If you follow the royal family, you know that Prince William and Prince Harry haven't seen
eye to eye recently. But the death of their grandfather is shifting attention away from
their feud and onto healing. Here's everything we know about William and Harry's relationship
since Philip's death.
Here's a quick recap as to why the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry is
allegedly in shambles. Reports of tension have plagued the brothers pretty much since
Meghan Markle came onto the scene, and the tension absolutely boiled over after Harry
and Meghan's sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.
After their departure from the royal family and their move to the United States, Harry
and Meghan told the storied television host that racism, press hostility, and lack of
protection on the Firm's part drove them to one option: to leave Britain and the royal
family, and start a new life of their own. Harry even said that his brother was, quote,"trapped
within the system" that is the royal family.
"My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion
for that."
But according to the Times, William doesn't see it that way. The elder brother was reportedly
"reeling" after the interview, and said that Harry's comments were "way off the mark."
A close friend added,
"[William] has a path set for him and he's completely accepting of his role. He is very
much his grandmother's grandson in that respect of duty and service."
"I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together, and we have
a shared experience."
So what did Prince Philip think about the rift between his grandsons? One royal source
said that he was "dismayed" by what he was seeing play about between them. A source told
the Mirror,
"[Philip] urged them both to put to rest their differences, and not only remember their bond
but also be mindful of their duty to the Queen and the country."
A source also told the Mirror that the relationship between Harry and William is "strained," even
after Philip's death, and that the chances of them seeing "eye to eye" anytime soon isn't
likely. The source shared,
"Both are fully aware of their shared history and will no doubt remember what impact their
grandfather had on their life growing up."
Before his death, plans to celebrate Prince Philip's 100th birthday — which would've
been in the summer of 2021 — were underway. And despite their ongoing conflicts, Prince
William and Prince Harry were both expected to participate and, naturally, meet up with
each other. As reported by the Sun before Philip's death, Harry had indeed been reaching
out to the royal family in preparation for his grandfather's 100th birthday celebration.
Of course, people speculated that things would be "awkward" between Harry and William, as
well as Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, so the groundwork was being laid to address
some of the issues.
The last time the "Fab Four" were spotted together was in March of 2020 at the Commonwealth
Day Service. The temperature was frigid, to say the least, as Harry and Meghan had just
announced their intent to step back from their roles as senior royals. And since the two
couples were last together, things have only gotten worse between them, so it's hard to
say exactly how well Philip's 100th birthday celebration would have panned out for the
foursome.
Hindsight can really bring out the toxic details, and unfortunately, things didn't pan out well
for Prince William and Prince Harry. Just a week before their grandfather died, it was
reported that the tension between the brothers was at an all time high, as a source revealed
new information to Us Weekly about their ongoing feud. In retrospect, the timing of the news
was highly unfortunate.
The insider told Us Weekly that William was still recovering from the interview that Harry
and Meghan Markle gave; but furthermore, the source revealed that William no longer felt
comfortable sharing any information with his brother. The source shared,
"William was left reeling. He says it was a cheap shot to leak details of their private
call and that he twisted the truth."
The source says William is even, quote, "uncomfortable" speaking to his brother on the phone.
If you've been following the unfolding drama between Prince William and Prince Harry closely,
then you know that they were destined to reunite at some point. Sadly, the brothers will see
each other at their grandfather's funeral for the first time since the infamous sit-down
interview Harry and Meghan Markle gave to Oprah Winfrey. The circumstances are less
than ideal, and Harry will also be facing his family for the first time on his own — due
to her pregnancy and her doctor's orders, Meghan won't be joining him, but will be staying
in California.
As noted by NBC News, Harry's much-anticipated return to the United Kingdom will be followed
very closely. He is set to attend Prince Philip's funeral, scheduled for April 17, and will
be there with William and other royal family members. The service will take place at St.
George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the same place where Harry and Meghan got married.
Time will tell how smoothly the service — and the highly anticipated reunion of the brothers
— will go.
In the aftermath of his Prince Philip's death, many family members released statements expressing
their heartache.
"My family and I miss my father enormously. He was a much-loved and appreciated figure."
Prince William and Prince Harry also weighed in, as you'd expect, but there's a catch.
The brothers weren't aligned, and released two separate statements half an hour apart,
fueling rumors that there's still an extraordinary amount of bad blood between them.
According to NBC News, William's statement was very proper. He pointed to his grandfather's
service to Great Britain, and said that Philip would want everyone in the royal family to
"get on with the job," regardless of the circumstances. William's statement read, in part,
"My grandfather's century of life was defined by service — to his country and Commonwealth,
to his wife and queen, and to our family."
Harry's statement took a far different approach, and remembered Philip as a grandfather, first
and foremost. Here's how Harry summed Philip up:
"My grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right 'til the end."
The world watched in disbelief when Britain's two young princes, Prince Harry and Prince
William, walked behind their mother's casket in 1997. Prince Philip joined his grandsons
and walked behind Princess Diana's casket with them, a strong display of support. In
a sight that's bound to be eerily similar, Harry and William will once again walk behind
a casket, this time, their grandfather's.
The two princes are "expected to stand shoulder to shoulder" as part of the royal procession
that will follow Philip's casket, according to the Daily Mail, and given their fractured
relationship, it'll be interesting to see how the event plays out.
Philip's coffin will be transported to St. George's Chapel via a Land Rover he helped
design. The Royal Regiments, Corps, Marines, and Air Stations will make the event a grand
display of British service. The spectacle, and the two brothers reuniting, will certainly
be something to see.
Unlike the packed royal weddings at the chapel, Prince William and Prince Harry will be just
two of 30 people allowed to attend Prince Philip's funeral. As noted by Page Six, COVID-19
restrictions are curtailing the size of the event, and while the ceremony will be broadcast,
only a handful of people are allowed to attend.
As noted by NBC News, everyone who attends Philip's April 17th funeral will be required
to stay six feet away from anyone not in their household. Unlike past royal funerals, there
will be no public access, limited guests, and of course, brothers who can't stand to
be in the same room as each other. Harry, as per the palace's rules, will be required
to follow stricter coronavirus protocols due to the fact that he had to travel via plane
to attend the ceremony.
The prolonged tension between Prince Harry and Prince William has been obvious to just
about everyone, but some are under the impression that Prince Philip's death could bring the
brothers back together. Former prime minister, Sir John Major, said that their grandfather's
death is an "ideal opportunity" to heal the deep wounds within the family, and if anyone
were to know the brothers closely, it's Major. As noted by the BBC, Major became the guardian
of William and Harry after their mother, Princess Diana, died.
Major also expressed hope that the circumstances surrounding Philip's death would end the "friction"
between the siblings, and said that they would also need to rally around the Queen and support
her. Major said,
"They share grief at the present time because of the death of their grandfather. I hope
very much that it is possible to mend any rifts that may exist."
Major hasn't been the only one to express hopes about reconciliation for the brothers.
Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, echoed the sentiment.
There isn't a ton of confidence, given their history, that Prince William and Prince Harry
will be friendly at Philip's funeral, but sad circumstances do bring out the empathy
in people at times. We'll all be watching closely, and until then, we're looking ahead
to when they'll most likely see each other next.
As noted by Us Weekly, Harry will most likely travel back to the United Kingdom again in
July of 2021 to honor Princess Diana with a new statue in London, on what would've been
her 60th birthday. A source revealed that William is determined to meet up with Harry
before the commemorative event, perhaps to iron out their issues. The insider explained,
"All eyes will be on them at the unveiling, critics will be analyzing their every move
and how they interact with each other. [William] doesn't believe that it's feasible for them
to reunite in the public eye without showing signs of tension if they don't thrash out
their differences in advance."
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