Prince Harry rejected William’s ‘heart to heart’ with blunt two-word reply
The frosty relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry shows no signs of thawing any time soon, according to claims in a royal book.
The two brothers are said to have grown apart in recent years, with Harry hinting at a brotherly feud in a 2019 interview with ITV.
In the interview with ITV correspondent Tom Bradbury, Harry described how the pair’s relationship had “good days” and “bad days.”
However, according to the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, William tried to reach out to his brother shortly after the interview was broadcast.
The book claims that Harry was initially open to the approach but changed his mind over fears that the meeting would be leaked by royal staff.
Author Valentine Low writes: “The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him. Initially, Harry was in favour.
“Then he spoke to his brother again and asked him whom he would tell.
“William explained that he’d have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry told him: Don’t come.
“He was so concerned that William’s team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers.”
At the time, Harry was living in the US with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.
In the interview, Harry discussed the difficulties of life as a senior royal and explained how he and Meghan were “struggling” with aspects of it.
The book claims that staff for both princes were “heartbroken” at their failure to meet and the continued deterioration of their relationship.
Since the approach, Harry has released his autobiography and appeared in a Netflix documentary where claims have been levelled at William.
In the Netflix series, released just months after the Death of Queen Elizabeth, Harry claimed that Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family.
Harry also wrote of how Charles pleaded with his two sons during a tense meeting at Windsor just after the funeral of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, saying: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery”.
As the family marked the first anniversary of the death of the Queen, the brothers did not meet, with Harry paying his respects in Windsor Castle whilst his brother was in Scotland.
