There are sibling rivalries, and then there are Royal sibling rivalries. Brothers always fight, but few move oceans apart, publish scandalous facts about the other in their international best-selling autobiography, and threaten to destabilize an entire monarchical institution with their squabbles. Such is the case for Prince William and Prince Harry, however.
The story of King Charles’ estranged sons hit an interesting wrinkle in the last few weeks when William mentioned his little brother’s name in public for the first time since Harry and Meghan’s royal split. Many have made a mountain out of this molehill and are viewing it as some kind of sign that the Prince of Wales is about to attempt a grand reconciliation with the Duke of Sussex.
Honestly, he probably isn’t, but he might wish to get his skates on with doing just that as some believe that his very future on the throne could be at stake if his brother is allowed to roam free.
A “fractured relationship” with Harry could threaten the “reign of King William” if it’s not fixed before he’s crowned
Despite that Harry name-drop – which occurred in the heir apparent’s TV documentary, Prince William: We Will End Homelessness — William doesn’t seem in all that much of a hurry to welcome Harry back into the fold. According to one Royal commentator, though, he can’t allow this “fractured relationship” with his brother to put a stain on his future reign on the throne.
The Royal Beat‘s Afua Hagan reacted with surprise on the latest episode of the Royal Family discussion show that even King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and subsequent battle hasn’t proven significant enough for William and Harry to put aside their differences. Even so, Hagan believes that a “reconciliation” can still happen. Or maybe even must happen should William wish to have as stable a time as king as possible.
“If Charles having cancer hasn’t brought them all together at this point, I honestly don’t know what will. However, I would like to think that all is not lost,” Hagan opined. “I don’t think we can have a reign of a King William with this fractured relationship still in place. I think that there will have to be some sort of reconciliation before then. It’s worrying that it is taking this long.”
It may sound a tad hyperbolic to say that Harry never completing his prodigal son redemption arc could ruin the reign of “King William,” but there may be something to it. The Royal Family has suffered so many scandals in recent times, each of which have chipped away at the public perception of their iron-clad institution, that the damage could well prove fatal if it’s not repaired.
Who knows how long William has to patch things up, between himself and his brother and the Royal Family’s reputation, but the most alarmist rumors out there like to claim that His Majesty is in a worse state that the Palace is letting on and a new coronation could be sooner than later. There’s no need to invest too much in such scuttlebutt, but it might be time for William to bury the hatchet with Harry before it hacks away at his Royal future.
Published: Nov 6, 2024 03:31 pm