Prince Harry ‘Cut Off’ Royal Cousin Over Piers Morgan Lunch

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Jack Royston is Newsweek’s Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles III, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—and hosts The Royal Report podcast. Jack joined Newsweek in 2020; he previously worked at The Sun, INS News and the Harrow Times. Jack has also appeared as a royal expert on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ITV and commentated on King Charles III’s coronation for Sky News. He reported on Prince Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding from inside Windsor Castle. He graduated from the University of East Anglia. Languages: English. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page. You can get in touch with Jack by emailing j.royston@newsweek.com.

Jack Royston

Chief Royal Correspondent

Prince Harry cut ties with his cousin Princess Eugenie after seeing photos of her hugging Piers Morgan, sending him “completely ballistic,” the TV host said.

The Duke of Sussex was once thought to have remained close to Eugenie after she was the only royal to visit him in California, joining him at the Super Bowl in February 2022.

However, in April the following year, Eugenie was photographed leaving a lunch attended by Piers Morgan, while her sister Princess Beatrice was pictured hugging him outside the venue.

Why It Matters

The TV host has been a repeated critic of Harry and Meghan Markle, who he nicknamed “Princess Pinocchio,” saying he did not believe her account of experiencing racial discrimination in the royal family.

What To Know

Morgan detailed the 2023 lunch on Piers Morgan Uncensored this week during a conversation with Daily Mail columnist Maureen Callahan.

“There are reports he [Harry] is lonelier than ever in Montecito, he has no friends, he has zero relationship with his family. We just read that he cut off Eugenie, Princess Eugenie and so what is he going to do?” Callahan said.

Morgan cut in: “Well, that was because of me. I’m glad you mentioned that because [Princess Eugenie] was having lunch with me and a group of people in a pub in London.

“I was seen hugging them goodbye and Harry saw this and went completely ballistic. I can confirm, breaking news, that is entirely true, because he couldn’t bear it,” Morgan said.

Eugenie and Beatrice are the daughters of King Charles III’s brother, Prince Andrew, and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

That makes them cousins to Prince William and Harry and also puts them in an interesting position regarding the rift between the Sussexes and the royals.

Some of Harry’s arguments against the royals relate to King Charles’ long-standing desire to reduce the monarchy.

Specifically, Meghan told Oprah Winfrey in her March 2021 tell-all interview that there were conversations behind closed doors about denying her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, royal titles and police protection. They ultimately did get their titles.

Asked whether there might be a racial motivation, she replied that there had been “concerns and conversations” about how dark her unborn child’s skin might be before Archie was born.

At the time, Newsweek was told this was connected to the king’s desire to slim down the monarchy and that Harry and Meghan had wanted their children to get what Eugenie and Beatrice were given.

The two York sisters had their security revoked only after they finished their university degrees. They have never been working royals.

The British press had always reported that Prince Andrew opposed his older brother’s move to exclude his daughters. Historian Robert Lacey’s book Battle of Brothers said Charles “pursued his theme hard, with Andrew resisting fiercely on behalf of Edward and himself—and particularly his own daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, eight and six in 1996.

“Andrew saw royal service as the perfect career path for both his girls, and he also pointed out that if Charles really did intend to limit the family workforce in this drastic fashion, it would make a heavy load for William and Harry, which they would surely appreciate sharing with their female cousins.

“The arguments grew bitter, bringing out into the open all the tensions and jealousies that had long festered between the ‘heir’ and the ‘spare’.”

It all suggested Eugenie and Beatrice might be more open to Harry’s critical perspective on the monarchy.

What Happens Next

If Morgan is correct, Harry’s standing in the broader royal family may be worse than previously thought.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.

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