Family

According to a book, Prince Harry politely declined to meet with Prince William

Following Harry’s relocation to the United States, much has been written about their connection.

Yes, we’re talking about that infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry’s subsequent airing of the British Royal Family’s dirty laundry served to amplify the situation and further tighten the screws on the already tense situation.

In fact, Harry’s older brother, William, was reportedly among those who felt most betrayed by him and Meghan for what they regarded to be a breach of trust and convention.

Since William is now first in line for the throne, it becomes sense to presume that he has always had the Crown’s best interests in mind. Harry’s outspoken confessions, many of which seriously damaged Buckingham Palace’s reputation, were thus in direct conflict with the life William will always seek to preserve.

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The consequences of Harry and Meghan’s choice to leave the UK entirely and to withdraw from the Royal Family have, of course, been felt widely. When it comes to the royal family, sensational headlines and confusing rumours are never far away, so it only makes sense that one of Princess Diana’s sons would decide to leave and subsequently dish the dirt on his family.

Since then, it has shown to be true.

Since his contentious departure, Harry has returned to the UK, but the bridges he may have burned with his family, particularly William and the now-King Charles, haven’t completely been repaired.

It has been increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction in recent years, especially in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, when the royal family is under unprecedented media scrutiny.

But according to a recent book, Prince William reportedly attempted to contact his younger brother following an interview the latter gave in 2018. What was Harry’s reply?

This month, as the British Royal Family laid to rest possibly the most inspirational monarch they have ever known, the world temporarily came to a standstill.

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Queen Elizabeth was so much more than only a monarch or a figurehead. She served as a symbol of the past and the present, an institution and an icon.

She held the throne of England for 70 years, which is nothing short of remarkable. The tributes that were paid to her after her death attest to both the popularity of the monarch throughout the nation and the success of her reign.

The Queen’s burial drew 2,000 guests, many of them international leaders and other significant dignitaries, while the Royal Family is rumoured to have held their own private service later in the day.

It should go without saying that the Queen’s burial was a lavish event that was broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide. They tuned in to commemorate the momentous occasion from every angle, and due to the extensive coverage, nothing was missed.

This applies to the other members of the Royal Family who were made to stand in the spotlight for the entire ceremony.

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One of them was Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, who has been the subject of a media frenzy since since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, decided to withdraw from their respective royal responsibilities.

Let’s just say that the couple’s relationships with the rest of the Royal Family are strained. This isn’t helped at all by the interview they gave to Oprah Winfrey in which they accused their son Archie of being racist and Meghan even went so far as to admit that she had suicidal thoughts while living in England.

Since then, Harry has visited the UK; he was present last year for the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, as well as the unveiling of a statue honouring his late mother, Princess Diana. However, if reports are to be believed, his once-solid relationship with Prince William is still strained.

The future will reveal whether Harry was able to mend any fences that had been broken down between him and his immediate family during his time in the UK.

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After their grandma died, Diana’s sons put on a united front, especially when they met with spectators at Windsor Castle to accept flowers for the Queen. Furthermore, they marched behind the Queen’s casket many times while standing shoulder to shoulder.

But even though almost everyone expects and believes that Diana’s two kids will rekindle their endearing bond that enabled them to cope with their mother’s death and mature in the spotlight, the reality, regrettably, might be a little grimmer.

We must go back to the beginning of Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship in order to pinpoint the origin of William and Harry’s problems.

William and Harry’s conflict began to develop as early as 2018, claims author Valentine Low in a new book from which excerpts have been published in the Daily Mail.

You might recall that was the year Harry and Meghan got married. The first indication that something was amiss with their daily existence as working royals came from Harry in 2019. He made the famous admissions that Meghan was “struggling” and that he and William had “good days” and “difficult days” when on a visit of South Africa.

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Harry made the remarks just a few months before he and Meghan retired from their roles as royals. They would imply that not enough was done to assist Meghan when she was at her worst when living in England during the iconic tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

However, according to Valentine Low’s book, after making the aforementioned remarks in South Africa, William was eager to set up a meeting with his younger brother.

According to the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, William contacted Harry and Harry was first receptive to the offer.

However, Harry declined William because he thought royal officials would leak information about any encounter.

The Daily Mail partially released Low’s book, which says:

“William WhatsApped his brother the day after the documentary aired to ask whether he might visit him.

“At first, Harry supported it. He then asked his brother again who he was going to tell. William said that in order to free up his schedule, he would need to inform his personal secretary. Harry then commanded him to go.

“He would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the headlines,” says William. “He was so worried that William’s crew would leak the visit to the Press.”

According to Low’s book, those who were close to both William and Harry found out about the breakdown in negotiations with “heartbreaking” news.

The dismal state of their relationship is made even more tragic by the fact that their mother, Princess Diana, had forced them to swear they would always be best friends.

Diana is claimed to have urged her boys, “You must promise me that you will always be each other’s best friends.”

She then added, “And never let anyone come between you,” to which the brothers reportedly responded by “high-fiving each other and giving their mum a big cuddle.”

It’s interesting to note that Harry will publish a new memoir later this year whose contents may provide a wealth of information on a variety of subjects that the general public has never really had access to.

There are whispers that some Royal Family members are anxious about the publication of the book and what might be revealed as a result.

What do you think of Prince William and Prince Harry’s friendship? Do you have any optimism that they may be able to rekindle their relationship in some way?

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