Prince Harry is on a mission of reconciliation,
but is it mission impossible? Camilla choked on her tea when Harry offered an olive branch.
Experts agree Prince Harry needs to give something up if he wants to reunite the
royal family. As former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown argued during an appearance on
Lorraine, if the Duke of Sussex is serious about making things right,
he must reconsider releasing his upcoming bombshell memoir. Brown said on the show,
"Unless he gives up his book and the tell-all documentaries and interviews
then there can be no trust. I think if he does that there can be a way."
"I mean, this is a great moment for Harry to say, 'I'm not going to write a book.'"
Her comments echoed those of fellow royal experts Richard Fitzwilliams and Phil Dampier,
who previously informed the Daily Mail that postponing,
or even outright canceling, its release could finally prove Harry's loyalty to
the monarchy. As Fitzwilliams pointed out to the Daily Mail,
"Were it to be published, if it had anything sensational it would be tasteless."
The biggest concern is arguably how Harry will handle the difficult relationship he has with
stepmother, and queen consort, Camilla. According to The Sun,
the prince has promised to give a "wholly truthful" and "honest" depiction of his life
in the book — both with the royal family and beyond it. This led some to wonder
whether he'll be taking shots at Camilla. Royal biographer Angela Levin even told Talk Radio:
"Anyone who is anyone is saying it's going to attack Camilla and make her responsible
for [his] mental health and how she stole his father from his mother."
However, it appears Harry did try to make amends, but Camilla reacted badly. It's no secret Prince
Harry and his stepmother have a somewhat troubled relationship. And realistically,
the older the Duke of Sussex gets, the less likely it is they're going to make things
right with each other. During an appearance on the Pod Save the Queen podcast, royal expert
Ingrid Seward contended that Harry "doesn't have great respect" for Camilla. Seward also added:
"[Harry's not] interested in developing a relationship with
his stepmother at this stage in his life."
The pair was reportedly fine in the beginning, with the queen consort striving not to force
herself on Harry or his brother, Prince William, but over the years things have soured
significantly. And now, a new report suggests the Duke of Sussex tried to mend fences but
Camilla wasn't interested. In an excerpt from her book, The New Royals, published in Vanity Fair,
royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed a family friend told her Harry made a real effort to
solve their problems. According to the Vanity Fair excerpt, the person explained to Nicholl:
"Harry went in with hugs and the best of intentions and said he wanted to clear
the air. He actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out,
which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea."
However, the queen consort refused to involve an outside party, branding the
idea "ridiculous" and asserting they had to sort it out as a family or not at all.
Although fans were delighted to see the Fab Four back together,
William and Harry's outing after the queen's death was reportedly more uncomfortable than it looked.
As the Daily Star reported, the Prince of Wales reached out to his younger brother personally,
via text message, to ensure he and Meghan Markle would be there to accompany William
and his wife Catherine Middleton as they greeted mourners at Windsor Castle.
It was a major moment for royal watchers, who believed there might finally be a thaw
in the frosty relationship between the warring brothers. Sadly, an insider revealed to People
that it was an "awkward" and emotionally difficult situation all round. The insider told the outlet:
"Both couples found it hard. They were in a stoic spirit of just getting through it for the queen."
The foursome stepped out to greet well-wishers together, in what many saw as a much-needed
symbol of renewed unity. Unfortunately, it seems there's still a long way to go,
particularly considering the ongoing issues between Harry and Camilla Parker Bowles. In fact,
according to certain experts, things are about to get way worse for Meghan
and Harry's relationship with the royals now that Charles is king.