It’s been over two years since Prince William and his brother Prince Harry have had any meaningful relationship. And while the once inseparable siblings have remained civil at rare public events together – such as the unveiling of a statue of their late mother, Princess Diana, last July – the chasm between them has been painfully obvious.
Royal experts have revealed how William, 40, is still “infuriated, hurt and wounded” over damning accusations Harry, 37, and his wife Meghan Markle, 41, levelled at the royal family during their March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey – and time has done nothing to heal the rift.
On top of allegations of bullying and racism, William was dealt another blow when Harry revealed he’ll publish a tell-all memoir later this year, which is said to have left members of the royal family “terrified” of what he’ll expose.
However, royal author Duncan Larcombe recently told Closer that the rumoured absence of Harry’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton from his bombshell book appears to confirm her role as peacemaker. “Leaving out Kate in the memoir is a sign that she could be Harry’s last hope of healing the family rift,” he said.
Now, a royal insider tells us that Harry has been quietly communicating with Kate, 40 – and while relations are still frosty, she’s beginning to break down the barriers between Harry and William, and hopes an emotional family reunion is on the cards.
The insider reveals, “Kate is looking to get the two brothers together when they’re all on US soil later this year, if not sooner, and the word is that Harry’s receptive to that.
“Provided Harry’s book isn’t too hurtful towards the monarchy – and there’s optimism that it’s been toned down significantly since the original drafts – then William could, with encouragement from Kate, look to build bridges with his brother and put the past behind them.”
This isn’t the first time Kate – who once humorously bought Harry a “grow your own girlfriend” kit, while he once described her as the “sister I never had” – has acted as a mediator between her husband and his younger brother.
At their late grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in April last year, TV viewers watched as selfless Kate purposefully took a step back to force Harry and William into spending a moment talking privately together.
The insider adds, “Kate has put a lot of effort into telling Harry how much William still loves him. She checks in with him fairly often, sometimes it’s to just say ‘hi’ or send him a photo of the children. She’s very thoughtful and will sometimes send birthday messages or congratulations after a successful speech or event he’s hosted.
“It’s her firm belief that enough time has elapsed now for both of them to sit down and resolve their differences face-to-face, and she’ll do everything she can to make this possible soon.”
There has been a lot of speculation that William and Kate will meet with Harry and Meghan during their December trip to Boston, where William’s successful eco initiative – The Earthshot Prize – will take place this year.
And while it’s believed they are unlikely to have time in their schedule to travel to Montecito (a five and a half hour flight time from Boston) – where Harry and Meghan live in their £11m mansion with their children, Archie, three, and one-year-old Lilibet – the source says Kate is secretly plotting a reunion.
“Given the security issues and logistics, it’s probably easier for the meeting to be held in New York or even Boston, but Kate’s confident it will happen and that’s the main thing,” the source adds.
But while the bridge between Harry and William is tentatively being rebuilt, feelings towards Meghan are still thought to be a long way from healing. During the Oprah interview, the former actress shocked viewers when she accused Kate of making her cry on her wedding day, and claimed senior royals had stripped Archie of a royal title (that it was later revealed he wasn’t entitled to) due to his skin colour.
The source adds, “William’s well aware that Kate talks to Harry and he has no issue with it – but it’s believed there is still some frostiness felt towards Meghan for what has been said.
“Kate has always done a wonderful job of soothing over the toughest of situations – even when things have been at their most difficult with the Sussexes – and both brothers know they are lucky to have her.”