From the death of Queen Elizabeth to the cancer battles faced by other senior members of the British royal family, the last few years have been incredibly tumultuous for the House of Windsor.

Adding to the turmoil within the monarchy is the continued strained relations between Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William, with sources now suggesting that the younger royal -- now living in California -- feels “trapped” by the controversial decisions he has made that may ultimately lead to the loss of his title and that of his wife, Meghan Markle, as Stylecaster reports.

“Megxit” rift remains raw

It was in early 2020 that Harry and Meghan made the shocking decision to step away as senior, working members of the royal family in favor of a new life in North America.

Since then, the couple has engaged in a host of conduct that has not exactly endeared the pair to the royal relatives they left behind.

Harry, for his part, authored a tell-all book, Spare, in which he leveled all sorts of incendiary allegations against his family, and he and Meghan joined forces on a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey and a Netflix docuseries in which they aired additional supposed grievances against the institution they chose to leave.

Public statements critical of everyone from long-trusted royal courtiers and even Princess Catherine resulted in a bitter, ongoing feud between Harry and William, with King Charles reportedly also keeping a healthy distance from his younger son.

William's hard line

With the separation between the working royals and the Sussexes (as Harry and Meghan are alternatively known) now well-established, reports have emerged that William could be planning to take harsh, decisive action against the pair once he ascends to the throne.

One place insider stated to The Daily Beast, “It's no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with” than their father, King Charles, has prescribed to date."

William, the source explained, “thinks [Harry] has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldn't take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king.”

That indifference -- or indeed outright hostility -- to Harry was exemplified by William's recent decision to hire Jason Knauf, a former aide who went public with claims that during her time in England, Markle engaged in unacceptable bullying of royal staffers.

Given that Knauf -- tapped to lead William's Earthshot Prize endeavor -- has “pariah” status where the Sussexes are concerned, as royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams noted, “William is clearly showing he doesn't are about what his brother thinks, much less Meghan.... The royal rift seems permanent.”

Harry's dilemma

The conundrum in which Harry now finds himself is viewed by many royal observers as exceedingly ironic, given his 2021 remark to Winfrey in which he said of life in the monarchy, “My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave, and I have huge compassion for that.”

Now, however, according to a source who knows both siblings and spoke to The Times, Harry's life and business ventures in America have not lived up to expectations, and now he “is the one that feels trapped.”

Considering William's unwaveringly stern stance and Charles' reported unwillingness even to take his son's calls, the time-worn admonition to “be careful what you wish for” seems utterly apropos.