After the news that Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips has got engaged to NHS nurse Harriet Sperling, both Prince William and Prince Harry are said to be set to meet face to face at their cousin’s upcoming wedding. But being in the same room together doesn’t automatically mean an end to their five-year feud – unless Kate Middleton manages to make the brothers see sense.
An insider tells heat that the wife of the heir has been once again advocating for a royal reconciliation, explaining, ‘William and Harry are both extremely fond of Peter – he’s one of their favourite cousins and there’s no way they’d miss his big day. The big question at this point, though, is how it’s all going to play out, since it’ll be a fairly intimate affair and there’s no easy way to avoid each other in the church and at the reception.
‘William wants nothing to do with Harry right now, and it’s likely he will ignore him at the wedding. There’s a directive not to seat Harry anywhere near him, which is pretty childish, but very much William’s style. He has no interest in small talk and by all accounts, Harry is of the same mind. But Kate’s pushing back and telling William to rise above this, be the bigger man and make things comfortable for everyone at the wedding, if not before, by being civil again.’
The news of Peter’s wedding comes amid the ongoing family feud, which has been rumbling on since 2020 and was exacerbated by Harry and Meghan Markle’s multiple digs in their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and the Duke’s memoir Spare. Kate, 43, is said to have long been the one pushing for peace between her husband, 43, and her brother-in-law, 40. But, as heat previously reported, the Princess of Wales decided to take a step back earlier this year after growing sick of the tension and rows it was causing in her marriage.
However, she has remained in constant contact with King Charles over the situation and back in July, the King’s communications officer met with two of Harry’s senior advisors in London in what has been seen as the first sign of a reconciliation. Now, Kate has now joined forces with Charles, 76 – who’s still undergoing treatment for cancer after being diagnosed 18 months ago – to make William see sense, even if it risks causing more rows with her husband.
‘Kate and Charles are on the same page about this,’ reveals our source. ‘They’ve been working hard behind the scenes, trying to convince William that life’s too short and that he needs to stop being so closed off to a peaceful resolution. But he’s put this wall up when it comes to Harry. The resentment runs way too deep, and it seems Harry’s feeling the same at this point.
‘However, Kate hates the idea of their fallout souring the wedding for everyone. Both she and Charles view it as a rare chance to get the brothers in the same room and on speaking terms. She’s convinced this is a perfect opportunity for them to be cordial with one another and take that first step in putting aside some of that bad blood. The same goes for Meghan – if she turns up, Kate’s more than willing to play fair and be polite.’
And with both brothers said to be acting childishly – William has reportedly insisted that his seat reflect his higher status over Harry, while Harry’s team has allegedly asked that the pair arrive separately and won’t have to pose for any official portraits – Kate has had enough and has issued her husband with an ultimatum. ‘It’s Kate’s view that they need to be sat down and told in no uncertain terms that the feud is taking a terrible toll on everyone around them – herself included,’ says our source. ‘It’s in everybody’s interests that they both swallow their pride, look at the bigger picture and finally grow up.’
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer across heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella, Yours and Crime Monthly magazines