Prince Harry and William have ‘spoken more’ since Sussexes moved to California

Prince Harry and Prince William are ‘speaking more than they did before’ the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California, a royal expert has claimed.  

Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 39, recently bought a $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara where they are living with their one-year-old son Archie, after stepping down as senior royals in March. 

While rumours of a rift between the brothers has been rife throughout the summer, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl has claimed that the ‘distance’ between the two Dukes has been a ‘good thing for them’. 

The expert revealed the Duke of Cambridge, 38, spoke with Harry as he turned 36 last week, and said while it will be a long time until the brothers have a ‘cozy Christmas’ together, they are ‘getting on better’ than they were several months ago. 

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Katie said: ‘The brothers spoke on Harry’s birthday, It’s no secret that it’s been a rocky path between the two brothers. 

‘But I actually think the distance has been a good thing for them. They are speaking more than they did before.’

She added that while it could be some time before the brothers will have a ‘cozy Christmas together’, things are ‘better than they were’ several months ago. 

Meanwhile Katie explained the Duke and Duchess are ‘beginning to explore’ their new neighborhood of Montecito.

While rumours of a rift between the brothers have been rife, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl has claimed that the ‘distance’ between Harry and William has been a ‘good thing for them’. pictured, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018 

The former royals bought their $14.7 million mansion in a secluded and leafy, gated estate outside the affluent town in June and joined homeowners include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Ariana Grande. 

She said the couple have been spotted ‘venturing out’, with Prince Harry often picking up take-out food at a local burger chain.  

It comes after the strain in relations between Prince William and Harry, who were once inseparable, was laid bare in the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ biography Finding Freedom. 

According authors Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie, the rift between the two brothers began in 2016, when Harry and Meghan first started dating. 

Harry and Meghan, pictured in South Africa last year, recently bought a $14million mansion in Santa Barbara where they are living with their one-year-old son Archie, after stepping down as senior royals in March

It was reportedly was sparked by a conversation during which William urged his younger brother to slow the romance down and to ‘take some more time getting to know Meghan’. 

Scobie has also claimed the brothers went two months without speaking following the Sussexes’ bombshell Megxit announcement.  

Speaking last month, Scobie claimed Princes William and Harry cut communication for two months after Megxit and said their relationship ‘will take time to heal’. 

 Prince William and Kate Middleton led birthday tributes to Prince Harry today, sharing a snap of them as a trio in happier times when they raced each other on a visit to London’s Olympic Park in February 2017 

However, last week, Prince William and Kate Middleton appeared eager to lay to rest any reports of a family rift and shared an Instagram post dedicated to Harry early on his birthday. 

The couple chose a light-hearted snap of Harry beating them both in a running race at London’s Olympic Stadium, accompanied by the caption: ‘Wishing a very happy birthday to Prince Harry today!’

But social media users quickly noticed that the Duchess of Sussex was left out of photos, as riled royal fans took to the comments section to say it was ‘shady’ of family members to ‘literally cut Meghan out of the picture’.