A source said that he and Kate were relieved that “the drama was gone" when Harry and Meghan left the country.
Prince William and Prince Harry once shared a very close bond, but now, it is strained, to say the least. The siblings recently got together for their grandmother's funeral, but things seemed awkward. Royal expert Katie Nicholl recently wrote a piece for Vanity Fair, delving into detail about the exhausting drama between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. According to Nicholl, William "always expected Harry would be his wingman" and there was a plan in place for the "brothers to work together and support one another." And while William was disappointed about Harry stepping away from senior royal duties and leaving the country to settle in the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, and two children, a source said that he and Kate were relieved that “the drama was gone.” That said, "To this day, William still cannot forgive his brother."
Nicholl further added that William still has a "serious lack of trust" when it comes to his brother. However, it could also be that William just can't see where Harry comes from. As a senior aide put it, “Actually, the more you see about how the Sussexes are approaching these things, it is much more Californian, much closer aligned to activism and celebrity than it is to royalty. The point about royalty is it’s the only institution that links together civic society, the philanthropic world, and the establishment. The Sussexes know they’re not able to compare to them. The key point is that they’re not even trying. What they are doing is making a difference in their politico-philanthropic world, and that’s great.”
"Those close to Charles say he won’t stop trying to heal the rift with his son, as he made sure Harry and Meghan were by the family’s side at the queen’s funeral," added Nicholl. However, a friend shared that King Charles "is hurt and disappointed but he has always said his love for Harry is unconditional." However, he is excited to meet his grandkids, they added. Currently, there is also the issue of titles for Harry and Meghan's kids, because they are automatically supposed to become Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex; but the royal family’s website still has them listed as Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.
"The queen made it clear that if Harry and Meghan chose to leave, they could not reap the benefits of being royal. And according to a friend, privately the queen confided that she was exhausted by the turmoil of their decision," shared Nicholl. “She was very hurt and told me, ‘I don’t know, I don’t care, and I don’t want to think about it anymore,’ ” the person revealed. "But it was a source of sadness to the queen that she got to see so little of Archie and Lilibet and that Harry and Meghan were not able to join her for a weekend at Balmoral in August when the queen used to host a “sleepover” for all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren," penned the expert.
References:
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/charles-william-family-problems
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jack Taylor
