Prince Harry's hopes of reconciling with his family, including his brother Prince William, appear unlikely to be realised, according to a royal insider. The Duke of Sussex recently returned to live in the UK with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, after six years in the US.
In a recent interview with GQ, Harry admitted that he grieves his relationship with his brother and his father, King Charles. He described the fractured family dynamic as a 'massively relatable issue for so many people,' adding, 'there's sibling disagreements, there's broken relationships between kids and their parents, kids and one parent.'
Harry's plea for reconciliation
Harry continued, saying these issues continue to 'come up with me the whole time by people that I speak to. So I know how relatable it is.' Later in the conversation, he admitted that it is this relatability that he thinks 'fascinates' people so much.
He said: 'With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That's the key point,' before confirming that 'of course' he wants to rebuild a relationship with his family.
William's stance on the relationship
Despite Harry's sentiment, a royal insider told The Mirror that the Prince of Wales is against resolving any bad blood. The source reportedly said: 'There isn't a world right now where the Prince of Wales can imagine repairing the relationship with his brother.'
'He remains deeply hurt over the many things the Duke of Sussex has said publicly about him and other family members.' The insider also claimed that the royals are currently more focused on their work and are 'certainly' not interested in the 'Duke of Sussex every time he pops up doing yet another interview'.
King Charles's health and family updates
Reports indicate that Harry has not seen his father since his move back to the UK, and it is unclear whether they will meet soon. However, he did speak in his GQ interview about Charles's health amid his ongoing battle with an undisclosed type of cancer.
'I would think having suffered the traumatic death of a parent, that something like this could be very triggering in that respect… having a sick parent now,' he said. But he did confirm that Charles is 'getting better.'
Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in January 2020, stating they craved more independence, greater privacy, and wanted to support themselves financially. Their decision followed years of tension over media coverage, their relationship with the royal 'firm', and how they felt they were being treated. The move was dubbed 'Megxit' and by March 2020, the pair had completed their final round of official royal engagements.
As Harry continues to extend olive branches to his family, Meghan has been sharing her joy at being back in the UK, posting sweet family videos to her Instagram. In classic British weather, she is seen walking hand-in-hand with Prince Harry in the rain and stepping in a puddle wearing wellies. The footage also shows the couple's kids sitting in front of a roaring fire, Lilibet riding a bike, and the family fishing on a lake, to name a few. On top of the video, Meghan placed a Union Jack flag and a heart.
