Is the feud between Prince Harry and Prince William just sibling squabbling?
Or a serious danger to the future of the monarchy? According to one royal expert,
it's the latter – and the king knows it.
King Charles III's coronation will take place on May 6, 2023, but despite all the
excitement surrounding his big day, there's still a dark cloud over the proceedings.
Rumors have circulated for months about whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle,
who left the royal family in January 2020, will attend the event. Now it has been confirmed
that Harry will come, but only for the ceremony, while his wife and children remain in California.
However, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, will be kept apart at
the coronation and will not sit together. One reason is logistical — Harry is no longer an
active royal and will not join the rest of The Firm. Another reason is personal — tensions
between the brothers are currently at an all-time high and they may steal focus.
"My father and my brother, they are trapped.
They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that."
The feud between the once-close siblings has been dragging on for a few years now,
and it does not seem like it will end anytime soon. In fact, according to the new
biography "Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch
Revealed," Charles has expressed that his sons are both stubborn,
and that their conflict could have a major long-term impact. Author Robert Jobson writes,
"[Charles] knew that they were both strong-willed, stubborn even; conflict would be very difficult
to manage and could have a detrimental impact on the monarchy itself. Sometimes
the level of belligerence between his sons, and indeed towards him, has shocked Charles."
The growing distance between Prince Harry and Prince William supposedly began in late
2018. Although there were reports that the feud was between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle,
the TLC documentary "Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War?," among other sources,
revealed that it was really the brothers who were at odds. Harry was reportedly unhappy
because he felt William was not welcoming to Meghan or supportive of their relationship.
Comments by the duke in 2019 that the press exaggerated the feud did
not stop his relationship with William from deteriorating. Harry and Meghan’s departure
from the royal family and their Oprah Winfrey interview were major reasons,
along with their Netflix docuseries in December 2022 and the "Spare" memoir in January 2023.
Sources for Robert Jobson’s biography "Our King" contrasted Prince William’s temper with that of
King Charles. Charles reportedly forgives more easily, but William nurses resentment. Their
reactions to Prince Harry’s situation support this view. The sources claimed,
"[William] is a driven person and that can make him impatient. That can make
William short-tempered when dealing with Charles. [Charles] has a temper, too,
but it does not go on and on. He can get frustrated and flare up and then,
in an instant, it is forgotten about. With William, it is rarely forgotten."
Charles and Harry spoke before it was announced that the Duke of Sussex would
attend his father's coronation, and both men are reportedly trying to put the past behind
them and move forward. However, William and Harry have yet to meet up in a similar way and
are still not speaking. The two of them have not spoken since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in
September 2022, which does not bode well for their relationship or the future of the royal family.
The brothers may not have time or desire to talk
things out at their father’s coronation. And William, especially, may not want to,
especially after Harry’s damaging claims about him in "Spare," in which – among other
accusations – he claimed William physically attacked him, shoving him to the floor.
"He wanted me to hit him back. But I chose not to."