Royal Source Says Any Reconciliation Between Prince William and Prince Harry Will Be a “Slow Build” After “Deep Betrayal”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to Britain, but that doesn't mean they'll be stopping by Forest Lodge for tea with Prince William and Princess Kate anytime soon. The Prince of Wales and his younger brother haven't spoken in several years, and a source close to William and Kate has told People magazine that a reconciliation will take some time.

“They are watching this space. It’s private—they don’t feel the need to say anything or demonstrate anything outwardly,” the insider said. Adding that the Waleses are avoiding a "knee-jerk reaction" to Harry and Meghan's move, the source added that any thawing between the brothers “will be a slow build. There is a deep sense of betrayal.”

Since the Sussexes stepped down as senior working royals in 2020, numerous sources have noted that Prince William was hurt by Prince Harry's actions, including his 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and revelations made in the duke's memoir, Spare.

"Things are hanging by a thread as it is after the past few months, and from the sounds of it Harry's memoir is unlikely to help," a source told the Daily Mail ahead of Spare's publication in 2023.

The brothers are understood not to have spoken since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022, with the brothers avoiding contacting during King Charles's coronation the following spring.

In 2025, the Duke of Sussex told the BBC that he was willing to put the past behind. “I would love reconciliation with my family," he said. "There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.” Whether Prince William feels the same remains to be seen.