Royal cut may heal rift

LONDON: Prince William is reportedly hoping that his brother Harry’s final departure from royal duties will help mend the rift between them.

Relations between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the family remain fragile after Buckingham Palace released a statement on Friday confirming the couple would step down from official duties permanently and be stripped of all their royal patronages.

A swift response from Harry and Meghan, insisting

they would still be living “a life of service”, was described by once source close to the Queen as “petulant”.

However, sources close to William believe that if official duties are no longer a source of contention, it will help the brothers to repair their fractured relationship.

According to The Sunday Times, William is “really sad and genuinely shocked” by his brother’s behaviour towards the Queen. Sources close to William said he believed Harry and Meghan had been “insulting and disrespectful”, and he was “very upset by what has happened”.

The couple have recently recorded a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast on March 7.

However, another source said William’s reaction was less one of shock than resignation. “I don’t think anyone was surprised,” the source said, adding: “Removing work as the thing to cause tension between them will hopefully allow a relationship of brothers to rebuild. But there’s a long way to go. This interview coming up will hopefully not make it harder.”

Their relationship had started to improve recently. “Over the past few months there have been more and more discussions, normal check-ins, that sort of stuff,” the source said. “Both of them seem to have been making an effort for some time.”

The interview with Winfrey, which is reported to have been recorded last week, is causing nervousness within royal circles. Some observers believe Meghan may refrain from direct criticism of the royal family, particularly the

Queen, reserving her harshest words for the so-called men in grey suits — and aides will not be able to rest easy until it has been broadcast.

Piers Bracher, a brand expert at PR company Four Communications, said that while the Sussexes seemed to be losing the battle for public sympathy in Britain, their most valuable target was controlling the way their story was told in the US. He said they would use Winfrey’s reach to define themselves in the US.