Prince Harry's estrangement from the Royal Family and subsequent omission from Princess Kate's grand return to public life has "hammered home" how "he's a proper outsider", a source has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex - who has not featured as a working royal for upwards of four years at this point - was not invited to Trooping the Colour festivities earlier this month, and was "left upset" by having to watch Kate's return from his Southern California home, the source claimed.
Harry would have "done anything" to be invited to the King's official birthday celebrations, the source continued, and would have allegedly even gone alone - sidelining the under-fire Duchess of Sussex in the process.
The prince's last appearance at the annual event had come in 2022, and while he jetted to the UK in the wake of his father the King's cancer diagnosis, he's seen himself frozen out of family engagements even further, with a source telling the Daily Beast that his brother William has instigated an "absolute ban" on Harry returning to the fold.
The King's birthday celebrations made Harry feel like an "outsider" a source claimed
PA
A royal insider told Closer magazine: "He's heartbroken and confused by the way they’ve cut him off and seemingly haven’t given it another thought.
"Harry was very upset and emotional when he saw the footage of Kate at Trooping the Colour.
"He's been so worried about her ever since he received the news of her condition, and whilst he has managed to connect with her on a few occasions it’s not nearly as often as he’d like.
"He would have dearly loved to have been there, if only to congratulate and support Kate in person on what must have been an incredibly difficult day for her."
READ MORE ON THE ROYAL FEUD:
The Sussexes had failed to secure an invitation to this year's festivities
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The source talked up Princess Kate's "stoic, brave face" as she emerged from her course of preventative chemotherapy to greet crowds of well-wishers at Horse Guards Parade on June 15.
But they lamented the prince's plight, saying: "The fact he’s got to watch on TV or via the internet from 6,000 miles away just made him so sad... It really hammers home how he's a proper outsider at this point.
"He's incredibly proud of her and encouraged that she obviously has very good doctors and appeared to be healthy and in good spirits.
"But the fact he can't bond with his beloved sister-in-law in person is a kick in the guts and something he finds incredibly difficult to live with."
Prince William has allegedly instigated an "absolute ban" on Harry returning to the fold
PAThe Princess of Wales had won plaudits for stepping out at Trooping the Colour, with royal biographer Angela Levin praising Kate for "doing it for her family".
Her appearance at the event had followed the optimistic but measured statement prepared by Kensington Palace which declared that she was "making good progress" - but counselled that she was "not out of the woods yet".
In the statement, released the day before Trooping the Colour, Kate wrote: "My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.
"I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet."
The Princess of Wales released this photo alongside her optimistic statement
Matt PorteousBut amid the optimism on Kate lies the rumblings of a royal feud between the Waleses and Sussexes; the source alleged to Closer that Harry is in the process of buying a new UK home, and is longing to be welcomed back into the family to put the row to bed for good.
The source added: "He's consumed with the idea that he can throw himself at his family's feet and fix this feud."