Prince William and his brother Prince Harry’s relationship lies in tatters, and the question remains as to whether they will ever make amends. By all accounts, the brothers have barely spoken since the Sussexes made their exit from royal life, and after the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare, the idea of catching up on a short phone call shifted from the realm of unlikely, to the realm of inconceivable.
William and Harry last encountered one another at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, when they walked side-by-side with their respective wives. A few weeks ago they attended another funeral, but this time didn’t even make eye contact.
Of late there have been rumors about Harry possibly desiring a return to the royal fold, but his relationship with his brother remains tenuous at best. It’s said that Harry wants an apology, which William won’t give him, while one royal expert now claims that William has one main reason why he won’t meet with Harry – and it doesn’t even have to do with his brother.
The feud between the Sussexes and the Royal Family peaked when Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare, last year. The Duke lashed out at almost every senior Royal Family member within the book’s pages, including his brother, and since then, the two haven’t spoken at all.
Princess Diana’s sons, who once were extremely close, don’t even engage in short phone calls these days. The only “contact” in recent times was when William and Kate’s social media account posted to congratulate Harry on his 40th birthday.
Prince William & Prince Harry
The debacle involving William and Harry, whose feud has been branded “The Battle of the Brothers,” has been ongoing for years and, in fact, started even before Harry decided to leave royal life behind. The last time the brothers saw each other was at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, where they walked side-by-side behind the late monarch’s coffin.
Prior to that, William, Harry, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle had put on a united front to meet grieving royal fans at Windsor. It’s now said, however, that gesture would never have happened if William had his way.
According to royal expert and author Omid Scobie, William was stubborn at the time, telling his father, King Charles, that he was against the idea. But the now-king stood his ground, insisting that his eldest son would perform the walkabout.
“Essentially, he told William to swallow his pride and invite his brother and sister-in-law to join them when they greeted mourners and well-wishers in Windsor that day. William wasn’t keen,” Scobie wrote in his book Endgame. “This was his moment with the public, but the King put pressure on [him].”
Moreover, the author claimed that a source close to the royals “said it was all led by their father, that he was the one that made the suggestion.”
“It showed that all four are capable of switching it on and doing what’s right in the moment,” Scobie continued. “I thought potentially that could open doors to other moments of seeing what matters and putting certain things to one side, just to coexist or to find some sort of common ground.
“But I think the thing that surprised me the most was that afterward everyone just went their own ways and nothing happened beyond that.”
Prince William & Prince William attended funeral of late maternal uncle
Prince Harry has been back in the UK on several occasions since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Shortly after his father had been diagnosed with cancer, Harry paid a fleeting visit to show his support. He also attended a special ceremony for the Invictus Games earlier this year, though on that occasion he didn’t meet any of his family.
He reportedly declined an invite from Charles to stay at a royal household during his visit, and one can only assume that a possible dinner or organized sit-down with William wasn’t even on the table.
Though William and Harry haven’t officially met one another of late, they did actually spend time at the same place in late August. Both brothers attended the memorial service for their late maternal uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, in Norfolk. He was married to Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Spencer.
Harry traveled to the UK to pay his respects at the service, but when he arrived at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, he and his brother avoided each other. They sat with different groups of their maternal cousins, and sources say they kept their distance and never spoke.
“Most people were astounded that Harry came,” one of the reported 300 guests told People. “He was on remarkably good form — and you could tell he was very pleased to see everybody. And he was very pleased that he had come over.”
“We never saw them speak to each other”
A church warden told the BBC: “It was wonderful that both princes were able to attend their uncle’s memorial service yesterday at St. Mary’s Church.”
“The service was a lovely family occasion celebrating the life of such a special man. Many friends were also present and also many members of the St. Mary’s Church family.”
A local resident told People: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”
Prince Harry has previously made it clear that he wants an apology from his family about how he and his wife were treated while still working members of the Royal Family. The couple have lodged many allegations against the royals over the years, and that may well lie behind why they’re unlikely to ever get said apology, irrespective of how strongly they feel that they deserve one.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton have all reportedly been left incensed with what the Sussexes have accused them of. Not only that, but the fact Harry and Meghan decided to go public with their grumblings made things even worse.
That said, fresher reports suggest that Harry misses his old life in the UK and has been on the hunt for a ‘permanent’ house in his homeland. At this point, whether he’d be welcome back to the royal fold if he so desires a return remains unknown. What is clear is that if it’s William decided, it will never happen.
Before Harry’s May trip to the UK, a source told People that the prince had offered an olive branch to his father and brother and wanted to meet them when he arrived. That, it’s said, did not come to fruition.
Prince William “the most unlikely royal” to forgive Harry, expert says
Speaking to Fox, royal expert Hilary Fordwich said that if there’s one person likely to engage in peace talks with Harry, it’s King Charles. At the same time, the possibility of the Duke engaging in similar talks with his brother is “unlikely.”
“If anyone would relent, it would be King Charles III, whom, of course, Prince William won’t challenge. [He] still misses his ‘darling boy’ and would like to see more of Prince Harry,” Fordwich told Fox.
“However, to this day, after the release of [his memoir] ‘Spare’ and the Netflix series, as well as with everything else Harry has said, done and not done – it’s Prince William who adamantly refuses to even speak to his brother.”
She continued: “With Prince Harry, it’s all an issue of trust. Prince William is the most unlikely royal to ever forgive Harry for all his despicable indiscretions. He is now very much seen and accepted as the family enforcer, taking on the hard-line ruler role of his grandfather, Prince Philip.”
It remains to be seen if Harry can ever make amends with his older brother – if indeed that’s what he really wants. The two have been through a lot together, not least the tragic passing of their mother, Princess Diana.
From William’s perspective, though, burying the hatchet with his brother isn’t remotely close to the top of his list of priorities.
Prince William has ‘no room in his heart’ to deal with his younger brother
Royal expert Jennie Bond recently shared a heartbreaking verdict for all royal fans hoping a reunion could be on the table.
“I still think things are too sensitive for a meaningful reconciliation with William, but the fact that he and Catherine authorised the greeting to be posted is definitely an unexpected turn of events,” Bond told OK!, referring to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ happy birthday post to Harry, per the Mirror.
“I don’t think we should hold our breath for the step to really signal the start of a reconciliation, but it was an unexpected turn of events.”
She added: “William has so much on his plate at the moment that I don’t think he has room in his heart or head to deal with all that has gone on with Harry. While the brothers may never be close again, or even live on the same continent, it doesn’t mean that the future has to be full of bitterness and bad blood. Catherine is right. Family should always be paramount.”
King Charles has been the reigning monarch for almost two years. Prince William is next in line of succession, but though it could be many years before he ascends the throne, planning for the next generation is already ongoing.
Operation Menai Bridge, the codename for the plans related to King Charles’s death, is already in full swing. As was the case before Queen Elizabeth’s passing, everything will be planned in extreme detail. When Charles does pass, his funeral will be succeeded in short order by Prince William’s coronation.
Harry attended his father’s coronation in May last year, but William reportedly has other plans for when it’s his turn.
Prince William and Prince Harry may only reunite at King Charles’ funeral, expert claims
While the Prince of Wales is said to want his coronation to “look and feel different,” a friend of William and Harry told The Times that William could exclude his brother from the coronation and not invite him.
Moreover, the friend claimed that the brothers last spoke almost two years ago. “They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad,” the source said.
Prince William would be within his rights, of course, to exclude Harry from his grand day. Still, royal expert and author Christopher Andersen told Fox that he is “convinced” the Duke will be there.
“Despite all the bad blood between the brothers, I’m convinced that, when the time does come, William will not be foolish enough to exclude his only sibling, now fifth in line to the throne, from his coronation,” Andersen said.
“Things probably have never been worse between the brothers than they are now. William and Charles have pretty much made the joint decision to effectively cut Harry out of their lives, at least for the time being. There is no sign of a reconciliation on the horizon, and everyone involved seems to have pretty much come to terms with that.”
“That being said, we have to remember that William is carrying a very heavy psychological burden at the moment,” Andersen continued. “He is deeply upset that his wife and his father are battling cancer at the same time. He must keep a brave face not only for his three young children but also for the sake of the monarchy.”