This Surprising Royal Could Be the One to Finally Play Peacemaker Between Prince William and Prince Harry

Hey, whatever—and whoever—it takes.

Prince William and Prince Harry
(Image credit: Getty)

Not only is the all too often overlooked Princess Anne consistently the hardest working member of the royal family—in 2022 alone, she undertook a staggering 214 engagements—but, reports The Daily Express, she may be the key to unlocking a reconciliation at last between warring brothers Prince William and Prince Harry.

Sussex biographer Omid Scobie says that, while Harry has a “pattern” of regular communication with his father, King Charles, there has been “minimal contact” with William since the late Queen’s funeral last September. (A source speaking to Us Weekly said of William “He’s got no plans to speak to Harry. He’s come to terms with the fact [that] he’s lost his little brother, quite possibly for life.”) 

Prince William and Prince Harry

(Image credit: Getty)

William and Harry were not seen interacting at the King’s Coronation earlier this month, but Harry was seen interacting—seemingly joyfully at times—with other members of the royal family, including his aunt, Anne, who The Daily Express writes “could perhaps help plaster the brothers’ wounded relationship.”

“Although much was made of Princess Anne’s military hat supposedly blocking the prince’s view as she sat in front of him during the Coronation, the pair appeared to share a friendly exchange before the ceremony began,” the outlet reports. “Ahead of the main event at Westminster Abbey, Princess Anne was seen chatting with her nephew, with Harry grinning at her before she took her seat.”

According to lipreaders, Anne was supposedly talking to Harry about the seating arrangement, to which Harry replied “I don’t mind. Sit at the front!”

Prince Harry and Princess Anne

(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry and Princess Anne

(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry and Princess Anne

(Image credit: Getty)

The pair have a lot in common—aside from both being “spares” (with their older brother the heir to the throne), “The Princess Royal has always had a soft spot for Harry, and they both have a wicked sense of humor,” a source speaking to The Mail on Sunday says. “People talk about Prince Andrew being the spare, but Anne was the second born, too, and particularly since Diana died has always felt a duty to support her nephew.” (After Charles, Anne was the next born, but was leapfrogged by younger brothers Andrew and Prince Edward in the line of succession, as the rules hadn’t yet changed at that time, as they now have for Princess Charlotte.)

Princess Anne

(Image credit: Getty)

One friend told The Times in the wake of Harry’s memoir, Spare, being published that “he really ought to talk to Princess Anne. She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently to Charles. She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path. In her twenties, she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that. He should talk to her about her experiences. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”

Today, despite recent comments that have generated buzz, Anne and her older brother Charles seem to be on good terms. We can only hope she can be the one to inspire Harry and his older brother William to do the same. 

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

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.