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“The relationship between Harry and William will never be what it used to be.”
The Gist
- Though Prince Harry did see his father, King Charles, during his most recent visit to the U.K. earlier this month, he did not see his older brother Prince William.
- The Prince of Wales is “cautious” of the Duke of Sussex, with a source telling Us Magazine, “There’s still a lot of hurt.”
- “Rebuilding trust between the brothers is going to require more than a simple conversation,” the insider added.
While the relationship between Prince Harry and his father King Charles seems to be improving—if their July 10 meeting at Charles’s country home, Highgrove, is any indication—the ice has not yet thawed between Harry and his brother Prince William.
Earlier this month, Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet met privately with Charles and Queen Camilla—the first time Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet had been in the U.K. since 2022. According to a new report from Us Magazine, the staff at Highgrove “was dismissed” before the Sussexes arrived—a nod to the extremely private nature of the meeting.
But neither William nor Kate and their three children saw Harry and their cousins while the family was in the U.K., despite at one point being separated by just 12 miles. “William has become cautious,” the source said, with Us Magazine noting that “rebuilding trust between the brothers is going to require more than a simple conversation.”
As for the Princess of Wales, “Kate values harmony, but she also supports where William is emotionally,” the source said. “She would love for things to come together and be repaired, but will support William and his timeline.”
“There’s still a lot of hurt, and it’s going to take time to heal,” the insider continued, noting that “The relationship between Harry and William will never be what it used to be.”
A source speaking to People recently described the brothers’ relationship as “so broken,” with another insider adding, “I thought it would have perhaps eased a little bit by now, to be honest. But there has been no movement, especially on William’s side. There is no contact.”
Us Magazine described the meetup with the king and queen as a “more low-key family get-together than official sit-down.” That said, “Certain topics were off limits,” the insider added, noting that they all “agreed beforehand that they would not discuss any topics making headlines in the press, including the court case.” Just days prior, Harry lost a $67 million lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, which publishes The Daily Mail.
The main focus, according to Us Magazine, was perhaps not surprisingly Archie and Lilibet. “The king and queen wanted personal time with their grandchildren, and they wanted it to be lighthearted and positive,” the source said. “The point of the meeting was to spend time with them, and that was the only thing on the agenda.” The insider added that Charles and Camilla “would only agree to the meeting if the kids were coming.”
The king “has to walk a very fine line,” the source said. “He is Harry’s father and would like to do almost anything to make his son feel comfortable. But as king, he knows even the appearance of influencing security decisions could create political controversy. He sees himself as protecting the family and the crown, but those two goals don’t always align.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey told the outlet that “The rift is very profound and very long-lasting. It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologizes.”
Fellow royal historian Amanda Foreman told People of a reconciliation that “Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible.”
Read the original article on InStyle
