Prince Harry’s ‘final chance to heal royal feud with one huge condition’

As silence reportedly continues between brothers William and Harry, a leading royal expert has revealed the one rule Harry must follow if he wants to reconcile with the royal family

It’s been three years since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked side by side with the Prince and Princess of Wales, and things between the estranged couples are worse than ever, an expert reveals. The once close foursome were last photographed together on a walkabout outside Windsor Castle, looking incredibly sombre as they examined some of the many tributes left for Queen Elizabeth after her death on 8 September 2022.

At the time, the joint appearance was described as an “olive branch” from William to Harry, who had packed his bags and waved goodbye to the UK, and his official role as a working royal, two years earlier. But with the string of betrayals and explosive bombshells that have been dropped in the three years since, the situation between them is the worst it’s ever been, according to former royal editor Duncan Larcombe.

“There’s no doubt the feud between them is worse than ever, so much has happened and there has been so much betrayal and fury,” he tells the Mirror. “The longer they don’t speak, the deeper the feud will get.”

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And while time is usually a healer, Duncan claims this doesn’t apply in the case of Harry, Meghan, William and Kate. There is one glimmer of hope though, in the shape of Harry’s upcoming trip to the UK.

As Patron of the WellChild charity, which supports young people with serious health needs across the country, he is expected to fly into the capital – without Meghan – to attend the charity’s 20th annual Awards ceremony at the end of September. In a video posted on WellChild’s website, Harry invites people “join us” in celebrating some unsung heroes, adding, “It is a true privilege to honour the bravery and compassion of this incredible community.”

Rumours of a possible UK meet-up with Charles, 76, first ramped up after a private meeting between close aides from the two sides earlier this summer. According to Duncan, a meeting with the King might be the only opportunity Harry has to inch open the door for him and Meghan to be allowed back into the family fold.

“From what I’ve heard, Harry is quite keen to see his father. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. But him coming over to England is at least a chance for them to meet, and start the process of trying to build bridges.

“It would have to be done in absolute private, behind closed doors, because there’s simply been too much played out in public, and that has to end if anything is to be repaired.”

While Harry’s relationship with his big brother is by far the most fractured, Duncan suspects William is unlikely to stand in the way of a father-son reunion. He adds, “The royal family needs to be united. They need to be seen as kind of figureheads of British society, and a division is not good whatsoever. King Charles will make his own decisions, and William would not be able to tell the King what to do.”

Reflecting on how Harry found himself in the difficult position with his family, Duncan said: “Their Oprah Winfrey interview was the first big blow, so to speak, because it showed that Harry and Meghan were prepared to speak about the royals, particularly Charles and William, in a way one would never expect from another family member.

“Then Harry’s book, Spare, was incredibly damaging and made William furious because of the betrayal of family secrets. “So now Harry and Meghan have carved out their own existence in California, but they’re doing it for cash and to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, all that time in those same three years, William and Kate have been busy with duty, and haven’t cashed in on their status.”

The now infamous Windsor walkabout saw William, 43, and Harry, 40, walk together with their wives on either side, all dressed in black or navy, before splitting off and chatting separately to the crowd.

They reunited again for the funeral, with the brothers walking behind the late Queen’s coffin with their father, but Meghan, 44, and Kate travelled to the church in separate cars, and didn’t appear to chat to each other before, during or after the service.

And while the Sussexes have spilled plenty of beans about the Windsors in Harry’s biography, and in their Netflix series Harry & Meghan, it has been total radio silence from team Windsor. According to Duncan, who spent more than 20 years covering the goings on inside the palace walls, the lack of public acknowledgement from William speaks volumes.

He said: “He hasn’t said a single word about his brother publicly in the time since their grandmother’s death, which is a sign that frankly, the situation at the moment is just dire.

“Harry said in an interview at the start of this year that the ball was now effectively in William’s court, in terms of triggering any changes in their relationship. But I’m not sure that’s how William sees it, I think the apologies need to come from Harry not William’s side.

“And even if Harry manages to get things back on track, there’s Meghan to think of too. Meghan’s priorities are in America with her children and her business, they don’t include the UK or Harry’s family over here. She has made that very clear.”

All eyes are back on Meghan this week with the release of series two of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, which dropped on 26 August. Products from her lifestyle brand, As Ever, were expected to feature heavily as the streaming service is already plugging her range alongside a set of ‘How To’ guides from series one.

Meanwhile, the anniversary of the Queen’s death will be a “poignant time for the whole family”, Duncan adds, and individual royals will no doubt mark it privately, “in their own way”.

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