Prince Harry Reached Out to Prince William Before His U.K. Trip Despite Heated Feud: 'Terribly Sad'
Prince Harry rushed to the U.K. after King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, but it was reported that he had "no plans" to see his brother, Prince William. An insider now claims that the Duke of Sussex hoped to check in with his sibling, but the Prince of Wales wasn't ready to reconcile after the release of Spare.
"It would be the normal run of things to go and see your sister-in-law who's had a serious operation and also see your niece and nephews. But it isn't normal. It's terribly sad,” an insider told a publication.
"The family torment is an open sore. There is such a profound breach there," Catherine Mayer added.
After the Invictus Games founder left the royal fold, Harry publicly complained about the monarchy and painted the future king as violent in his memoir, Spare.
“This is all to do with William’s wish to protect the institution of the monarchy, which he feels Harry can’t be trusted with. I don’t think William will ever agree to readmission of Harry into the family unless he clearly apologizes and moves forward,” royal author Robert Lacey shared.
While the Prince of Wales continues to take space away from Harry, other royalists believe Charles wants to see his youngest child more often.
“Of course, he would like Harry to be the prodigal son and come back and would be much happier if William and Harry were friends again. But he realizes that is just not about to happen,” Ingrid Seward added. “Families are complicated. They may be a high-profile family, but they still have a lot of the same issues as everyone else.”
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OK! previously reported Meghan Markle is looking to end her yearslong feud with her in-laws.
“Meghan doesn't want to go back to acting, but she's terrified that if things are not patched up with the royal family Harry will cease to be a brand asset and brand Sussex will suffer, so she is putting out feelers now that both Kate and Charles are ill," a source told an outlet, referring to Kate and Chares' health challenges.
"Underneath the huge ego, Meghan is actually a kind person and she was shocked by Kate's recent serious operation and Charles' cancer diagnosis," the insider noted.
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Former royal butler Grant Harrold shared that Harry is still a valuable figure within the monarchy despite him leaving in 2020.
“It’s difficult to tell, and it’ll be interesting to see what goes on moving forward,” Harrold told an outlet. “Harry is a Counsellor of State, so he is still a very senior member of the royal family, and if the time comes, he would step up if he needs to.”
“While Harry might not be next in line to the throne, he’s not that far down the line of succession, so his importance to the royal family shouldn’t be overlooked,” Harrold explained, adding, “I think it’s within all of their benefits to actually resolve these ongoing issues.”
Sources and experts spoke to People.