Could This Really Be What It Took For William And Harry To Reconcile?

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Observers of the royal family have been waiting for Prince William and Prince Harry to reunite and finally mend the rift that has grown between them. The brothers have reportedly been on shaky ground for years, but their feud was said to be amplified when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced their exit from the royal family in early 2020. Since that time, William and Harry have seen each other only two times in public (via Reuters). The first was at the funeral of their grandfather Prince Philip, and the second at a ceremony to unveil a statue in honor of their late mother, Princess Diana.

Royal expert Robert Lacey told Page Six in November 2021 that there had been no headway when it comes to William and Harry burying the hatchet, revealing that their relationship was "poor, definitely poor." When William hosted a party to thank those involved with Diana's statue, Harry was absent. Sources told the outlet that William seemed to still carry anger toward his younger brother.

"I've spoken to two people from that party and it was quite clear from things he said that his anger towards Harry remains," Lacey said. "He remains unhappy about what his brother has done. There is no immediate possibility of any reconciliation. I mean, it's not wanted on either side. Too many bitter things have been said."

Town & Country reported in November 2021 that Prince William and Prince Harry may have missed their greatest opportunity to put their differences aside. When Harry returned to the U.K. in July for the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue at Kensington Palace, the memory of their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday should have been an emotional day for the siblings. Yet, William and Harry carried on business as usual.

The publication also reported that it was a bit saddening not to see any other members of the royal family in attendance at the event, as William's wife, Kate Middleton, was said to skip the ceremony out of respect for Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, who was at home recovering from childbirth. William's three children were also absent.

If any time seemed like the most opportune and appropriate for William and Harry to finally settle their differences, it was on their mother's birthday. However, that apparently didn't happen; Harry quickly left the U.K. to return home to his wife and children. One month later, royal expert Kinsey Schofield revealed that mending the rift with Harry isn't something that seemed to be important to William. "I don't suspect that it is a priority for Prince William to patch things up with Prince Harry as they are at severely different stages in their lives," she said, per the Mirror.

It doesn't seem like the brothers were ready for amends. Since the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue, Prince Harry published his 2023 tell-all memoir, "Spare," which garnered quite a reaction from the royal family. Prince William, who was the subject of many bombshell claims in the book, was reportedly most affected by his brother publicly airing their grievances. "William is the one who is most upset and needs time to calm down," a source told People in February 2023.

What was supposed to be a time of celebration for King Charles III and commemoration for the late Queen Elizabeth II was obscured by the massive publicity over the memoir and the effect it had on the sibling feud. An insider told Harper's Bazaar at the time that William was "devastated," though, "He's not ignoring the things his brother has shared. The dust needs to settle, but ... this has been food for thought." However, the more Harry has dished about his family to the public, the worse his rift with William seemingly gets.

Prince Harry reportedly wants to patch things up with Prince William, but his revelatory interview with the BBC in May 2025 could be a potential obstacle. After a judge dismissed his appeal to reinstate his royal security in the U.K., Harry got candid with the British news outlet. Not only was the interview the final nail in the coffin for his relationship with King Charles, but it has set Harry further back from reconciling with William, who is reportedly reeling from his brother's on-camera heart-to-heart.

An inside source told the Mirror that the Prince of Wales has "no incentive" to speak with his brother anytime soon. "At its very heart, for the family there is a major trust issue when even thinking about speaking to him," the insider claimed. Another source told The Royal Observer that William and his wife, Kate Middleton, may be open to forgiveness on the condition that Meghan Markle, who has been blamed for inciting much of the royal family feud, is out of the picture. However, there were some glaring red flags in Harry and William's relationship long before Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, entered the picture.