As Prince Harry prepares to return to the U.K. in early May for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the state of his relationship with his brother, Prince William, remains strained.
According to a source who spoke to Us Weekly, the brothers “haven’t had a real conversation in months,” but Harry’s upcoming visit could potentially serve as an olive branch. Despite the tension stemming from Harry’s royal step back in 2020 and his subsequent accusations against The Firm, both Harry and William are reportedly “open” to seeing each other. A second source reveals that Harry has even attempted to contact his family and invite them to the Invictus Games, stating, “[Harry] would be more than happy [to].”
The rift between the brothers has been further exacerbated by Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in which he claimed to have gotten into a physical fight with William over Meghan Markle. However, with Princess Kate Middleton battling cancer and King Charles III also facing health issues, there seems to be a thawing of the ice between the royal couples.
According to the first source, Kate is “willing” to talk to Harry during his visit and is “done with all the bad blood.” The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly ready to call a truce, with the insider explaining, “They want a relationship with Meghan and Harry, and they don’t want the acrimony to carry over to the next generation.”
The desire for reconciliation is driven by the hope that the children of both couples can maintain a connection. “They want to mend fences with them for the kids’ sake,” the source notes, with a second insider agreeing that Harry and Meghan feel the same way, stating, “Obviously the duke and duchess want their kids to have a relationship with their cousins.”
King Charles III, who is “eager to spend more time with his grandchildren,” has “always wanted William and Harry to make amends,” according to a third source. The first insider concurs, adding, “Charles very much hopes that his sons will finally heal their rift.”
Interestingly, a source also suggests that Prince William may be “a bit envious of [his brother’s] freedoms.” In contrast, Prince Harry is said to be “very content” and no longer competitive with his older brother. “Harry is very content [and] doesn’t have any of those [old] feelings now,” the Us Weekly source added. “He feels that his life has purpose and meaning and that he can bring a lot of good to the world.”
However, the likelihood of William and Kate attending Harry’s Invictus Games event remains slim. A friend of the couple recently told the Daily Beast, “Both sides understand each other’s position clearly now. William and Catherine felt completely betrayed by Harry’s memoir [Spare]. They don’t speak to Harry and Meghan, and they are certainly not about to start when Catherine is at her most vulnerable.”
Another source emphasized the shift in priorities, stating, “[Harry is] just another person who sold his story to the papers. A ‘get well soon’ message is neither here nor there. But the whole situation doesn’t use up a huge amount of their mental energy any more. William and Kate have accepted it and moved on. Cancer puts things in perspective. William respects his father’s wish to reconcile with his son, but his focus now is on protecting his family from stressful situations.”
