Prince Harry urged to make 'move' to heal 'rift' with William amid 'great loss for the monarchy'
The brothers have grown apart since Harry stepped back from the royal family in 2020
Calls for Prince Harry to extend an olive branch to Prince William are growing louder as royal experts warn the estrangement between the brothers represents a “great loss for the monarchy”.
The reported rift between the sons of Princess Diana has been widening for years, and there’s still no sign of a reconciliation.
Now, insiders and commentators say the responsibility to initiate healing lies with Harry.
Prince William and Prince Harry rift is a ‘great loss for the monarchy’
“We all remember the days when Harry and William were joshing with one another. It all seemed set for their relationship and the future that Harry, as Diana always used to say, would be William’s wingman,” Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton told PEOPLE. “It’s a great loss for the monarchy.”
The brothers were once seen as a formidable royal duo, united by their shared experiences growing up under the spotlight and enduring their parents’ bitter divorce, followed by the trauma of losing their mother, Diana, in a tragic car crash in 1997.
But today, their lives are starkly different.
In Windsor, Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, are raising their three children in the royal fold.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in Montecito, California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are carving out a different life with their children.
“Things were said that sparked the initial rift, and it’s never healed,” Morton added.
Harry’s ‘attempt’ at reconciliation with royal family
In recent months, Prince Harry has reportedly been attempting to ease tensions.
According to the Daily Mail, Harry offered to share his public engagement schedule with Buckingham Palace to avoid clashes with royal events.
However, sources say Prince William wasn’t consulted and was blindsided by a July meeting between Harry’s representatives and King Charles’ senior aide.
William and Kate were reportedly neither informed nor invited to participate in the discussions.
“They will be treating the talks with extreme caution,” a palace insider told the Daily Mail. “The fact that it ended up in the newspapers tells you all you need to know.”
Despite Harry’s public statements about wanting reconciliation, royal historians say William may not be ready, or willing, to engage.
“The rift is very profound and very long-lasting,” said Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers. “It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologises.”
Historian Amanda Foreman echoed that sentiment, saying that “everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible”.
‘He has no control over what Harry does’
There is speculation that a face-to-face reunion between Harry and King Charles could occur in September. The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to the UK to attend a WellChild charity event.
If it happens, it would be their first in-person meeting since February 2024. Harry flew back to the UK shortly after Charles announced his cancer diagnosis.
Still, there is no indication William will be involved in any such talks.
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith believes William is simply focusing on what he can control.
She told PEOPLE that he “can control what he does in his life”. However, she believes he “has no control over what Harry does”.
Read more: Prince Harry ‘desperately wants brother William’s blessing for Princess Diana project’
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