations."

At that meeting, Charles and Camilla hosted Harry, Meghan, and their children Archie and Lilibet for tea. William and Kate, on the other hand, did not attend and chose to go to a charity polo event. Lownie warned that Harry should not interpret Camilla's polite conduct as a sign that the grievances have disappeared. According to him, the Queen has become very close to Kate in the years since Harry and Meghan left their royal roles, while her relationship with the couple has remained cautious.

The closeness between Camilla and Kate has strengthened in recent years. The two have been seen together at royal events, and last year a warm conversation between them was even described during the British Remembrance Day ceremony. Lownie claims that Camilla is now clearly on the "side of the Wales family" and is reinforcing Charles's position that clear rules must be set regarding relations with Harry and Meghan.

According to Lownie, the royal house is now adopting a "wait and see" strategy. Among other things, the palace wants to test public reaction to the couple's return and the question of whether they can be trusted not to expose family conversations and information, as happened, according to him, following Harry's book, the couple's Netflix series, and the publicized interview they gave to Oprah Winfrey.

The main concern of William and Kate, according to the historian, is that the new situation will effectively give Harry what he asked for when he left – a "half-in, half-out" status. Lownie claimed that this could create "two competing courts," embarrass the royal house, and allow Harry and Meghan to steal the spotlight from the official activities of the royal family.