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The arrival of Meghan Markle was the catalyst the Duke of Sussex needed to sever ties with his family

The return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the United Kingdom has sparked worries of rival royal courts between the Sussexes and the Waleses.

In September 1997, two young brothers marched behind their mother's coffin in front of millions. For a while, the boys were close - growing up in a world of royal protocol and ancient traditions.

Resentment, sadly, began to set in: the eldest was nurtured to one day take the throne, while the other's teenage angst was splashed across the front pages.

In the early days as working royals, the brothers argued over who would support which charitable cause, according to the youngest's bombshell memoir. He also complained about having the "smaller bedroom" in Kensington Palace.

In public, Prince William and Prince Harry had an incredibly close bond, but behind the scenes tensions were bubbling over.

The arrival of Meghan Markle, who quickly married Prince Harry in 2018, was the catalyst Harry needed to sever ties with his family.

This hurt William; Harry even claimed he was physically attacked by his brother inside Kensington Palace - pushing him onto a dog bowl, which cracked. Kensington Palace has always maintained a dignified silence on the allegations, and royal favourability ratings continue to put the Prince of Wales on top.

After a failed negotiation to become 'half in, half out royals', Prince Harry dramatically left the institution which raised him to live with his wife in California, away from the public gaze.

Allegations of racism, tell-all interviews and (of course) the bombshell memoir led to Prince William cutting off contact with his younger brother. I understand they have not been on speaking terms for several years.

However, Harry and Meghan's American dream has come to an end, and they are moving back to the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future, even enrolling their young children in British schools.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt has suggested Prince William will be "apoplectic". He said: "In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts, William’s and Harry’s. In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father.

"And his presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation. The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic."

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Kensington Palace are not commenting on private family matters; however, it has been reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales were informed in advance.

The King, I understand, is naturally pleased at the prospect of spending more time with his grandchildren. His Majesty is still undergoing cancer treatment, and the Duke of Sussex has indicated he wants to spend much more time with his 77-year-old father.

Prince Harry brought his family to Highgrove last month to spend private time with the King and Queen. However, there appears to be no change in Prince William and Harry's fractured relationship.

It was much easier for Prince William to avoid his estranged brother when they lived on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, it is likely the King will feel compelled to invite the Sussexes to family occasions, at which the Waleses will be present.

Can Prince William really bear to walk alongside his brother in public to the church on Christmas Day in Sandringham, for example, after feeling so betrayed?

Although Prince Harry remains a private citizen, there is still intense interest in his charity work, including supporting veterans, military families and sick children.

As Mr Hunt says, is there a danger that rival royal courts will emerge, trumping the toxicity of a divorced Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the 1990's?

I suspect both sides would want to avoid this, but can William trust his brother to keep private conversations private, after confidential conversations were published in Harry's memoir Spare?

On the other hand, having Prince Harry to support (even in the background) could solve the problem of an ageing population of working royals - only the Prince and Princess of Wales are under the age of 50.

Regardless of the outcome, this could turn into a major headache for the future King, who's indicated he wants to change and slim down the monarchy for the 21st century. With Prince Harry and Meghan grabbing unwanted headlines, how easy will this be?

In any case, if one takes away the royal element for a moment, this is a tale of feuding brothers and a father they both love.

As the King himself allegedly told his sons at Prince Philip's funeral, according to Prince Harry's memoir, "Please, boys, don't make my final years a misery."