A security dispute involving Princess Kate Middleton’s family has struck a nerve with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with a source revealing the couple is yet another example of a double-dealing situation. Controversy James Matthews, Pippa Middleton’s husband, is fighting to keep an electric gate installed at his Berkshire property in 2022 after complaints surfaced that it was blocking the public road.According to a report by The Telegraph, Matthews, 50, cited being a royal brother-in-law as justification for the obstruction, arguing that there was a “need for a higher level of security” for him, his wife Pippa, 42, and their three children, Arthur, 7, Grace, 5, and Rose, 3. The couple’s spokesperson also claimed that the road in question had always been private until the 2023 application to have it recognized as a public road.
Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be frustrated
A source close to the Sussexes told the Star that Harry and Meghan have no objection to Pippa and James having the same door, but they dispute the wider principle at stake. “Harry and Meghan have no problem with Pippa and James having this gate. If they feel they need protection, they should have it,” the source said. “What angers Meghan and Harry is the double standard.”The Sussexes were stripped of their government-funded police detail when they stepped down as Labor monarchs in 2020, and Harry has spent years trying to reinstate it. “He has been treated as if he is completely out of bounds and should not dare to ask for so-called special treatment,” the source continued. “However, the reaction from the palace to Pippa and James apparently asking for special treatment has been mixed. No one makes a fuss by taking advantage.’
More frustration with what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle call a double standard
While the nature of Harry’s security request is on a different scale to a property gate, the source said the situation nevertheless hit a nerve for the couple. “It’s always been one set of rules for Harry and another set for everyone else,” the source shared. “Harry and Meghan have long noticed that the Middletons are able to write their own rulebook. It’s very frustrating, but it’s nothing new.”The dispute adds another layer to the ongoing tension between the Sussexes and the wider royal establishment, with Harry’s legal battle over police protection unresolved.
