Reconciliation hopes for forever-warring brothers Prince William and Prince Harry seem irrevocably dashed, particularly in light of Omid Scobie’s latest, Endgame, which has done nothing in terms of mending familial relations. OK reports that William has “no plans” to see his younger brother, Harry—and that this could last for years. The outlet reports that any appearances outside of large events like King Charles’ Coronation in May (where the brothers reportedly didn’t interact) would be seen as “awkward,” the outlet reports, and no grand celebrations are in the near or even distant future for the royal family—for Charles to even celebrate a Silver Jubilee representing 25 years on the throne, the year would be 2047 and the King would be nearly 99 years old. (!)
“We have only seen Harry return for big family occasions—he came with Meghan for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, he came back for Prince Philip’s funeral, then for his grandmother’s funeral,” said royal expert Sarah Hewson. “And then, of course, for his father’s Coronation, which albeit was a very fleeting visit. But we don’t have any of those big family or state occasions on the horizon. I can’t think of any upcoming royal marriages [or] christenings in the diary which would bring Harry back.”
Of Queen Elizabeth’s eight grandchildren, five are married already; Peter Phillips (Princess Anne’s son) was married but divorced in 2020, and Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s children, Louise and James, are 20 and nearly 16, respectively.
In Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, it is reported by the royal journalist that the feud seems, unfortunately, as on as ever between the brothers, and that silence seems to be the status quo. The King is also growing increasingly frustrated, Hewson said.
“The difficulty with this situation is that private conversations are regularly becoming public,” she said. “Even the birthday phone call [when Harry reportedly called to wish his father a happy 75th birthday on November 14], we had the details that it was a warm conversation, that Meghan also spoke to her father-in-law, and that Archie and Lili recorded a special rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for their grandfather.”
Hewson continued “The fact that those private conversations do end up in the public domain is a problem because if you are going to start rebuilding a relationship, the trust needs to be there. We once had hope for William and Harry when, after the death of Prince Philip, Kate tried to instigate a conversation between them.” (Scobie writes in Endgame that even Kate, famously close to Harry and formerly somewhat of a peacemaker between William and Harry, is done with her brother-in-law.)
With no royal weddings, jubilees, or major events on the horizon, that can only leave one potential place for William and Harry to be in the same space, OK reports, only one place that William will potentially ever see Harry again, at least for the deeply foreseeable future—“family funerals,” the outlet reports.
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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
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