WILLIAM TELLS HARRY IT’S NOT TOO LATE!
The father-of-three is pleading with his brother to return to the fold
Over the past two years, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s stinging attacks on the royal family have left those closest to Prince Harry, 36, reeling – especially his older brother Prince William.
But even with the former royals airing all their dirty laundry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey, William, 38, is said to be “keen to put the feud behind them”.
“William is deeply hurt by the way things have panned out, and he’s distressed by Harry painting the royal family as some kind of evil mafia that wouldn’t accept his wife,” says a source. “But their brotherly bond was so strong as boys, and he wants to rebuild it as a matter of priority. He would forgive Harry, no questions asked – even if Harry never returns as a working royal, Wills wants his brother back.”
The newfound forgiveness coming from William, we’re told, is inspired by his mother, the late Princess Diana.
EMOTIONAL TIME
“William was the closest out of everyone to Diana in the years before she died and he saw how miserable she was, and lately he’s seen a lot of the same frustrations and pain behind Harry’s eyes – admittedly, through his TV appearances in LA, given that they rarely speak these days,” says a source.
“It really pulls at William’s emotional side to see Harry go through this alone. He was so young when Diana died and in some ways, he suffered much more than William.”
Over the past week, palace sources tell Woman’s Day the Queen, 94, has “washed her hands of the Sussex problem” – though William is encouraging her to keep the doors ajar for their return.
“He doesn’t blame the Queen for letting them go for good. It’s been a hard year for her trying to negotiate with her own grandson,” says a source.
“But Wills was against her taking back Harry’s military titles – he knew that was his final, tangible tie to the monarchy and he was anxious for him to keep it. Though she made up her mind on that, it was William’s idea for the Queen to include in her Megxit statement last month that Harry and Meghan remain muchloved members of the family.
“Wills is learning from afar that the only way to win Harry back will be with warmth, not businesslike haggling over who gets what in the fallout of the Sussexes stepping down.”
Our insiders say William’s wife Kate, 39, is strongly supporting his push to get his brother back.
“At the end of the day, outside of being heirs to the throne, William, encouraged by Catherine, is doing his best to remember that they are ultimately two brothers who lost their mum at a very young age, and being estranged for the rest of their own lives would be another huge tragedy,” says a source.
“Plus, it would be a real shame for the Cambridge kids to grow up not knowing their cousin Archie and the new little one Meghan and Harry are expecting this year.
“Kate is all about family in a much more traditional way than the royals given her own upbringing as a commoner, and it breaks her heart to see Harry cut off from his brother. They need each other too much.”
‘He would forgive Harry, no questions asked’