Is There Still Hope for Prince Harry & Prince William's Relationship Years Into Their Rift?

• The deep divide between Princes Harry and William has cast a cloud over any hopes of mending their relationship.
• Harry's open disclosures in his memoir and their strained public encounters highlight the complexity of their relationship.
• Amid these public revelations and personal disputes, a key question arises: Can time heal the rift between the royal brothers?

The only offspring of King Charles III and his late ex-wife, Princess Diana, Princes William and Harry, are at odds. The public has long perceived the brothers as united, their bond forged not only by their royal duties but also by the shared tragedy of losing their beloved mother at a young age.

However, reality paints a different picture, revealing a relationship that has been slowly but surely deteriorating over time. As such, Prince Harry's bold decision to step down from his role as a senior royal, and his relocation to the United States with his family, further distanced him from his brother both physically and symbolically.

Over time, Harry has not shied away from discussing this rift publicly, even sharing intimate details in his bestselling memoir, "Spare." The title of the memoir aptly reflects Harry’s position as the second son of the King.

The succession to the throne is determined by both bloodline and Parliamentary statute. The sequence of succession outlines the order in which members of the Royal Family stand in line to the throne. William holds the foremost position, succeeded by his three children. Harry, is positioned fifth in line, and his son, Archie, is sixth. His daughter, Lilibet, is seventh.

The rift between the once close brothers came to the fore in 2020. This was when Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made the unprecedented decision to step down from their royal duties and relocate to North America.

The couple had a vision of dividing their time between the United Kingdom and North America, a move they believed would allow them to fulfill their obligations to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and their patronages, while also providing their son with an understanding of the royal tradition into which he was born.

However, their proposal for a "half in, half out" approach, which would allow them to have their careers and financial independence while still supporting the Queen, was swiftly rejected, with reports that William even yelled at Harry.

The couple later talked about their decision, citing the lack of support and protection they felt from the royal institution, as well as the negative and racially charged press coverage they received, as the primary reasons for their departure.

The royal family’s response, questioning why Meghan couldn’t handle the pressures that others had endured, further deepened the divide. Harry even suggested that his father and brother were ensnared within the system. He acknowledged that Meghan’s experience was different from others in the family, and it was unjust to expect her to withstand the same pressures.

During Meghan’s pregnancy with Archie, there were concerns within the royal family about the potential skin color of their unborn child, she revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. This revelation, along with discussions about Archie’s future, and that he wouldn't be given security and a title, played a significant role in their decision to leave the UK.

Meghan did not reveal who had raised the concerns about her son's skin color, but she clarified that it was not Harry's grandparents. The couple also opened up about the severe impact of racism on Meghan’s mental health, to the extent that she considered suicide. Meghan shared her feelings of despair with Harry, confessing, "I just didn’t want to be alive anymore."

In the "Harry & Meghan" Netflix docuseries, Meghan depicted their life within the royal family as being under constant control, to the point where she couldn’t even share a photo with her friends. Despite the rift and the challenges they faced, Harry is open to mending his relationship with his family.

He stated that the onus was on them to engage in a discussion about the issues at hand. While he affirmed his belief in the monarchy, he was unsure about his future role within it, but he also expressed a longing to reconnect with his loved ones, saying, "I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back."

At their father's coronation, the brothers, who hadn't seen each other for nearly eight months, appeared to keep their distance. William, who was there with his wife and children, and Harry, who attended solo, didn't seem to interact during the service at Westminster Abbey.

William, being next in line for the throne, was part of a procession that included his wife, Catherine, and their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.

Harry, conversely, entered the church alongside his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and sat with them, a few rows behind William and his family. His wife Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, remained in California and didn't attend the coronation.

The last time Harry had been seen publicly with his royal family was at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral the previous September. Following the death of their grandmother, an event was organized to celebrate her life, followed by a relaxed dinner. William and his wife invited Harry and Meghan, suggesting they join the police escort back to Windsor, as they were all heading in the same direction. However, this was a small gesture and far from reconciliation.

A few months later, Harry published a memoir, "Spare," which candidly discussed the strains within his immediate family, particularly with William. The book was not all gloom and in it, he recalled some special moments, including his brother’s wedding and their first pregnancy, expressing his joy for them and his decision to give William the sapphire ring he inherited from their mother.

Still, a dark cloud hung over their heads, and the divide between the brothers deepened in the months following their grandmother’s funeral, especially after the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries and Harry’s memoir.

William felt that Harry and Meghan had blindsided the family with their public complaints and their self-importance, a sentiment he has repeatedly shared with friends and aides over the years.

An insider close to Prince William has shared that he harbors feelings of resentment and a sense of betrayal about the current situation. The insider revealed, "But he also doesn’t agree with the things his brother feels he has done. He feels he has lost Harry and doesn’t want to know this version of him."

On the other hand, a source from the Spencer family has offered a different perspective, stating that Harry is merely a man who has stepped away from the institution and now views things from a different lens. They believe that the brothers are at a point where their perspectives are so divergent that they may never find common ground again.

In early February 2024, Buckingham Palace shared news of King Charles' health. He had started regular outpatient treatments following the discovery of cancer during his treatment for an enlarged prostate. Charles personally shared his diagnosis with his sons and other family members.

In response, Prince Harry made a solo trip to London to be with his father, leaving his family in California. Harry's arrival at Clarence House, the King's London residence, was captured in a photo. However, the meeting was brief, reported to have been 45 minutes long, and Charles and his wife Queen Camilla left for his country estate in Sandringham shortly afterward.

Harry returned to the United States the next day. Royal expert Jennie Bond observed that Harry’s trip, which included a brief meeting with the King and Camilla, did not seem to involve any interaction with William. She suggested that William seems to have distanced himself, indicating a deep rift that might be difficult to mend.

She said, "That rift is so deep now, and that has been shown by Harry being here and them not meeting." Grant Harrold, who served King Charles for seven years when he was the Prince of Wales, speculated that Harry’s decision to stay in a hotel instead of a royal residence might be an attempt to demonstrate his independence or possibly due to an ongoing disagreement with his brother.

Grant pointed out that it was unusual for Harry not to stay at a royal residence, considering he had rooms at Clarence House and Highgrove when they were growing up. Grant also noted that this decision might not be a good sign, as one might expect him to stay with his brother and sister-in-law or at one of his father’s homes.

He also noted, "If there is an ongoing fallout between him and his brother, it's possible that he may not have been given the offer to stay." Grant mentioned that the King would have appreciated a longer visit from Harry, implying that Harry's brief stay in London might have been a deliberate attempt to evade additional gatherings.

In his recent book, "Endgame," Omid Scobie, a royal correspondent for ABC News, posits that William's alleged press briefing has caused a significant rift between him and Harry. Omid pointed out that William’s sharing of private information about his brother, which later appeared on a newspaper’s front page, has caused lasting damage to their relationship.

According to Omid, William has evolved into a staunch supporter of the royal family. The emotional pain and resentment between the two brothers have now solidified into indifference, something that Omid believes is more rigid and unyielding.

Omid, who documents the disintegration of the royal family and the weakening of the modern monarchy in his book, views Harry's release of "Spare" as his final attempt to express his longstanding feelings to his family.

He suggests that there has never been a sufficiently open platform for these discussions or to share these emotions. While the royal family is not typically known for its emphasis on emotions, Omid argues that the family is currently overlooking its internal divisions at its own risk, as the British public views the royal family as the nation's family.

Yet, according to Omid, William, the successor to the throne, has prioritized his allegiance to the monarchy, even subtly collaborating with the U.K. press to undermine Harry. While writing the book, Omid conversed with a source who labeled Harry as a "defector," a viewpoint they attributed to William.

Omid notes that these were two men who were once united in their perspectives, but one had to diverge to safeguard the crown. Omid questions whether there will be a crown to protect in the future and suggests that there is a real opportunity here to learn, adapt to contemporary society, and rectify past mistakes.

Even if the monarchy survives, Omid questions whether the sacrifice of fraternal bonds was worth it. He suggests that these are likely to be sorrowful realizations that will come far too late in the journey.

From the perspective of some within the institution, Harry’s ability to express his independent thoughts outside the confines of the institution has made him a threat to the crown. This is why Omid believes there's no turning back for the brothers.