The chasm between Buckingham Palace and Hollywood’s glittering underbelly has widened into a veritable Grand Canyon, with royal insiders recoiling in horror at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s gleeful immersion in Kris Jenner’s opulent 70th birthday extravaganza. Described by one palace source as “so tacky,” the Sussexes’ black-tie revelry at a $165 million Beverly Hills estate—hosted by Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez—has palace courtiers clutching their pearls and declaring it the final nail in the coffin of any reconciliation hopes.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 41 and 44 respectively, traded their Montecito manse for a James Bond-themed soiree on Saturday night, rubbing elbows with A-list royalty of a very different stripe: Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Adele, Paris Hilton, the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, and even Jenner’s go-to plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Levine. Jenner, the self-made matriarch of the Kardashian empire, captured the moment on social media with a smirking selfie alongside the couple, her caption gushing about the “magical” evening. But across the Atlantic, the reaction was anything but celebratory.

“It’s so tacky,” one insider who works closely with the royal family told Page Six, their voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. The source went further, painting the Sussexes’ attendance as a glaring billboard of their exile: “It truly shows that Harry is so far removed from the rest of the family. These people may be stars in America, but the pure ostentatiousness is at odds with what Prince William is trying to do with his life and the monarchy.”

The bash, a lavish affair at Bezos and Sánchez’s sprawling estate, unfolded mere hours after Harry and Meghan’s more philanthropic pit stop: the Baby2Baby gala in Los Angeles, where they honored tennis titan and close pal Serena Williams. Yet it was the afterparty that stole the spotlight—and not in a good way for Team Windsor. Grinning ear-to-ear in tux and gown, the couple embodied the very Hollywood excess that has long bedeviled the Firm’s image consultants. Their presence, insiders whisper, underscores a Sussex schism that’s only deepened since Harry’s 2020 Megxit and his tell-all memoir Spare, which painted the palace as a viper’s nest of rivalry and resentment.

This isn’t just any fête; it’s a seismic clash of worlds. Harry and Meghan’s cozying up to Bezos comes amid Meghan’s budding Hollywood comeback: She’s filmed a cheeky cameo as herself in the upcoming rom-com Close Personal Friends, produced by Bezos-owned Amazon MGM Studios and helmed by This Is Us creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. The project, teased with set photos last month, marks her first on-screen nod since Suits—a “connection” with the power couple, sources say, that’s as strategic as it is splashy. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s invitation raises eyebrows: Just last January, the Sussexes lambasted Meta for axing fact-checking programs, with Harry decrying it on Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveller as a “deeply deceptive move” that would “normalize hate speech.” Their Archewell Foundation fired off a statement, slamming the platform for enabling “more abuse.” Awkward? In Tinseltown, perhaps it’s just networking.

Palace whispers of appalled outrage aren’t new, but this latest episode feels like a breaking point. Some officials had clung to faint hopes of a brotherly thaw under Prince William’s future reign, but an industry source poured cold water on that fantasy: “That’s overstating things,” they scoffed, emphasizing William’s ironclad vision for a “slimmed-down” monarchy of “true class.” The Prince of Wales, 43, has spent the week in Rio de Janeiro for his Earthshot Prize environmental summit, mobbed by adoring crowds and exuding the effortless poise his brother once shared. Back home, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, made a poised appearance at London’s Festival of Remembrance, debuting 12-year-old Prince George to the public in a subtle nod to grooming the next generation. William, who hasn’t uttered a word to Harry in two years, recently vowed in a candid interview to steer clear of his parents’ marital missteps—echoing Charles and Diana’s turbulent union—while prioritizing “change” for the crown.

Contrast that with the Sussexes’ orbit: A Bond-villain bash where caviar flows like champagne and discretion is optional. “The couple’s appearance shows that Harry is so far removed from the rest of the royal family,” the palace insider reiterated, their words a velvet-gloved slap. Royal biographer Omid Scobie, a Sussex sympathizer, might spin it as empowerment, but detractors see schadenfreude: Harry’s descent from polo pitches to Kardashian couches as karmic payback for Spare‘s palace potshots.

Public reaction has been a mixed bag of memes and moralizing. On X, #HarryAtKris trended overnight, with royal watchers posting side-by-sides of tuxedoed Harry amid the Jenner clan versus William’s eco-warrior elegance in Brazil. “From frogmore to full Kardashian—Harry’s living his best life, or worst nightmare?” one viral tweet quipped, racking up 50,000 likes. A YouGov snap poll Thursday pegged Harry’s UK approval at a dismal 28%—down 3 points since the party pics dropped—while William and Kate hover at a stellar 72%. “It’s the optics,” sighed royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams on Good Morning Britain. “In an era of quiet luxury, this screams screaming luxury. The Firm’s rebrand as relatable royals doesn’t need this sideshow.”

For the Sussexes, undeterred, it’s business as usual—or perhaps better. Archewell’s post-gala glow-up, coupled with Meghan’s film flirtation, signals a pivot from Netflix woes (remember the axed Pearl?) to Amazon alliances. Harry, ever the activist, used the Baby2Baby event to tout child welfare, a cause close to his Invictus Games heart. Yet as palace doors slam shut, whispers of a full Sussex severance grow: No Christmas at Sandringham this year, sources confirm, and William’s eyeing Prince Edward’s low-key offspring—Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn—for future fold-ins over his wayward brother.

Jenner’s bash, with its 007 glamour and guest list longer than a red carpet, was a microcosm of the Sussexes’ new normal: Bold, brash, and blissfully unapologetic. But in the hallowed halls of the palace, it’s viewed as vulgar vogue—a tacky tango that tangoes too far from the throne. As one insider summed it up: “They’ve chosen their circus. Let them enjoy the clowns.” Whether this cements Harry’s Hollywood exile or sparks a Sussex resurgence remains the billion-dollar question. For now, the only bond between brothers is the invisible one—severed, stretched, and sparkling with schism.