The royal rift between Prince Harry and Prince William has seen the Duke of Sussex lose his potential role as a ‘top advisor’ if his brother ever takes the throne.
The brothers, who have been distanced in recent years, were once close and it is thought that Harry would have been his older brother’s closest confidante. However, since Prince Harry’s step back from the Royal Family in 2020 and his controversial autobiography ‘Spare’ in 2023, their relationship has suffered.
With Harry and William no longer close, it’s thought that William will look elsewhere for support when he takes over the throne from his father King Charles III in the future. A royal commentator has explained how Harry’s role as support is now ‘out the window’ with the two brothers locked in their royal rift. Prince Harry will no longer be the ‘top advisor’ to his older brother Prince William when he takes the throne.
Charles Rae explained whilst on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show : “When William becomes King, I always believed Harry would be one of his top advisers. I think that’s out of the window.” He added: “That’s what Diana always wanted, the boys to remain as close as possible, they had each other, and it was them against the rest of the world but of course now it’s not happening.”
The comments come as Prince Harry is set to return to the UK next month as he celebrates 10 years of the Invictus Games, and it’s thought he could reunite with both his brother and father. Whilst his relationship with his brother and father might still be estranged and tense, Harry might feel he has ‘no choice’ but to see the Royal Family whilst he visits rather than try and find excuses to avoid an awkward meeting.
Royal author Tom Quinn exclusively told The Mirror : “Barring a major upset, Harry will certainly return to the UK for the Invictus games in May – it’s his baby. If he decides not to come, it will take some explaining, because everyone will assume it’s because he doesn’t want the awkwardness of having to meet his brother or having to choose not to meet him.”
Prince Harry and Prince William remaining close is ‘what Diana would have wanted’ according to a royal expert. Prince Harry’s visit will likely come with some fraught feelings from the Duke as he returns to the UK after his defeat at the UK High Court earlier this year, where he lost his case against the Home Office and RAVEC following downgrades to his security after he stepped back from being a working royal.
The Duke had been trying to overturn a ruling which saw his security status downgraded after he stopped being a “working royal”, as he cited concerns over his safety and that of his wife and two young children. Harry’s legal team previously told the High Court: “The claimant’s consistent position has been, and remains, that he should be given state security in light of the threats/risks he faces.”
