Were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle really kept in the dark over Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis?

The world at large was shocked to discover that Kate Middleton had been diagnosed with cancer, upon the Princess of Wales revealing the sad news in a video message shared with the public. And that apparently includes her brother-in-law and his wife, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

It’s no secret that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince William and Kate have not been as pally as they once were in recent years, with the four popular middle-generation of Royals — who were once dubbed “the Fab Four” by the press — torn asunder by the two brothers falling out over Harry’s much-publicized separation from the Windsor family and relocation to the U.S.

Even so, illness has a way of bringing even the most estranged families together. For example, Harry flew back from the States to visit his father, King Charles, upon his own cancer diagnosis back in February. However, in the case of Kate, it seems Harry and Meghan knew about as much as the rest of us.

Harry and Meghan were reportedly not “trusted” to know about Kate’s cancer

According to The Times (via The Independent), Harry and Meghan weren’t informed about Kate’s cancer diagnosis and only found out about it through Princess Catherine’s video announcement. The diagnosis was naturally a closely guarded secret amid the palace — although an attempt was made to crack Kate’s medical records — but, even so, it’s surprising to hear the Sussexes were kept completely in the dark.

The alleged reason why shouldn’t really come as a surprise, though. The Sun‘s royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam believes that it’ss because the couple wouldn’t not “trusted” with such sensitive news. In other words, until the palace was ready to announce this to everyone, only those extremely close to the crown were to know. And these days that doesn’t include Harry and Meghan.

“The reason of course is that for some four years, they’ve caused endless problems for the Royal Family and so they can’t be trusted,” Fitzwilliam said.

Nevertheless, Harry and Meghan have made a public statement of their own regarding Kate’s diagnosis. “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” reads the brief but supportive statement they shared with the press.

According to ITV’s own royal expert, Chris Ship, Harry “reached out” to William after learning about his wife’s illness. However, the specific details about this interaction are unknown, so it’s unclear if it was simply a text-based exchange or if the brothers actually spoke on a phone or video call. William and Harry previously neglected to see each other when Harry visited the King in February.

The New York Post has also corroborated The Times‘ claim that Harry and Meghan were kept in the dark over the diagnosis, claiming that the couple had “no idea” that Kate was ill. No doubt the pair wish the absolute best for their sister-in-law but it seems that Charles’ second son and his spouse are still being kept at arm’s length from the rest of the Royal family.