Royal Family Doesn't 'Believe' Prince Harry 'Deserves' the 'Unequivocal Apology' He's Seeking, Says Royal Historian

It looks like Prince Harry and the royal family are at a standstill — again!

While the embattled Duke of Sussex waits for an apology he believes he's owed for the way he and wife Meghan Markle were treated behind palace walls, his estranged family members seem confused as to why they would offer one up considering the couple dragged their names through the mud.

“Prince Harry feels very strongly he deserves an unequivocal apology,” royal historian Gareth Russell told a news outlet on Tuesday, May 9. “I don’t think the royal family … believe he deserves one.”

The historian added that the “royal family don’t think it’s quite a 100 to zero percent [balance] of the blame,” and they “don’t believe he merits an unequivocal apology.”

Harry, 38, and Meghan's relationship with the royals has gone from bad to worse since stepping away from their senior royal duties in 2020. Between accusing The Firm of failing to help the Duchess of Sussex, 41, amid her mental health struggles in a tell-all interview to detailing their ups and downs with the royals in their Netflix 2022 docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the controversial couple hasn't shied away from sharing their truth.

Meanwhile, their bombshell revelations — including Harry claiming in his memoir, Spare, that Prince William once got violent with him during a fight — have left Harry's family fuming.

And as tension continues to rise, Harry returned to his homeland last weekend to support his dad, King Charles III, on his coronation day, Saturday, May 6.

Rather than the reunion marking a step in the right direction for Harry to mend fractured relationships with his family, Gareth noted that the ceremony was a "pause of intentions rather than a resolution."

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Harry left no time for possible reconciliation upon his U.K. trip, as he headed to London's Heathrow Airport shortly after the service concluded — wanting to return to his wife and kids in time for his eldest Archie's 4th birthday, which happened to also be on Saturday.

Us Weekly spoke with the historian about the royal standstill.