Humiliated Harry and Meghan snubbed by their last remaining royal friend
Ahead of their now infamous departure from the Royal Family back in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, were celebrated as the monarchy’s bright new stars, widely named ‘The Fab Four’.
But when that relationship swiftly deteriorated when the Sussexes moved stateside – not least when they began to air their many grievances against the royals the following year – Harry and Meghan then appeared to form a different alliance.
Harking back to the days of their childhood, where they would holiday together and frolic around Balmoral Castle every summer, Harry perhaps not unexpectedly gravitated towards his cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank for support at a time where he had felt that the world was against him and his wife.
Eugenie and Jack had already played a pivotal role in Harry and Meghan’s then- burgeoning romance back in 2016. The foursome all attended a Halloween party in Canada the night before Harry and Meghan’s romance hit headlines globally, with Meghan later reflecting, ‘The four of us snuck out in Halloween costumes to have one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple.’
Then came Eugenie and Jack’s trip to the US in February 2022, just months after the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
And, fast forward two years to 2024 and this new fantastic foursome, forged from the detritus of Harry and Meghan’s broken relationship with the royals, appeared completely solid when the Sussexes purchased a property on the same luxury Portuguese resort that Eugenie and Jack call home for much of the year.
However, in a surprise U-turn, Eugenie – as well as her older sister Princess Beatrice – are now said to have significantly cooled off their once-close relationship with Harry. So much so, it’s been reported that the York sisters are ‘not in touch’ with the Sussexes at all and that Eugenie and Jack did not meet with the Sussexes when they holidayed in Portugal over the summer.
Prince Harry with Eugenie and Jack at the King's Coronation in 2023 © Getty Images
This sudden absence from their lives would have been far less obvious when the Sussexes were living thousands of miles away in Montecito, but now that they are back in the UK, we’re told that being essentially ghosted by Eugenie and Jack has been a ‘huge disappointment’ for Harry and Meghan, who will no doubt be feeling humiliated over this unexpected snub from their last royal ally.
An insider says, ‘They’re in disbelief right now because Eugenie is suddenly pulling away. It’s a huge disappointment because Meghan expected them to spend loads of time together. She wants to take weekend trips to Portugal and expected some excitement to be shown over that suggestion but apparently, she didn’t get much reaction at all.
‘Eugenie just had a baby so people are telling Meghan not to take this personally but it’s hard not to feel like something happened to spur this on because the switch has been so noticeable. They don’t want to accept that the plans they have made may now be history.’
They add, ‘It’s very confusing because Eugenie was so supportive at first and suddenly, she’s distancing herself. When Harry and Meghan were all the way over in America and their friendship was mostly over the phone it was very easy to navigate, but things have gotten much more complicated now that they’re on UK soil.
Of course, a lot has changed for Eugenie over the past two years. Once two of the most beloved members of the younger generation of royals, Eugenie, 36, and Beatrice, 38, have made headlines over the past few months – and for all of the wrong reasons.
As the storm of scandal engulfing their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson has shown little signs of abating, the sisters have also found themselves being dragged into the furore.
Eugenie and Jack were included last year in the Royal Christmas at Sandringham... but this year? © Getty Images
Last month they were cruelly dubbed ‘a rot at the heart’ of the monarchy as they continue to face questions over how much they may have known of their parents’ friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and more recently, scrutiny over who pays for their royal properties.
It was recently revealed how the sisters have been living rent free for over 20 years in their royal residences, with their alleged ‘freeloading’ then prompting debates over the pampered princesses' place within royal fold – if indeed there is one.
The sisters also appear to be getting mixed messages from Prince William. On one hand, he is widely reported to want to exclude them from public-facing events and even strip them of their royal titles. And on the other, both Eugenie and Beatrice were photographed being greeted warmly by William at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling in June.
Now with so much appearing to hang in the balance, the source says it’s little surprise that Eugenie appears to have chosen to prioritise her relationship with the royals over her friendship with Meghan.
‘The word is that she’s not wrong because Eugenie is pretty anxious about upsetting William and the King,’ the source says.
‘It’s hard to have a private relationship with Meghan, there are always people watching, and Meghan also likes to put things on social media. Eugenie does really care about Meghan and she wants to be supportive, but she also has to think of her own standing and she’s on thin ice right now thanks to her parents. She’s in a very tough spot but for her own survival she needs to preserve her relationship with the royals.’
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan’s own position within the royal fold appears precarious at best.
Just weeks ago, the tide appeared to be turning in favour of the Sussexes when King Charles and Queen Camilla appeared to welcome Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, back with open arms.
But now, following reports that Harry and Meghan could be set to team up with Netflix for a film commemorating Princess Diana ahead of the 30th anniversary of her tragic death next year, the royals are widely believed to remain suspicious of the couple’s motives for moving back to the UK.
Harry was always close to cousins Eugenie and Beatrice - pictured in 2012 © Getty Images
And not only have the Palace released a statement describing Harry and Meghan as ‘akin to private citizens’ and making clear they are still very much ‘non-working royals’, the source says that the social circles in which Eugenie and Jack mix won’t take kindly to the couple appearing to side with Team Sussex, either.
‘Meghan is very unpopular in the social circles that Eugenie and Jack move in, there’s no doubt that will be weighing on Eugenie’s mind,’ we’re told.
‘She and Jack can’t afford to be ostracized right now, their reputations have already taken a hit thanks to her parent's association with Epstein. To now align themselves publicly with Harry and Meghan is genuinely a risk because it would be seen as making a statement and essentially siding against the future King.
‘The majority of the people in London’s high society set are team William so Eugenie certainly won’t be doing herself or Jack any favours is she’s seen as being team Sussex.’
On top of all of this, Eugenie and Jack also welcomed their latest addition – a daughter named Adelaide – at the start of August. They are already parents to sons August, five, and Ernest, three.
Now, while we’re told Meghan and Harry are still struggling to accept the state of their friendship with their once closest allies, they have agreed to take a step back – at least for now.
‘This really should not come as a shock to Harry and Meghan, they know how tricky this all is, but it’s still very hard to accept that Eugenie could go so cold on them,’ the insider says.
‘For the time being they’ve agreed to let the situation breathe and they’ve stopped trying to push for anything face-to-face because they don’t want to make her feel pressured. They’re continuing to call and check in and just hoping and praying that she’ll find the strength to stand with them
‘But there’s no denying it’s upsetting for Harry and he’s also very sympathetic to Meghan, who’s feeling pretty lonely and isolated, so not having Eugenie there to guide her through this is hitting her hard. She’s very disappointed right now and fearing the worst.’
NO SURRENDER — Ilhan Omar Fires Back at Donald Trump After Federal Agents Search Her Home
Ilhan Omar is refusing to back down after federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home in a criminal investigation—an extraordinary development that has reignited her long-running confrontation with Donald Trump just weeks before the midterm elections.
The Minnesota Democrat responded with a defiant message: “I will not be silenced.” She accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents and described the search as another escalation in what she called a decade-long campaign of intimidation.
The statement immediately raised the political stakes. Omar is not simply disputing the circumstances surrounding the search; she is challenging the administration’s conduct and demanding that the public examine why federal agents took such a consequential step so close to an election.
But the central questions remain unresolved: What exactly are investigators looking for, what evidence supports the inquiry, and will the search trigger a broader confrontation between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration?
‘I Will Not Be Silenced’: Omar’s Defiant Response
On October 12, after news of the search emerged, Omar posted a response on social media that began with a brief reassurance: “I’m ok.”
She then delivered a much sharper political message, accusing the administration of targeting political enemies and weaponizing federal law enforcement.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” Omar wrote, describing the search as the latest escalation in what she characterized as political intimidation. She ended with a declaration that quickly became the defining line of her response: “I will not be silenced.”
Her congressional office issued a separate statement calling the search an “outrageous abuse of power” and an “unprecedented escalation” in the use of federal law enforcement against political opponents. The statement said Omar had done nothing wrong and argued that no president should be able to use the federal government to intimidate political adversaries.
Those are Omar’s allegations and her office’s position. The search itself was carried out under a judicially authorized warrant, according to the Justice Department. Whether investigators uncover evidence of wrongdoing—and whether the search was justified by the facts of the case—remains to be established.
What Happened at Omar’s Washington Home?
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, searched Omar’s Washington residence early Monday, October 12.
The Justice Department confirmed that agents executed a search warrant authorized by a court as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Officials did not publicly disclose a complete account of the evidence being sought or all the details of the inquiry.
Reporting by CBS News and The Washington Post indicated that investigators were examining immigration paperwork dating back to Omar’s childhood. The documents reportedly involved paperwork completed by her late father when the family came to the United States as refugees from Somalia.
The details remain limited, and the reported focus of the investigation should not be confused with a finding of guilt. A search warrant authorizes investigators to look for specified evidence; it does not establish that the person whose home is searched committed a crime.
Omar has repeatedly rejected allegations against her and portrayed the renewed scrutiny as politically motivated. Her office’s statement following the search reiterated that she had done nothing wrong.
As of the latest reports, authorities had not publicly laid out a complete evidentiary case against the congresswoman. That leaves a critical distinction at the center of the story: the investigation is real, but its ultimate findings are not yet known.
Why the Timing Has Become a Political Flashpoint
The search took place less than a month before the November midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. That timing has intensified questions from Democrats about whether the action could influence the political environment surrounding Omar’s reelection campaign.
House Judiciary Committee Democrats raised concerns about the search, while senior Democratic leaders condemned the action and questioned the use of federal power against a sitting member of Congress so close to an election.
The criticism centers on more than Omar’s personal dispute with Trump. It touches on a broader principle: federal law enforcement must be able to investigate potential crimes, but its decisions should be grounded in evidence and applied without improper political influence.
The Justice Department has confirmed the existence of a court-authorized search but has not publicly provided a full explanation of the investigative rationale. Without that information, it is not possible to establish from the public record alone whether the timing was politically motivated or driven by investigative necessities.
That uncertainty is likely to keep the controversy alive. Democrats are demanding answers about the decision and its timing, while the investigation itself remains ongoing.
A Long-Running Clash Between Omar and Trump
Omar has been one of Trump’s most prominent congressional critics. Their political conflict has repeatedly drawn national attention, with disputes involving immigration, national identity, federal enforcement and the congresswoman’s background.
Trump has frequently criticized Omar in public, while Omar has accused him of spreading false claims and using inflammatory rhetoric against her and the Somali American community.
In the days before the search, Omar had also criticized Trump’s rhetoric about Somali Americans. The latest federal action therefore arrived against the backdrop of an already bitter political relationship—not in isolation.
Still, a history of public hostility does not by itself prove that a federal investigation was politically directed. Establishing improper interference would require evidence about how the investigation was initiated, authorized and conducted.
That distinction matters because the controversy involves two separate questions: whether investigators have a legitimate basis to pursue the case, and whether the administration has handled the matter in a politically appropriate way.
Both questions deserve scrutiny, but neither should be treated as settled before the relevant evidence is available.
Democrats Demand Answers as the Investigation Continues
Omar’s response has been echoed by Democratic colleagues who say the search raises serious concerns about the use of federal power. Some have called for accountability and greater transparency about the investigation.
Their criticism is also shaped by the election calendar. A federal search involving a sitting member of Congress in the final weeks before voters head to the polls is certain to draw heightened political attention, even when authorities have a judicial warrant.
The administration’s position and the investigators’ evidence will be crucial to determining how the controversy develops. If officials disclose a clear evidentiary basis for the search, that information will help the public evaluate the government’s actions. If significant questions remain unanswered, pressure for congressional oversight may intensify.
For now, the public has only a partial picture of the investigation. Officials have confirmed a court-authorized search, but have not disclosed all the evidence or publicly established that Omar committed a crime.
What Happens Next for Ilhan Omar?
The immediate questions are whether investigators will release additional information, whether Omar or her representatives will provide further details, and whether congressional leaders will seek formal oversight of the search.
Omar has made her own position unmistakable: she intends to continue speaking out and views the search as an attempt to intimidate a political opponent. The Trump administration’s critics have embraced that interpretation, while the legal justification for the search must ultimately be evaluated through the evidence and applicable law.
The coming days could bring more details about the investigation, new statements from lawmakers and further debate over the role of federal law enforcement during an election season.
For now, the most defensible conclusion is also the most consequential: a federal search has triggered a major political confrontation, Omar has publicly challenged the administration’s motives, and key questions about the investigation remain unanswered.
Her “I will not be silenced” declaration has become a rallying cry for her response. Whether the dispute grows into a wider congressional battle will depend on what investigators reveal next—and whether the government can explain its actions in a way that withstands public and legal scrutiny.
