Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his older brother, Prince William, Prince of Wales, remain estranged and are not in direct contact, PEOPLE reported in a cover story on September 15 — a silence that has held even after the Sussexes moved back to the United Kingdom.
The magazine interviewed several royal experts and a palace insider for the story. Royal historian Amanda Foreman put the brothers’ standoff in stark terms. “At the moment, it has gone from being a hot war to a very, very cold war,” Foreman told PEOPLE.
Back in Britain, Still Not Speaking
Harry, 42, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, announced their return to Britain after six years living in California and arrived on August 26. They have described the stay as an “extended” one rather than a permanent move, and pointed to schooling for their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
The plan caught many by surprise. The Sussexes gave no hint of it when they visited King Charles, 77, in July. On September 7, nearly two weeks after they landed, the king’s household sent a letter stating that the couple are not working members of the royal family, that they are private citizens, and that their HRH styles “remain in abeyance and are not used.”
Harry has taken steps toward mending his relationship with his father, including their reunion in July, and the two have reportedly spoken since the Sussexes’ return. PEOPLE reports that nothing comparable has happened between Harry and William, 44. Charles has indicated that he would like to see his sons repair their relationship.
The brothers’ rift has played out in public for years. Harry and Meghan married in 2018 and stepped back from official royal duties in 2020. Their interview with Oprah Winfrey and the 2023 release of Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” widened the split, although Harry has said he left out certain personal details about his brother and his father out of respect and a wish to preserve a future relationship with them.
The View From Kensington Palace
A palace source close to William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, also 44, told PEOPLE: “It was very hard on them, and I wouldn’t blame William for being cautious.”
Royal author Simon Vigar said the Prince and Princess of Wales are applying the old British line about keeping calm and carrying on. “They see it as a sideshow and ancient history,” Vigar told PEOPLE. Holding to that approach, he added, may prove hard while the press watches the brothers’ relationship so closely.
Russell Myers, author of the book “William and Catherine,” told PEOPLE: “William’s view is clear — any relationship his father has with Harry or the Sussexes as a family is entirely up to him.” Looking ahead, Myers added, “he will have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.” William has separately been described as firmly opposed to a reconciliation, a characterization that neither brother’s household has confirmed.
Geography is part of what has changed. “It’s been magnified,” a palace insider told PEOPLE of the brothers’ distance. “When they were in California, and you gazed through the looking glass, you couldn’t see it so well, but it is right back in front of them.”
Both Brothers Turn to Family
For the moment, each brother is focused on his own household. Meghan marked Harry’s 42nd birthday with a video tribute featuring family scenes. William and Catherine, meanwhile, are adjusting to a quieter home after dropping off Prince George, 13, the oldest of their three children, to begin at Eton College.
The commentary does not settle whether the silence between the brothers is permanent or simply the current state of play. PEOPLE reported no step toward William from Harry’s side and no opening from William’s.
Kensington Palace has not commented on the reports, and neither has Harry’s team. The accounts of where the brothers stand come from royal commentators speaking on the record and from palace sources who spoke to PEOPLE without being named.