PRINCE William and Kate Middleton are said to “feel desperately sad” about the estrangement of Meghan and Harry, but still hold out hope of a reconciliation.
It comes as a war of words rages between The Firm and the Sussexes ahead of their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.
Meghan – who denies claims she bullied staff – accused royals of spreading lies about her in a preview clip released by CBS last week.
And the family are braced for new disclosures that could deepen the rift between Harry and William when the full interview is aired tonight.
The bust-up has reportedly caused “great sadness” to Harry’s brother and their father Prince Charles.
A royal aide told the Sunday Times: “The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and William and Catherine all feel desperately sad about it”.
The aide spoke of the estrangement of the Sussexes from the royal family as seeming “irreversible”.
But according to the Sunday Telegraph, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge still hope they can patch things up.
A friend of the couple, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There will always be bumps in the road but they’re a family and families come through these things.
“They both remain hopeful of a reconciliation with Harry and Meghan.
“It has been very difficult for both sides and there has been a lot of sadness over what has happened but ultimately they want things to improve between them in the fullness of time.”
Furthermore, Kate is said to have told friends that she thought there still could still be time to “pull them back in”.
And another source reportedly said former employees of the Sussexes were “emotional” seeing Harry in a jokey video with James Corden last week, “because it reminded us of old H – the H that would give you a big hug”.
Reports of the Cambridge’s hopes for peace come as Buckingham Palace is investigating allegations Meghan was an “outrageous bully” to her staff before she departed Britain last year.
A Palace insider told the Times that Meghan reportedly flew into a rage at a PA over the colour of blankets and left Kensington Palace staffers on the verge of quitting.
This is in spite of palace insiders insisting they had bent over backwards to accommodate Meghan.
According to reports from the Times, a former aide to one of the most senior members of the royal family claimed half the staff threatened to quit over tensions allegedly caused by the Sussexes.
Another Palace source claimed: “The entire household was on the verge of quitting … it was drama, drama, drama with those two.”
Shortly before the wedding, Harry is said to have been told off by the Queen for yelling at her royal dresser Angela Kelly following a run-in with Meghan.
She is said to have complained that a tiara she planned to wear could not be produced for an unscheduled hair appointment.
One source told The Telegraph: “Angela told Harry it was priceless and couldn’t suddenly be handed over at short notice.
“He was furious and shouted: ‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.’ Suffice to say it didn’t go down too well.”
The Royal Family is braced for more bombshell claims in Monday’s broadcast amid an escalating war of words.
And aides said the Queen has not been given an advance copy of Harry and Meghan’s chat with Oprah Winfrey – instead “everyone will watch at the same time”.
The Duchess of Sussex accused Buckingham Palace of spreading lies about her, plunging the the family into its worst crisis in decades.
Senior Royals have reportedly urged for “calm amid the storm” ahead of the bombshell interview which will be aired this weekend.
The interview, conducted by talk-show powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, will be aired on CBS in the US on Sunday night, and then in the UK on ITV on Monday.
