Precious At The Polo - Kate & Meghan's Awkward Playdate

The duchess’ stand their ground

If ever a picture said a thousand words, it was the official portrait of the British royal family at the christening of Archie, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Already feeling outraged by Prince Harry and Meghan’s decision to exclude the public from the momentous occasion, royal watchers couldn’t help but notice Prince William’s “sour” expression in the photo, suggesting the feud between the heir to the throne and his younger brother has reached a bottom-of-the-barrel low.

And royal fans weren’t the only ones to notice. Following the public fallout after Harry and Meghan’s insistence on a private christening – hot on the heels of criticism for blowing $4.5 million of tax-payers’ money on renovations to their Frogmore Cottage and the duchess’ “private” attendance at Wimbledon – Woman’s Day has learned that the Queen, 93, has finally put her foot down and intervened.

Tired of their feuding, which has led to the split of the official households and their Royal Foundation charities, Her Majesty has ordered the Cambridges and Sussexes to join her at Balmoral in the British summer break to try and sort out the warring foursome’s right royal mess once and for all.

“The Queen has decided enough is enough,” tells the well-placed source. “She is sick and tired of all the frostiness between her grandsons and their wives, and she’s realised it’s up to her to do something about it before relations get worse.”

Perhaps being summoned to Balmoral Castle in Scotland amid the baptism backlash last week was enough to prompt Meghan to make a surprise appearance with baby Archie at a charity polo match, joining the Duchess of Cambridge, 37, and her three children as they watched Harry, 34, and William, 37, go head-to-head on the field.