Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be back in Britain, but their return does not appear to have changed one crucial thing: the attitude of Prince William and Catherine.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been linked to a possible move to the Cotswolds, an area where they previously rented a country home. Their return has naturally fueled speculation about whether living closer to the Royal Family could finally create an opening for reconciliation.

But according to a report in the Daily Mail, that may not be what happens at all.

While some royal commentators believe William cannot continue ignoring his younger brother forever, a friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales has suggested that the couple have already made up their minds.

They intend to carry on exactly as before.

“It makes no difference if Harry and Meghan are in Oxfordshire, California or Timbuktu,” the friend said. “William and Catherine will continue their lives of public service. They intend to lead by example.”

That statement may be the clearest sign yet that physical proximity will not automatically repair years of family tension.

The debate over what William should do has become increasingly intense.

Royal commentator Richard Kay has argued that the estrangement cannot continue indefinitely. In his view, William and Harry will eventually have to engage with one another, even if the result is only a carefully managed public relationship.

“At some stage they are going to have to engage, because they can’t not engage forever,” Kay said.

He suggested that the first step could be a private meeting between Harry and William, possibly with Catherine and Meghan also present.

The purpose would not necessarily be to restore the closeness the brothers once had. Instead, Kay argued that they may need to reach some kind of understanding about how they will behave publicly.

Even a basic “grip and grin” arrangement, he suggested, would at least show that the family had found some form of workable reunion.

Kay also warned that the situation could not be allowed to drag on for weeks or months.

“The public won’t stand for it,” he said.

His argument is based on William’s future role.

As heir to the throne, William may ultimately have to place the interests of the monarchy above his own personal feelings. From that perspective, a visible and permanent feud with Harry could become increasingly difficult to justify.

But Richard Eden takes the opposite view.

He argues that the pressure being placed on William and Catherine is “unfair and wrong.”

According to Eden, the Prince and Princess of Wales have no obligation to repair the relationship after the way they have been treated by Harry and Meghan.

He points to several major moments that deepened the divide.

There was the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey.

There was their Netflix series.

There was Harry’s memoir, Spare.

And there was what Eden described as a seemingly endless series of interviews in which Harry discussed his experiences with the Royal Family.

From this perspective, Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain cannot simply erase what happened over the previous years.

That is what makes the Waleses’ reported strategy so significant.

They are not preparing a public attack.

They are not issuing angry statements.

They are not demanding that Harry and Meghan leave Britain.

They are simply refusing to treat their return as an event that requires a response.

That may be far colder than an argument.

An argument means engagement.

Silence means distance.

For Harry and Meghan, the Cotswolds may provide a new base and put them geographically closer to the Royal Family, but according to William and Catherine’s friend, that changes nothing.

Whether the Sussexes live in Oxfordshire, California or anywhere else, the Waleses intend to continue focusing on public service.

The message is clear: a move back to Britain does not automatically mean a move back into William and Catherine’s lives.

Kensington Palace declined to comment on the claims.

For now, the royal family appears to be divided between two competing ideas.

One says reconciliation is eventually unavoidable and necessary for the monarchy.

The other says William and Catherine should not be forced to rebuild a relationship simply because Harry has returned.

And if the friend quoted in the report is correct, the Prince and Princess of Wales have already chosen their side.

They are not going to fight.

They are not going to rush toward reconciliation.

They are simply going to carry on.