ROYAL DIVIDE
Prince Harry’s attacks ‘have cut William deep’ – he can’t ‘just pretend nothing has happened’, insiders say
Sources have revealed why a meeting was never on the cards
DURING his whirlwind trip to the UK, sources close to Prince Harry let it be known he would have “gladly accepted” a meeting with his brother, William.
But what was missing was any sense that Harry is actually sorry for the hurt he has inflicted on William and his family.
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The Duke of Sussex, sources say, cannot just expect to jet back to the UK and pretend nothing has happened.
A meeting with William — who cannot trust his brother, given his repeated public betrayals — cannot take place without a genuine show of contrition from Harry.
Years of attacks by Harry on Oprah, Netflix and in his autobiography Spare — including branding Wills his “arch-nemesis” — have cut William deep.
The Prince of Wales, 41, who is now carrying the weight of the royals on his shoulders as his father and wife are both ill, has never chosen to hit back.
Wills has been stung by Harry’s family betrayal after serving as his loyal big brother who protected and shielded him for so many years.
And at a time of immense Royal Family crisis he has no brother to lean on.
When Harry flew to London this week, William made it clear his priority was caring for his wife Kate as she recovers from abdominal surgery. There was no meeting between the brothers.
Instead, Harry spent 30 minutes with his father as he recovers from cancer treatment and stayed in a hotel, during just 26 hours in the UK.
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An insider close to 39-year-old Prince Harry said this week: “The Duke’s primary reason to travel to the UK is to visit his father.
“If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it.”
The Sun understands William never considered for a second that he would meet his brother, given Harry has made no attempt to make amends for years of pain.
Inside Prince Harry's 5000 mile trip to spend 30 minutes with stricken King Charles
Harry has attacked his family and sold secrets for millions of pounds — all in the knowledge that William could not, and would not, publicly respond.
Indeed, it will take more than just a simple apology for William to consider a thaw in relations.
For forgiveness of Harry’s grand betrayal to take place, a recognition of the huge hurt he has caused will be required.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “William would be upset that Harry yet again has chosen to make this visit to see his father a PR opportunity.
“As far as William is concerned he has absolutely no interest in speaking to Harry until Harry behaves like a gentleman and apologises for the years of rudeness and slurs he has aimed at William and the Princess of Wales.
“William must be privately furious thinking over all the years how he supported Harry and at this one moment in his life when his 75-year-old father and wife of 13 years are both potentially seriously unwell, all Harry can think about is Harry and using it as an opportunity to announce his arrival and expect to see William.
“Harry can’t resist an opportunity to think about Harry and not the bigger picture.
Prince Harry's tense visits to Britain since Megxit
Relations between Charles and Harry were previously feared by some to be fractured beyond repair amid the fallout over their royal row.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun in December: “Charles and Harry’s relationship was at an all-time low before but this may have fractured it beyond all repair.
“It could spell the end game for them.”
Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday last month and sent a video of the King’s US-based grandkids Archie, now four, and Lilibet, two.
And now, Harry will jet to the UK to be with his dad following the King's shock cancer diagnosis.
Here's a look inside their fractured relationship since Megxit.
January 2020 - Harry and Meghan make their 'Megxit' flight, leaving for Canada, eventually setting up home in California, USA.
March 2021 - Harry and Meghan give their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where Harry accused his dad of cutting him off financially.
July 2021 Harry jets back to UK to join William in unveiling a statue to their mother Princess Diana in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
But sources claimed William didn’t want to attend the memorial amid their ongoing rift.
Pals said at the time: “William was still furious. He had taken the view that he’d only give so much. He just didn’t want to go there [with Harry].”
September 2022 - Harry jets to the UK for Prince Philip's funeral. Meghan Markle, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was unable to attend due to doctor's orders not to fly.
A pal of Harry's tells Omid Scobie Harry met the Queen privately ‘at least twice’ and spoke with Charles and William after the Westminster Abbey service.
Kate acts as a "peacemaker" between William and Harry as they share a private chat.
September 2022 - The duke claimed he found out Queen Elizabeth had died in an online news alert.
He jetted to Balmoral without Meghan, and claimed in Spare that she was told she should not attend by Charles.
Harry travelled on a separate flight to his brother William - who travelled with the rest of the family.
The duke wrote in his memoir: "When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: 'Call me when you get this.' I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King."
Harry and Meghan were sat behind Charles at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
March 2023 - Harry is told King Charles is "too busy" to see him while he's in the UK for a privacy hearing, according to reports.
The Duke had jetted to the UK to attend a four-day preliminary hearing at the High Court in London regarding his battle with publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
It was the first time the Prince was back on home soil since the Queen's funeral.
Harry flew back to the US once the hearing was over.
April 2023 - Harry has a "heart-to-heart" talk with his dad before agreeing to come to the Coronation in London
The Duke travelled alone to attend the ceremony on May 6.
Harry headed straight back to the US following the coronation in Westminster Abbey.
He did not appear to speak to his brother William or sister-in-law Kate Middleton at the ceremony - taking a backseat and sitting in the third row at the ceremony.
September 2023 - Prince Harry visits the UK for the annual WellChild Awards, a charity of which he has been patron for 15 years.
But the Duke is not thought to have met his father, as the King had "no time" in his diary to see his son, MailOnline reported.
January 2024 - Harry flies to be with Charles after the monarch's shock cancer diagnosis.
The two have their first meeting for more than 16 months at Clarence House, lasting 45 minutes.
Harry does not meet William and flies back to the US the following day.
“It really stirs things up, him rushing over to see his father and maybe he should have waited for a week or two.
“William was an excellent big brother. They always fought. But he was a good big brother.
“William always thought about things long and hard before he acted and usually kept schtum, while Harry was always impulsive. And it still appears to be that way.”
Harry has been “love-bombing” his dad since he became King by attending the Coronation and calling him on his 75th birthday when he and wife Meghan played him footage of children Lilibet and Archie.
After Harry announced this week that he would be flying to be by the King’s side following his cancer diagnosis, Charles delayed his helicopter from Clarence House to Sandringham so he could see him.
Palace insiders say the gesture gives “cause for optimism” and was “significant”.
Sources close to the King have always said the door remains open to Harry.
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But other sources say William is not so willing to offer forgiveness until Harry faces up to the stress, abuse and negativity he has heaped on the Royal Family.
They say he is resentful that Harry abandoned the family at a time of crisis and the only way for the rift to even begin to be repaired is for Harry to apologise for causing so much hurt.
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