Jetting back to the UK last week, many expected that Prince Harry would be met with a wall of silence from the Royal Family.
So it came as a surprise, reportedly to his ‘arch nemesis’, older brother Prince William, in particular, when the estranged ‘spare’ was photographed entering Clarence House for a reunion with his father, King Charles.
Their meeting came 18 months after Harry, who turned 41 on Tuesday, and Charles, 76, last saw each other following the monarch’s devastating cancer diagnosis, as he continues to bravely fight the disease.
And while visiting war-torn Ukraine just days later, Harry confirmed that ‘the focus’ of the year ahead ‘really has to be on my dad’.
However, while Charles appears to be open to putting the now infamous family feud with Harry and his wife Meghan Markle behind him, it was reported last week that Prince William, the current Heir Apparent, is very much opposed to what has been dubbed as the Sussexes’ ‘Operation Bring Harry Back In From The Cold’.
One insider said last week, ‘William is back at the point where if you mention Prince Harry in his presence he would throw you out of the room.’
And now a source tells heat that William, 43, is so sceptical of his younger brother’s motives that he is warning Charles and others that the Sussexes are still not to be trusted.
The insider says, ‘William isn’t impressed that Harry has managed to worm his way back into his father’s affections – to him, it’s just wrong on every level and utterly ridiculous.
‘The fact his brother’s now got this direct line back to the family despite all the pain and misery he’s inflicted simply beggars belief and he’s totally bewildered and frustrated that it’s being sanctioned. William cannot believe his father appears to have forgiven Harry for everything he’s done.’
January will mark six years since Harry and Meghan, 44, first stepped down as senior working royals with the support of the late Queen.
But what unravelled upon their move to Hollywood has caused shockwaves that have so far been irreversible.
First came their world exclusive interview with Oprah Winfery, during which Meghan, cradling her baby bump at the time, became tearful as she claimed she experienced racism and bullying behind palace walls.
What then followed was a series of subtle digs from Meghan, referring to Kate Middleton as ‘cold’ and mocking royal tradition, while Harry had his own turn at the firing end when he published his 2023 memoir, Spare, which including the bombshell allegation that William had physically ‘assaulted' him and thrown him to the floor in a rage over his relationship with Meghan.
Now the source says William still fears that Harry cannot be trusted to keep any private conversations from the ears and eyes of the world, as they say he is still haunted by the stress he believes Harry caused the late Queen Elizabeth II in the final years of her life.‘
William’s big point is that there’s no evidence to suggest Harry’s changed,’ the insider explains.
‘As far as William is concerned, Charles is letting the fox in the henhouse and he wants no part of it. At this point he doesn’t even want to hear Harry’s name, he wishes he’d just hide in America for good, the way he threatened to do.
‘William feels that his brother inflicted so much stress and suffering on their grandmother in the very last years of her life, no less. That’s something William will never forget and to him it says all he needs to know about his brother.’
Harry, meanwhile, said last week, ‘my conscience is clear’ and admitted that he doesn’t regret sharing any of his family’s deepest secrets and most personal moments for financial gain in what he perceives as his bid to share the ‘truth’.
And now the source says that William is all too aware that the Sussexes’ royal monikers remain their hottest property when it comes to getting ahead in the US, where they currently reside in the exclusive enclave of Montecito with their children alongside their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
They tell us, ‘He’s convinced this grovelling effort is part of an overall plan for the Sussexes to hold onto their precious HRH titles and try to salvage what they can from the monarchy whilst his father’s still alive and in charge.
‘He hates that his father is falling for Harry’s apologies. In his view the King is being far too forgiving and frankly naive. He can’t fathom why so many people around him are ready to forgive and forget.’
We have previously reported how, due to the close bond they’ve shared previously, Kate, 43, has been urging William to make amends with Harry for a long time. But now the source says that even as his most trusted confidante, William is deaf to any calls for reconciliation.
The insider says, ‘The King and others, Kate included, are urging him to show mercy and give peace a chance but he’s saying that’ll happen when hell freezes over. William usually takes her guidance, but not in this case. It doesn’t matter who tells him Harry deserves another chance, William’s not going to budge.
'Until Harry shows he’s changed over a long period of time he’s simply not interested. And it’s the same with Meghan. He’s made it clear to everyone that he sees his brother and sister-in-law as a threat and yet his father is allowing Harry back into the fold.
‘William doesn’t believe that Harry is genuinely sorry for anything. He doesn’t buy it for one second.’
To add fuel to the fire, it was reported that bosses at streaming giant Netflix – who Harry and Meghan signed another deal with last month – are currently trying to tee up Harry to appear in a documentary to celebrate his late mum, Princess Diana, on the 30th anniversary of her passing in 2027.
And the source says that, for William, Harry’s ongoing relationship with Netflix, who he reportedly perceives as the ‘devil’ over royal drama, The Crown, is a sure sign that he is not to be trusted, as they say he has delivered the shock ultimatum that he wants to start seeing changes – or else.
‘Words mean nothing, he wants to see actions,’ the insider explains.
‘And as far as William is concerned Harry’s actions, even in the midst of this reunion, are far from encouraging. He's still livid over Harry and Meghan's partnership with Netflix. After the way they hurt the family with The Crown he finds it beyond offensive.
‘That’s just one more reason he wants to keep Harry at arm’s length, he doesn’t trust him and until he proves otherwise he’s got zero time for him and he wishes his father would follow suit.’