Prince William and Harry: A lot of ‘repair’ to be done says expert
Next week marks the one year anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unprecedented statement, which told the world they planned to forge a “progressive new role” within the Royal Family. They said they would work to become financially independent and spread their time between the UK and North America. At the end of March, they officially stood down and moved to Canada briefly, before settling in California.
Since then, they have bought a house in Santa Barbara, signed a lucrative deal with Netflix, launched their non-profit organisation Archewell and even started a podcast with Spotify.
Meanwhile, they have been raising their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and speaking out on a number of topics close to their hearts including Black Lives Matter, compassionate behaviour online and the US election.
However, it has certainly not been an easy ride for the couple and there was considerable fall-out amongst the royals after their announcement.
The couple’s statement, which was released on their social media channels, was not taken well by the family and royal household.
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Prince William was furious about Meghan and Harry’s bombshell announcement (Image: GETTY)
A rift has grown between the Cambridges and the Sussexes (Image: GETTY)
This was in part because they reportedly did not consult the Queen or Prince Charles before going public with their plan, and because it was released just before the birthday of Kate, Duchess of Cornwall.
The Royal Family were said to be “hurt” by the decision and the way it was handled by the Sussexes, but Prince William was especially angry.
The Duke of Cambridge was left “incandescent with rage”, as was Prince Charles, after the controversial move, which was branded a “declaration of war on the family” by a senior source.
The Queen was also “deeply upset”, despite Meghan and Harry emphasising that they would continue to support and collaborate with her.
The Queen was “deeply upset” after the ‘Megxit’ announcement (Image: GETTY)
A royal insider said: “Their statement was not cleared with anyone. It breaks all protocol.
“This is a declaration of war on the family.
“There is fury over how they’ve done this without any thought for the implications for the institution.
“The Queen is deeply upset. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.
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The royals at Meghan and Harry’s last ever engagement as senior royals (Image: GETTY)
“Courtiers can’t believe it. There are so many unanswered questions, but they’ve just up and done it without a thought for anyone else.”
The source also told that Meghan and Harry have “exiled themselves” from the Royal Family.
However, the bad blood between Harry and William had actually been going on well before his decision to step down.
In fact, according to the 2020 book ‘Finding Freedom’, they had been at odds ever since William had advised his younger brother to take things slow in the early days of his relationship with Meghan.
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Harry took offence at William’s use of the phrase “this girl” and interpreted his advice as snobby, rather than caring.
Ever since, they started spending less and less time together.
Kate and Meghan are said to be very “different” people, but the feud is still mainly between the brothers.
Harry admitted in an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby last year that he and William are “on different paths” and do not see each other as much as they used to.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, they have not been able to visit the UK at all and so have not been able to see their family and friends for nearly a year.
However, there are reports that the relationship between the brothers is gradually healing over time.
Royal fans will be delighted if the princes are able to reconcile, as they have been very close since they were young, and especially so since the death of their mother Princess Diana in 1997.
Harry has also been close to William’s wife, Kate, who he said was like “a big sister” to him.
Finding Freedom was written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand and published by HQ in August 2020. It is available here.
