Estranged brothers Prince William and Prince Harry remain at odds with each other ever since the latter relocated to America with Meghan Markle in 2020. Tensions only grew thereafter as the Duke of Sussex continued to hurl hurtful comments about his family in interviews, and most recently, in his memoir Spare. But in a surprising move, the Prince of Wales subtly made a sweet nod at his younger brother in a poignant video about homelessness.
The future king reflected on the lessons he learned about homelessness and his first visit to a homeless shelter in the ITV documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness. The two-part series sees the 42-year-old vividly remembering his first visit to The Passage with his mother, the late Princess Diana, at 11 years old.
“My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and I both there. I must have been 11 at the time, maybe 10. I had never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious about what to expect.”
Prince William remembered how his mother “went about her usual, making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.” He also recalled thinking that everyone must feel sad because they didn’t have a home. But to his surprise, he saw a happy environment. But he admitted feeling guilty at not being able to do anything at the time and shared:
“I’ve spent enough time learning and listening to what people have been through that I feel almost guilty every time I leave, that I’m not doing more to help.”
The revelation marks a rare moment to talk about his brother, Prince Harry. The subtle nod at the Duke of Sussex certainly got people talking especially since the brothers haven’t been on speaking terms. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams called it a “significant” move from Prince William that could likely be viewed as him offering an olive branch to his brother given their “deep rift.”
“It’s significant that he has mentioned Harry. He hasn’t mentioned Harry in any speech or any comment, apparently, since 2018.”
Fitzwilliams shared his uncertainty that the nod would have any effect on Prince Harry. When asked by host Dawn Neesom if it would get any reaction at all from the Duke of Sussex he noted:
“It comes back to a point I’ve always made that since they stepped down as senior working royals, the Sussexes have never said anything that is positive about the Royal Family, about the Commonwealth, or about their experiences. Any reaction Harry may have and whether we would know about it, it’s too early to tell.”
Prince William’s visit to the homeless shelter had a lasting impact on him. Hence, he was “compelled to act” and launch The Royal Foundation’s Homewards initiative in June 2023. The program aims to end homelessness over a five-year course across six flagship locations in the U.K. by providing them with the “space, tools and expertise to deliver and demonstrate innovative solutions that prevent and end homelessness, creating tried and tested models that can be scaled.”
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness will air on Oct. 30 and 31. The documentary will feature new and previously unseen photos of Prince William, Prince Harry, and Princess Diana, including pictures taken from their visit to The Passage in 1993.