Prince William allegedly doesn’t want Prince Harry and King Charles III to mend their tattered relationship, according to a claim by journalist Petronella Wyatt.
Wyatt, who is a friend of Queen Camilla, cited a “former palace official” in her column for the Daily Telegraph.
Wyatt wrote that this former official, who worked closely with both William and Harry, stated, “There is a public misconception about William and Harry. It is William who was often the difficult one, and it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry.”
Wyatt emphasized that this situation is challenging now when the country would benefit from seeing the royal family united. Harry, 39, and his family have been estranged since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
Prince Harry did not meet with any family members during a recent trip to London for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The last time Harry saw King Charles, 75, was briefly in February following news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
A friend of William and Kate Middleton told the Daily Beast that there is a “grain of truth” in Wyatt’s statements. The friend added, “Although William wouldn’t dream of telling his father what he can or can’t do in relation to his other son. Charles’ absolute priority is the unity of the monarchy, and given the extent of William’s animosity toward Harry, Charles can hardly roll out the red carpet.”
Wyatt also claimed that William and Charles treated Harry poorly before he left royal life. She believes that Harry should return to the royal family because it symbolizes many families in Britain, and a divided family is inherently weaker.
During Prince Harry’s recent trip to the UK, friends of the king claimed that King Charles offered Harry a place to stay, but Harry rejected the offer. In contrast, sources close to Harry allege that he had requested a meeting with his father well ahead of his trip, but King Charles chose not to meet him. King Charles’ friends strongly deny this, noting that the king met Harry at a vulnerable moment during his illness.
The tension between Prince Harry and his family reportedly deepened when he asked King Charles to choose between him and Queen Camilla. A friend of the royal family told the Daily Beast, “Harry has made it very clear, very publicly, that he despises her. He has forced Charles to choose, which was a misguided decision because Camilla and he both chose each other a long time ago.”
In his memoir “Spare,” Prince Harry described Queen Camilla as “dangerous” and “the villain,” further straining relations. He also accused Prince William of physically attacking him during an argument about his wife, Meghan Markle, leading to an even deeper rift.
Prince Harry has not reconciled with any family members since the publication of “Spare.”