Just because King Charles and Prince Harry found enough common ground to meet again for the first time in over a year doesn’t mean Prince William is on board with the family feud ending. In fact, reports indicate William is still not ready to budge on his brother and has firmly distanced himself from the recent attempt by Harry to get back on good terms with his family.
But that’s not all, according to the Daily Mail, the heir to the throne is angry his brother is being welcomed back by King Charles. “William is back at the point where if you mention Prince Harry in his presence he would throw you out of the room,” a palace insider told the outlet. “He’s doubling down.”
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According to another insider, “William is more determined than ever to cut Harry off altogether. It infuriates William that Harry has pulled off a 12-month ‘master plan’ to re-ingratiate himself.”
The outlet also reports that, “William originally went through all the stages of grief over his brother. When they first fell out he went to Balmoral and went off his food. Just before the Oprah chat screened, he wept. Then he turned to anger and when that stage was over, he simply compartmentalized it all and moved on. He never expected to be regularly in the same postcode as his brother again, like he was last week.”
This seems to be affecting even Prince William’s relationship with his father. Recent reports indicate the relationship between King Charles and Prince William is not doing so well because of their disagreement not just about Harry, but about the monarchy in general. The Daily Beast reported their relationship is “tense, difficult, formal, and fraught,” and that “the vast majority of their communication is mediated by their private secretaries.”
Not just that, Tina Brown wrote on Substack that King Charles is “currently less irritated with the prodigal Harry than he is with his elder son and heir. Somehow, William’s parenting dedication always seems couched as a tacit criticism of the king’s own paternal deficiencies. And after five confirmed family vacations in the past seven months, William’s first-week-back diary pulsated with two outings: a father-daughter excursion to a Women’s Rugby World Cup pool match and a stroll through the Natural History Museum’s new gardens. Charles, despite his battle with cancer, has carried out official engagements on 175 days during the past 12 months.”
The differences between father and son are fundamentally about what the monarchy is about, not just about Prince Harry. The Daily Beast reported weeks ago, “William thinks Charles’ monarchy has failed to modernize. He thinks it still radiates pomposity and looks out of touch, thanks to Charles’ love of uniforms and ermine, and he disdains the prioritization of duty over health and well-being. Charles, meanwhile, believes William shirks the most basic element of the job—appearing, in person, across the country, rain or shine—and that his prioritization of family life over duty is inappropriate.”
But some sources believe that the meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry is still a positive step forward for all, and the void between the brothers is not insurmountable. In fact, reports suggest that concern for King Charles’ health may be the thing that brings them together. According to Parade, the reality is that “King Charles really isn’t doing well,” and this could ultimately be the reason the brothers reconcile.
“It wouldn’t be surprising if William and Harry reconnected a bit more over this,” their source said. “This could be the thing that pushes it to happen.”
We shall have to wait and see. Right now, everything is possible.
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