Prince William's Beef With Prince Harry Has More To Do With Meghan Than We Thought

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The infighting between members of the royal family has been put on a media pedestal, partly because Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a habit of airing their dirty laundry publicly. Between Harry's bombshell 2023 memoir, "Spare," and Meghan's jabs at The Firm on her Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," there frankly isn't a detail overlooked about the high-profile family feud. It's also the reason Harry's brother, William, Prince of Wales, is tentative about mending his relationship with his sibling. 

"Persistent lack of trust is the main reason why senior royals remain reluctant to engage in reconciliation efforts," royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News. "Their concerns are well-founded, that any private family discussions could become public or be used for commercial projects." British royal pundit Richard Fitzwilliams specified that it is William who has a particular desire to keep his distance, as he has "a mistrust of Meghan." Meghan is certainly guilty of badmouthing her in-laws — in interviews and across multiple media projects — though the royal family isn't so innocent of snubbing the Duchess of Sussex themselves. 

Even so, Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, called Meghan "The flea in the ointment," as there is a consensus that she was the catalyst for the family's messy drama. Royal observers have staunchly maintained that "Megxit" (Harry and Meghan's exit from the royal family in 2020) was what snowballed the royal rift.

In a May 2025 interview with the BBC, Prince Harry said that he longs to repair his relationship with his family. "There's no point in continuing to fight anymore," he opined. "As I said, life is precious." According to insiders, he has followed his message with action. The Duke of Sussex has repeatedly tried to get in contact with Prince William, but sources told People that the Prince of Wales refuses to answer his calls. Once again, William's silence is seemingly fueled by the Sussexes' tendency to run to the press — and no, it's not just Meghan Markle to blame.

"William doesn't talk about Harry anymore," a royal source told Us Weekly at the time. "Everyone knows it's a subject that they shouldn't bring up, so he hasn't brought up the interview and won't." It is unclear what will happen to Harry and Meghan when William is king, but the insider asserted that it will bring a deeper rift between the brothers.

As for Harry's relationship with his father, King Charles III, it doesn't seem like they will make amends anytime soon, despite Harry's desire to. Harry reportedly has no chance of reconciling with the king because of William. "The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry," Hilary Fordwich told Fox News, adding, "Charles is not willing to go against his heir's wishes."