What to Know
There are plenty of reasons why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might want to connect with the Irwin family, and one of them seems kind of petty. And yes, it allegedly involves Prince William and Kate Middleton. Harry and William have been involved in a so-called “royal rift” for years now, and it’s possible that they’re currently competing for Robert Irwin’s attention.
According to a new report from Star Magazine, Harry and Meghan are still hoping to score an invite to the Irwin family’s Steve Irwin Gala. And while their reasons for wanting to go probably have at least something to do with networking and potential collaborations, insiders claim that Prince William’s friendly relationship with the Irwin family is also a motivating factor.
Robert Irwin and Prince William have bonded over their shared interest in environmental protection and conservation work.
In 2024, Robert became a global ambassador for William’s Earthshot Prize. He has spoken highly of the Prince of Wales. Ahead of the Steve Irwin Gala in 2025, Robert told Us Weekly, “I think Prince William has been such an amazing person to work with, and there is such an incredible synergy between what he does and who he is and who we are. He also referred to Prince William as “a true environmental hero” and said “working with him has been a great privilege.”
William has great things to say about Robert as well. In November 2025, William celebrated Robert’s Dancing With the Stars win and praised his conservation work. “We couldn’t have asked for a more passionate and committed ambassador in Robert, and he’s not a bad dancer either,” William said on social media at the time.
Apparently, their bond has Harry and Meghan feeling a bit competitive.
According to an insider who spoke to Star Magazine, Harry and Meghan would never actually say that they want to connect with the Irwins because they want to one-up William and Kate. But the source said that their alleged “obsession with outdoing William and Kate” could be “the real motivator” — or at least, “that’s what everyone’s saying.”
They added, “It’s pretty obvious William has really taken a shine to the whole family.”
But why would the Irwins want to get in the middle of that?
If Harry’s ongoing feud with William really is part of the reason he wants to get closer to the Irwin family, that sounds quite…messy. Star‘s source said collaborating with Harry and Meghan could put the Irwins in a difficult position where they’re “in the middle of this tug-of-war between the royal family.” Yikes.
To make it even worse, the insider has reason to think that William would not be too happy about Harry and Meghan working with the Irwins. They said, “If they accept Harry and Meghan’s offer to team up, there’s no way it will go over well with William.”
At the same time, it’s possible that Harry and Meghan are just being strategic.
After all, Robert has been in the spotlight a lot lately and has amassed a large following, and Meghan has been sharing a lot of content and launching new projects since her return to social media in 2025. Star‘s source said Harry and Meghan are “making a big push to get some face time with [the Irwins] when they’re in town so they can properly connect and pitch some ideas.” And is that really that surprising? After all, as Star‘s source put it, “People are lining up to be associated with” the Irwins right now.
