WILLS’ ‘GRIEF AND ANGER’ OVER HARRY
PRINCE William is mourning the collapse of his relationship with his brother Harry, his friends reveal today.
The extent of the explosive rift is exposed in highly revealing Daily Mail interviews with sources who know William intimately.
They say relations between the once-close pair are still at ‘rock bottom’ – with little chance of improvement in the near future.
‘William alternates between grieving for what he has lost and feeling really, really angry about what his brother has done,’ said one insider. ‘He truly loves Harry and feels
he has lost the only person, aside from his wife, who understood this strange life of theirs. But he believes there are things you just don’t do. And Harry has 100 per cent crossed that line.’
William also believes Harry has ‘disrespected the Queen and their family’, a friend says.
A must-read series in the Mail ahead of William’s milestone 40th birthday on Tuesday explores in fascinating new detail his life as a husband, father, brother and son.
Starting today, it also reveals what makes him tick, his secret charity visits and campaigning plans for the future – as well as lifting the lid on the prince as a ‘fun boss’ with a rather wicked sense of humour. Sources close to the second in line to the throne reveal that while William once railed against his future, he is now more at peace with himself than ever before.
His marriage to Kate is strong and fatherhood has given him contentment beyond his dreams.
Even his relationship with his father, Prince Charles, which has been deeply fractious over the years, is more harmonious than it has been since his early teens. A close friend said: ‘He just loves being a dad and having a settled family around him. Having children always puts things into perspective, and doubly so for him.
‘Whatever happens “at work”, he has to go home and be a “normal” person for the sake of his kids, which has made him more at peace with the reality of his other life.’
Another adds of him and Kate: ‘They honestly couldn’t be happier as a couple. You can’t get a cigarette paper between them.
‘They are so tight, just inseparable. When you speak to William, he’s actually quite puritanical in his attitude when he talks about his parents’ marriage and what went wrong.
‘It hugely affected the way he approached his own relationship with Catherine and why it took so long for him to settle down. He wanted it to be with the right person and [for it to last] forever. William is still very protective of his wife. The way he sees it, she is as important to the institution as he is. He genuinely admires the way she has just dug her heels in and stuck with it.’
Yet his strained relationship with his brother inevitably comes heavily into play. It is clear that they have a long way to go before they can even begin to ease the bad blood between them.
Matters are complicated by the prospect of Harry’s memoirs coming out later this year as part of a multi-million deal which will continue to ‘throw dust in the family’s face’.
Asked whether they thought that William would ever repair his bond with Harry, one friend said: ‘That’s a hard question to answer. The truth is they have got to find some common ground again at some point. But William is also very principled and believes Harry has crossed a line.
‘He’s thrown accusation after accusation, knowing that silence is the family’s only option because they don’t want to get dragged into a public slanging match. He sees how upset his father has been by it all, and it hurts.
‘William is absolutely allergic to drama but Harry has ensured that their family laundry is being aired on a global scale.’
William is still angry for his wife, who he believes was ‘massively disrespected’ by Meghan when she claimed in last year’s interview with Oprah Winfrey that it was Kate who made her cry before her wedding – not the other way around – and that Kate had brought her flowers in apology.
‘Despite much provocation, both William and Catherine have tried to keep the peace more than anyone will ever realise,’ a source says.
Another added: ‘Make no mistake, he’s angry. He believes Harry has disrespected the Queen and their family.’
Some members of William’s circle say he remains ‘protective’ of his younger brother and will ‘keep the door open to him forever’.
One said: ‘Harry always had concerns about life within the Royal Family and in hindsight the pressure that was put on him and William by living and working together as some sort of dynamic duo put massive strain on their relationship. They had no room to breathe. But Meghan complicated it.’