Is there any hope for Prince Harry and Prince William to one day mend the fences? Some experts aren’t too sure!
You know that the brothers have been at odds for many years, with the tension being made public in 2020 when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal duties. In a new cover story for People on Tuesday, biographer Andrew Morton noted that “things were said that sparked the initial rift, and it’s never healed.” And there’s a chance the rift may last forever, sadly…
In his memoir Spare, Harry recalled that he got into an intense confrontation with William in 2019 for criticizing Meghan. The Duke of Sussex claimed he grabbed the Prince of Wales by the collar and knocked him to the floor. The feud only escalated when Harry and Meghan sat down for an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, where they exposed a family member for racism. Their other projects, like the memoir and Netflix docuseries, didn’t help either. The royals didn’t take the criticisms from the couple too kindly, and things haven’t been the same ever since.
Related: Meghan ‘Raging’ About Charlotte Inheriting Diana’s Tiara Instead Of Lilibet
Despite what happened in the past, Harry wants to reconcile. William, on the other hand, not so much! He has a lot of trust issues with Meg and Harry, and has gone as far as to ignore any messages or calls from his younger brother these days. And here’s the big problem!
Things won’t change until Harry “makes a move and apologizes,” according to author Robert Lacey. But if William won’t answer his calls, how can they move forward?? Historian Amanda Foreman put it this way:
“Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible.”
Oof.
While Harry isn’t anywhere close to repairing his relationship with William, he is heading in the right direction with another royal family member: King Charles III. A report claimed last month that the Archewell founder’s representatives met with his father’s head of communications. Harry’s also put in the work to show he is willing to be a team player with the King since then. It is the first sign in a while that the pair is heading toward a reconciliation. So the next step? A face-to-face meeting!
People reported on Tuesday that it could happen as soon as September! Whoa! Harry is supposed to be in the UK to support his charity, WellChild. The last time they met was in February 2024, shortly after Charles announced he was diagnosed with cancer. So, this is a big offer!
If a reunion happens, don’t plan on William to show up, though! He didn’t have his team involved in the peace talks in the first place. A friend told The Sunday Times in June that at this point, the future king is indifferent about the whole situation. To which biographer Sally Bedell Smith adds that William has just accepted what he can and cannot control:
“He can control what he does in his life, but he has no control over what Harry does.”
Robert also thinks that “they both deeply believe that they’re fighting for profound points of principle.”
Ultimately, no one expected Harry and William to be in this place where they are no longer talking. Certainly not their own mother, Princess Diana. As Morton puts it, “Diana always used to say” that Harry “would be William’s wingman.” But that is not the case immediately. And we can only imagine how devastated their mom would be over how things turned out. A source close to the royal household explains:
“This is the sadness of it — they aren’t supporting each other like they should be. That’s what any mother would want — that they are there for each other.”
If Diana were alive today, Morton fully believes she would’ve done everything she could to fix William and Harry:
“Diana always used to say she had two boys for a reason — the younger would be there to support the older in the lonely task as future King. There is no doubt Diana would have tried to act as a peacemaker between them. If she had been around, they would have worked things out in a different way.”
Although Diana is not here to help end the feud, Princess Catherine is. She reportedly promised Charles she would try to change William’s mind about his estrangement from Harry. While it is a massive betrayal of her hubby, Kate Middleton thinks he would “regret it forever” if he didn’t patch up their relationship immediately before their dad passed. Perhaps she is the key to end the feud once and for all immediately? We’ll see!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Do you feel an end to William and Harry’s feud is “impossible?” Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Phil Lewis/WENN]
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