The deep freeze in the relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William shows no signs of thawing. Despite the Duke of Sussex’s recent olive branch to their father, King Charles, during a surprise visit, the fraternal rift remains as wide as ever. The last public interaction between the brothers was in 2022, walking behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Now, new details have emerged about Harry’s final, desperate attempt to bridge the gap—an attempt that was met with complete silence.
According to royal author Omid Scobie, Harry made a concerted effort to reopen a channel of communication with his older brother, even going so far as to enlist the help of a mutual friend. “When I was working on my last book, I spoke with people very close to Harry,” Scobie revealed. “They shared that Harry had reached out to an intermediary, someone who was a friend to both him and his brother. He was hoping this person could facilitate some kind of conversation, perhaps with the intermediary present, or just open a line of dialogue.”
The hope, it seems, was to find any way through the impasse. But the outreach was futile. Scobie confirmed that the conversation “didn’t happen. It wasn’t received in any way whatsoever.” He added, “From what I see now from the outside, it looks like that stone wall is still up. Unless the attitudes change on both sides, we’re never going to find any way to resolution.”
However, a different perspective on William’s state of mind emerges from another royal source. In his upcoming biography, William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era, longtime royal reporter Russell Myers paints a picture of a prince grappling with a profound sense of loss. According to Myers, William was “intensely saddened” by his brother’s decision to step back from royal duties.
“He and Harry had been drifting apart for years, but now he knew deep down that there would be no turning back,” Myers writes. The book suggests that the happy memories of their shared childhood—navigating the trauma of their mother’s death and growing up under the public gaze—have been irrevocably stained by the family’s current divisions.
Interestingly, the biography claims that Kate Middleton held a different view. The Princess of Wales reportedly had “less interest” than her husband in trying to convince Harry to stay. Myers asserts that Kate believed the “fundamental differences” inherent in their positions as the “heir and the spare” made Harry’s departure almost inevitable, as he was always destined to want more from his role than simply being a “bit-part player.”
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