There’s “no turning back” for Prince Harry’s relationship with Prince William and King Charles. Royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News in June 2025 that, while Charles is still “tender” toward reconciling with his son, William has “shut the door” on Harry, and wants their father to follow suit.
“There is no turning back,” Fordwich said. “King Charles remains tender towards his son but can’t risk communication. Prince William now has absolutely no interest in mending fences. Those close to the king say he [shouldn’t] make peace with Harry in a way that would burden Prince William’s future reign. The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry. Charles is not willing to go against his heir’s wishes.”
Fordwich explained that the real reason William and Charles don’t plan on ever reconciling with Harry is due to their lack of trust in the former Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle. “Everything comes down to trust and the lack of it,” Fordwich said. Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith also echoed the same sentiment to People after Harry’s BBC interview in which Harry claimed that his father could die before they ever speak again.
“The underlying issue is trust,” Bedell said. “The king and William don’t trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation.”
As for Harry’s relationship with William, another source told Fox News that they don’t expect the brothers to see each other again unless Charles dies. “The funeral of Charles would be the first time that courtiers would imagine [them reuniting],” the source said. “I can’t imagine William would invite Harry to his coronation.”
Harry hinted that only his father’s funeral could bring him and William back together in his BBC interview, in which he told the outlet the “only time I come back to the U.K. is, sadly, for funerals or court cases.”
Royal author Valentine Low also confirmed to People that Charles’ inner circle at Buckingham Palace are also advising him not to speak to Harry. “There is not a good angel in [the king’s] ear to say, ‘Be a good dad and make the first move,’” Low said. While William has “no interest” in reconciling with Harry for his own reasons, sources also told the magazine that Charles’ issues with Harry stem from his comments about Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, in his book, Spare, in which he called his stepmother a “villain.”
“It’s Harry’s criticisms of Queen Camilla [in his memoir, Spare], as well as his broader attacks on the family and institution, which have seriously crossed a line for the king and those closest to him,” Fordwich told Fox News.
Fordwich continued, “The king is now so puzzled by Harry’s constant revelations. It’s now beyond sensitive to discuss, so he avoids all interaction regarding the subject. He is so kind but overwhelmed and has quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son.”
Another reason for Charles’ rift with Harry has to deal with their court case over Harry’s security detail, which he lost after he and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the British royal family and moved to the United States.
“Harry’s ill-timed recent interview on the BBC highlighted the lack of trust between them publicly,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News. “He seemed to believe his father could and should solve the issue of security, which he insists he and his family should have.”
Fitzwilliams continued, “The rift, sadly, seems likely to remain toxic as there is no mutual trust between them. Hopefully, it will not worsen as the Sussexes could give further interviews or possibly write more about the feud, something that is invariably remunerative for them.”
While Low explained that Harry’s comment about not knowing “how much longer” his father has to live wasn’t “meant to be an attack,” it still created a deeper wedge in his relationship with Charles. “It wasn’t meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one,” Low said. “It makes Charles reaching out even harder.”