Prince Harry’s Once-Close Bond With Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Reportedly Fractured Ahead of His UK Return

Prince Harry may be preparing to bring his family back to Britain after six years in California, but one of the relationships many expected him to rely on upon his return is reportedly no longer what it once was.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, was famously close to his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, with Eugenie in particular maintaining a relationship with Harry and Meghan long after tensions emerged elsewhere within the Royal Family.

Now, however, a source has told HELLO! that Harry and Meghan are “not so close” to the York sisters anymore — and even claimed that they are “not even in touch.”

If accurate, the apparent distance represents a striking change for cousins who once appeared to share one of Harry’s strongest remaining connections inside the Royal Family.

Harry and Eugenie were once exceptionally close

Of Harry’s two York cousins, his relationship with Eugenie has historically attracted the most attention.

Eugenie was reportedly among the first members of the Royal Family to know about Harry’s relationship with Meghan. Their friendship continued after the Sussexes stepped away from royal duties and relocated to North America in 2020.

Eugenie also became the only member of the Royal Family to appear personally in Harry and Meghan’s 2022 Netflix documentary series.

Footage showed the cousins spending time together in California, including attending the Super Bowl in 2022. Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank also visited the Sussexes after their move to the United States.

Their closeness extended to Britain as well. Harry and Meghan allowed Eugenie and Jack to use Frogmore Cottage after the Sussexes established their life in California.

Against that history, reports that communication between them has diminished mark a significant departure from their former relationship.

Source claims Harry is “not even in touch” with his cousins

According to the source quoted by HELLO!, Harry’s circle from his pre-California life has become considerably smaller.

“Harry and Meghan are not so close to Beatrice and Eugenie anymore,” the insider claimed, adding that Harry “did not see Eugenie over the summer in Portugal.”

The source also suggested that rebuilding a social life in Britain could become another challenge for the Sussexes after spending six years based thousands of miles away.

“Harry has very few friends left from before,” the insider alleged. “They’re going to have to make some serious social inroads and gatherings to get back in the fold.”

Speaking specifically about Beatrice and Eugenie, the source went further, claiming: “Beatrice and Eugenie are not even in touch – and Eugenie was once so close to him.”

These claims have not been publicly confirmed by Harry, Meghan, Beatrice or Eugenie, and should therefore be treated as reports about the current state of their private relationships rather than established fact.

Portugal trip raises questions about Harry and Eugenie

The reported distance has attracted particular attention because the Sussexes recently spent time in Portugal, where Eugenie and Jack also have strong ties.

Meghan shared photographs from the family’s summer travels in July, including images from Portugal and Britain. Portuguese media reported that the Sussex family spent time around Melides on the Alentejo coast.

Yet according to HELLO!‘s source, Harry and Eugenie did not meet during the trip.

The insider acknowledged one obvious possible explanation: Eugenie was heavily pregnant at the time. She subsequently welcomed her third child, Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank, on 3 August.

Even so, the source argued that the absence of a meeting illustrated how different their relationship appears compared with earlier years.

There has been no confirmation from either side that the cousins deliberately avoided one another.

Beatrice and Eugenie have increasingly followed their own royal path

The York sisters have continued appearing at family occasions and supporting the monarchy while navigating intense scrutiny surrounding their parents.

Neither Beatrice nor Eugenie is a full-time working royal, but both have periodically attended royal events and remained publicly connected to the wider family.

Their position has inevitably become more delicate as the rift between Harry and Prince William has continued.

Harry’s relationship with William remains one of the biggest unresolved questions surrounding his return. Recent reporting indicates that while contact with King Charles has improved, the relationship between the brothers remains deeply strained.

That makes the reported cooling of Harry’s relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie particularly notable. The York sisters had previously been viewed as potential bridges between the Sussexes and other members of the family.

Harry’s relationship with King Charles appears to be moving differently

While questions surround Harry’s relationship with his cousins and brother, his bond with his father appears to have entered a different phase.

Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet met privately with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove in July. The gathering was significant, with reports describing it as the King’s first time seeing his Sussex grandchildren in four years.

The meeting followed Harry’s repeated public expressions of wanting reconciliation with his family.

In 2025, after losing his legal challenge concerning security arrangements in Britain, Harry said he would “love reconciliation” and argued there was “no point continuing to fight”.

Now the Sussexes’ decision to establish a base in Britain will create far more opportunities for private family contact than their California life allowed.

King Charles was reportedly informed of their plans on Sunday and is said to welcome the opportunity to spend more time with Harry, Meghan and his grandchildren privately.

Who could form Harry and Meghan’s UK circle?

Even if their relationships with Beatrice and Eugenie have cooled, Harry and Meghan still have longstanding connections in Britain.

Harry’s old social circle has historically included the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, as well as childhood friends Charles and Thomas van Straubenzee and Guy Pelly.

Another important figure has been Mark Dyer, a former equerry to King Charles who developed a close relationship with Harry during his younger years. Harry is godfather to Dyer’s son Jasper.

Meghan also has longstanding friendships in Britain, including designer Misha Nonoo.

How many of these relationships remain active today is largely private, making it difficult to establish precisely what the Sussexes’ social circle will look like once they return.

What is clear is that their new life in Britain will place Harry much closer geographically to people who were once central to his world.

Sussexes prepare for a very different return to Britain

Harry and Meghan’s return will not represent a revival of their former working-royal roles.

Multiple reports confirm that the couple will remain private, non-working members of the Royal Family, with no return to the “half-in, half-out” arrangement discussed when they stepped back in 2020.

The Sussexes are expected to establish themselves in a private, non-royal residence outside London while retaining their Montecito home and their property in Portugal. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are expected to begin attending school in Britain in September.

The move therefore represents much more than another royal visit.

For the first time since 2020, Harry will again be living within relatively easy reach of his father, brother, cousins and many of the friends who knew him before his departure from royal life.

But proximity does not automatically repair relationships.

The reunion with King Charles suggests at least one family bond may be moving toward warmer territory. With William, Beatrice and Eugenie, however, reports suggest the situation could be considerably more complicated.

And perhaps the most striking example is Eugenie: once considered one of Harry’s closest royal allies, she is now at the centre of claims that the cousins are barely in contact at all.