Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly at peace with their decision to step down from their official roles within the Royal Family, however, the Duke of Sussex is struggling with feelings of guilt now this family has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry's father, Prince Charles, had tested positive for coronavirus.

“Despite their ups and downs, hearing that his dad is sick with a potentially life-threatening illness is a huge wake-up call,” a source close to the Royal Family told Us Weekly. “And he’s overwhelmed with feelings of guilt for not being closer to home while this is all going on.”

The Prince of Wales informed both Prince Harry and Prince William of his diagnosis over the phone before the news went public. “During the heart-wrenching call, he confessed to feeling beyond helpless, being over 5,000 miles away in L.A.,” the source continued. “Charles tried to calm Harry down by saying he’s OK and that he’s only suffering from mild symptoms, which slightly helped put his mind at ease but [Harry is] still worried. Harry’s admitted it’s hit home that Charles and the Queen aren’t going to be around forever.”

Despite living in the United States with Meghan and Archie now, the source said Harry does his best to keep "in regular contact" with the Queen and his father. However, it can be difficult sometimes "due to the 8-hour time difference," which can make the calls "few and far between” sometimes.

“The royals are desperately trying to rally together amid the pandemic, which is a huge struggle given that they’ve been forced to physically separate," the source added. Not only is Harry living abroad, the rest of the royals are following social distancing and staying apart for the time being.

One silver lining, though, is that these unfortunate circumstances have reportedly brought Prince Harry and Prince William closer together. The pair is believed to have been at odds with each other for quite some time, so, at least they're realizing what's really important at the end of the day—family.

Photo: Getty

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