Just when we thought that the Royal family had finally quit its cold war with Prince Harry and cleared a path for future reconciliation, King Charles and Prince William went ahead and doused that flickering hope with cold water.
If we were to believe the gazillion reports about Harry desperate to return to the U.K. and make a comeback as a senior Royal, he can kiss that dream goodbye. Yes, after missing out on wishing him on his 39th birthday last year, King Charles and Prince William did offer the public gesture of congratulating the Duke on turning 40 — the Prince and Princess of Wales simply reposted Charles’ post with a reworded birthday message — thus prompting whispers of the Royals finally letting go of their limitless rage at Harry’s many indiscretions.
But reportedly, it was all a sham to hide an ugly truth
A report from The Daily Beast has furnished inside information about what dictated the sudden decision to have cordial relations with Harry. Friends of Prince William have allegedly shared with the publication that hopes of the brothers reconnecting in the foreseeable future should be roundly dismissed, as William and Kate’s message was strictly posted to “align” with the one Charles sent. In reality, the future king has no time or “space for a complicated reconciliation process” with his estranged brother.
“The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan. He regards what Harry said in his book (i.e. his memoir, Spare) as unforgivable and, understandably given Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, just wants to focus on his wife and family first and his job second.”
As for why Charles wished his son many happy returns, this was supposedly not a message of love from a father, but a monarch following “routine,” as 30, 40, and 50, are milestone ages and, as detailed by an official source in the king’s office, such messages are sometimes “posted for landmark birthdays of non-working royals.” Apparently, Harry shouldn’t wait for a similar greeting next year.
Adding insult to injury (one we all missed out on), unlike other heartfelt posts on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ page, this one was not signed off with “W & C,” which either means the couple was just following Charles’ unspoken order of pretending to be polite, or it was posted by the palace PR on their behalf, a la “it was just a company thing” — which is even worse, as William couldn’t muster even two minutes of care for his little brother to compose and post a message. It was all done as if he was just an outsider, never his brother.
The report was backed by royal biographer Ingrid Seward in a chat with the Mirror, claiming that William’s wish for Harry “was through clenched teeth,” but he did it because Charles did. So, technically, the Royal Family is still very much at war with the rebellious Sussexes, and this fake “truce” was just made to bury (but also subtly outline) the fact that the next time Harry receives any recognition from the King of England and spark of hope of return to his country, it will come 10 years from now, when he turns 50. Till then, the chilly silence and growing distance between the families is destined to persist.