The ‘subtle’ way King Charles is ‘punishing’ Harry over rift while William is ‘full of regret’, royal expert claims
THEY haven’t seen or spoken to each other for over a year, but Prince William is “full of regret” over the fall out with his brother Harry, according to a royal expert.
Royal author Duncan Larcombe says William is mournful of the close bond the brothers once shared, but will still not back down and offer Harry an olive branch – while the King will keep the door open for his estranged son.
News this week that Meghan Markle is rumoured to be writing her memoirs reportedly left William “frustrated” because he fears that he can’t reach out to his brother without any correspondence being made public.
William and Harry last saw each other at the Queen’s funeral last September and the pair have since refused to meet up despite Harry, 39, visiting London last month, and William, 41, heading to Boston for the Earthshot Prize.
Duncan told Fabulous: “William and Harry’s relationship is irretrievably broken. I’m sure William is full of regret that things are the way they are, as they were once very close.
“They had a very strong bond as brothers and always defended each other. But Harry has offered up a betrayal that no brother should put up with.”
Tensions between the pair ran high when Harry made repeated attacks against the royals in his autobiography Spare.
And while William has “put up with a lot from his brother”, the final straw came after Harry made a series of unsavoury accusations about his sister-in-law Kate, 41.
“William was deeply upset by the accusations towards Kate and how Harry and Meghan almost deliberately tried to drag Kate’s name through the mud for their own gain,” Duncan added. “I can’t see how William can get past that.”
Meanwhile, Duncan believes that while King Charles is more open to a reconciliation with his youngest son, he is “subtly punishing” Harry for his “betrayal”.
He will now only communicate with son through palace advisors after Harry snubbed the King’s offer of staying with him at Balmoral last month to mark the first anniversary of the Queen’s death.
Duncan said: “It appears that King Charles’ approach towards Harry now is business as usual – ‘if you want to see me you need to make an appointment’.
“Harry will have to get past the grey suits and jump through hoops to talk to his father. It’s very standoffish but I think that’s a way that the king is subtly punishing his son.”
Duncan says the King is still deeply upset about Harry’s treatment of his stepmother Camilla, branding her a ‘villian’ in his autobiography.
He added: “Harry has said some deeply hurtful things about Camilla, and yet the King will still correspond with his son, albeit not directly.
“It’s remarkable really, because when Charles became King he said he loved Harry and Meghan which was a huge olive branch – which Harry then took, snapped in half and then hit him with it.
“That said, the King is still keeping those channels of communication open, where William isn’t. The brothers’ line of communication is completely broken.”
Meanwhile, Jennie Bond, a former royal correspondent, previously told Fabulous that there is “no way back for the brothers” following their fallout.
She said: “William is hurt so deeply that I think he probably just blanks Harry out of his mind most of the time. He has moved on with his life, and I guess so has Harry.”
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