Kate Middleton is trying to reunite the brothers as the queen has decided to take a backseat.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah was explosive, to say the least, and it surely affected their relationship with the British Royal Family. Whether they anticipated it or not, the interview managed to create a massive gap between the couple and the royal household. Though the recent death of Prince Philip gave Prince Harry the opportunity to unite with the family amidst their differences, it does not seem to have mended the cracks entirely.
According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry and Prince William tried to put their differences aside during the funeral of their grandfather. Unfortunately, the queen was not yet ready to completely move on from the shame and disappointment brought about by Harry's interview. As per sources, the Queen is supportive of Prince William and Charles. "The Queen has made it clear to senior advisers that she is united with Charles and William, and was disappointed with aspects of Harry and Meghan's interview."
Additionally, Harry's decision to return to the US to be with Meghan and son Archie without waiting to attend the queen's 95th birthday also spoke volumes about their deteriorating relationship. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, who said to Times, the grieving queen no longer feels she should be the mediator between the members of the royal family and Harry. "His (Harry's) grandmother will not be in the mood for it. She hates confrontation," reported Mirror.
"The children have much difficulty getting the Queen to discuss anything other than dogs or horses. Remember Fergie [Sarah Ferguson] telling me it took three weeks for them to try and get her to discuss their divorce. She kept saying 'Oh, I’ve got to take the dogs for a walk,'" said Seward. Meanwhile, the queen's peacemaker role is being taken up by William's wife, Kate Middleton.
As per sources, Kate tried her best to unite the brothers during the funeral. She was also observed talking to Harry. "Being so close to her own siblings, Pippa and James, and having witnessed first hand the special bond between William and Harry, she has found the whole situation difficult and upsetting. Her natural instinct is to try to smooth things over," said a source, alluding to Kate's efforts to bring the brothers together.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the brothers were instructed to put forward a united front during Prince Philips's funeral. "It was a case of being told to put their differences aside by the Queen for the sake of the family. William and other members of the family have some very strong feelings about some of the things Harry and Meghan said on Oprah and things need to be talked through, but this was not the occasion and everyone respected that. It’s going to take more than a wake to sort things out, but this is hopefully a start," said royal reporter Katie Nicholl, according to Vanity Fair.
Like William, Prince Charles is also very upset with Harry after the statements he and Meghan made during their interview with Oprah. Unfortunately, it is believed that the father and son are nowhere close to smoothing things between them. Sources anticipate that it might take a little while for Charles to forgive Harry and renew their relationship.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/queen-makes-clear-shes-united-23945662
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/04/prince-harry-prince-william-reunion
Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by (L) Sky News and (R) John Phillips
