Princess Eugenie is pregnant with her second child, and announced the happy news on Instagram in January. Only after that did the Palace confirm the news.
Similarly (though far more controversially), it appears Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be using "Prince" and "Princess" titles for their children without confirming the move with the Palace beforehand.
In both situations, the Sussexes and their good friend (and cousin) Eugenie aren't working royals, and therefore it makes sense for them not to go through the Palace when making public announcements.
Royal historian Marlene Koenig first commented on Eugenie's pregnancy announement in particular. "The Palace announced she was expecting her first child in 2020," she told Express.
"This time they confirmed it rather than announcing it because Andrew no longer has an office. The first news of the second pregnancy was on her Instagram account."
Koenig continued, "In a normal situation, members of the Royal Family use the official channels to make announcements, and I should point out that this applies to what has become the term 'working royals.'
"Harry is not a working royal, he is not obligated, and has no interest in using the Palace to make announcements about his family. Harry and Meghan do not come under the auspices of Buckingham Palace. They left."
The Sussexes have previously stressed that they want people to know only what they choose to share about their lives, and have heavily criticized the way the Royal Family shares information.
"Harry is going to do his own thing. It’s clear that he and his wife are determined to control their own narrative," Koenig said.
"The Palace’s press office has no real involvement with Harry and Meghan. News about Harry and Meghan is going to come from Harry and Meghan."
But just because that's the way things are—and are expected to be—doesn't mean that all of this separation doesn't signal huge difficulties between the Sussexes and the working royals.
"The rift is huge," Koenig said.
"I don’t think it's likely to be repaired anytime soon, unfortunately. The Sussexes want the rift healed on their terms. I don’t think that’s going to happen."
The expert is right: The U.S.-based royal couple has been invited to the coronation, but are allegedly waiting to RSVP until the King cedes to some of their requests for the event.
This comes after the fallout of Harry's memoir Spare, their eviction from Frogmore Cottage, and the general rift that has been steadily deepening ever since Harry and Meghan first stepped down as working royals. Repair—though not impossible—will prove to be a very, very difficult task at this stage.
