Royals: Prince William 'simply can't forgive Harry'

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Prince William and Prince Harry came together last month to mourn the loss of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The two brothers put on a united front to pay tribute to the late monarch and honour their father, the new King. Their relationship has been strained since the Duke of Sussex’s shock exit from the Firm and his subsequent remarks in the media which have cast a negative light on the Royal Family. According to royal author Katie Nicholl, William found Harry’s exit particularly difficult as the future King thought his brother would be there to “support” him. 

The author, whose book ‘The New Royals’ was released shortly after the Queen’s death, was a guest on this week’s episode of the Royally Us podcast. The hosts, Christina Garibaldi and Christine Ross, asked Ms Nicholl whether Harry’s exit was hard for William. The author responded: “It was hugely difficult for William. It was very difficult and I think that’s partly why this rift hasn’t been resolved; William can’t completely forgive Harry for what he’s done. 

“We’ve all heard about the Sandringham summit, but in the book, I talk about the Anmer summit because after ‘Megxit’ William did actually convene with his aides at what was then his bolthole — Anmer Hall in Norfolk — to work out what this actually meant for him.”

In January 2020, a week after Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced their plans to step down from the Royal Family, the Queen summoned then-Prince Charles, William and Harry to Sandringham — the Royal Family’s Norfolk estate — to discuss the future of the Sussexes’ role in the monarchy. 

The two brothers reportedly left the summit divided having taken a walk together on the grounds of the estate. The Sunday Times reported that the Princes went on a “long walk to clear the air,” but they “did not part shores as friends”.

A year later, after their exit was confirmed as permanent, the Sussexes sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. They made a series of bombshell allegations against the Firm, citing a “lack of support and lack of understanding” as their reason for leaving. 

When asked about his brother, Harry said: “The relationship is space at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.

“I love William to bits, he’s my brother, we’ve been through hell together, we have a shared experience, but we were on different paths.”

Days after the interview, during a royal engagement, William was asked if he had spoken to his brother. He replied: “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I will do.”

Ms Nicholl said: “It had a huge impact on him [William], on [Princess] Catherine, on their young family — it moved them centre-stage far sooner than they would otherwise have been. I suppose it was preparation for where William and Kate are now — Prince and Princess of Wales. 

“But I think William always expected that he would have his brother to support him and I think it wasn’t just that Harry had chosen to stand down, it was also how he chose to do it in what William saw as a great disrespect to the institution, to his family and to his grandmother.” 

When Harry and Meghan returned to the UK in September, marking only the third time the couple had visited the Prince’s home country since their exit, they reportedly had no plans to visit any of their UK counterparts. 

However, when it was confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II’s health was deteriorating on September 8, Harry rushed to Balmoral to be by her side. Unfortunately, the Duke did not arrive at the castle until 8.30pm — five hours after the monarch died. 

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In the days that followed, the Royal Family came together to mourn the loss of their matriarch. Harry and Meghan stayed in the UK throughout the national mourning period and joined other royals at various events to pay tribute to Elizabeth II. 

Many royal commentators saw the Sussexes’ involvement in the official events as an olive branch, suggesting that a flicker of hope remains for the reunion of the Royal Family. 

Elaine Swann, a body language expert and founder of The Swann School of Protocol, claimed that a particular moment at the committal service at St George’s Chapel pointed to a “healing” relationship between Harry and William. 

Speaking during an episode of Royally Us last month, she said: “I saw a little bit more bonding. There was a very, very brief moment when William had motioned to Harry and Meghan to come and sit alongside them. I think that was a very small tell-tall sign for us that behind the scenes, there’s certainly some healing going on.”

Ms Swann referred to the interaction between the two brothers as they arrived at the chapel; William made a gesture to his wife Kate, Princess of Wales to allow Harry and Meghan to take their seats first. 

It came a week after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the newly appointed Prince and Princess of Wales on a surprise walkabout at Windsor Castle. It was reported that William made the last-minute decision to invite his brother and sister-in-law to greet well-wishers and read tributes.  

However, while Ms Nicholl admitted that the funeral “was an opportunity for the thawing of an incredibly icy relationship,” she argued that “any suggestion that they had a meaningful reconciliation would be wide at the mark”. 

Harry and Meghan returned to the US the day after the funeral. They have no confirmed plans to return to the UK.

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