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The feud between Prince Harry and his royal relatives is far from over, but they’ve at least taken the first steps towards reconciliation after he met with King Charles over the weekend. But how does Prince William feel about it all? According to one royal expert, he likely understands why his dad would want to make nice with his baby brother, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to open his arms to Harry himself — especially not with the future of the monarchy on his shoulders.
Prince Harry brought Archie and Lili over to the palace for a very rare visit with their grandfather.
According to People, Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted Harry, wife Meghan Markle, and kids Archie and Lili at Highgrove House, one of the royal couple’s residences. While Harry was in the UK for events involving the upcoming Invictus Games last week, Meghan and the children were vacationing nearby and were able to fly in to see Charles on July 10.
This was the first time that Charles had seen his grandchildren on Harry’s side since 2022, so of course, it must have been like Archie and Lili were totally new kids. Four years means a lot when kids are this little.
Prince William probably understands why Charles wanted to see Harry, but he’s not letting his guard down.
While Charles was reuniting with Harry, William seemed to have a pretty busy weekend himself, between competing in the Royal Charity Polo Cup and attending the Wimbledon finals with his family.
But there’s no doubt that the reunion was on his mind, and royal expert Kinsey Schofield told Page Six that even if William wouldn’t have wanted to hang out with Harry himself, he would have understood why his dad did.
“He can appreciate that a father living with cancer wants to see his son and grandchildren, while still believing that Harry has not earned his way back into the family’s confidence,” she told the outlet.
William is likely having a hard time trusting his younger brother.
Since William is next in line for the throne, Kinsey said his main focus is “protecting the institution he’ll one day inherit,” and that might even mean protecting the monarchy from his brother.
“In his mind, the issue has never been whether Harry is family; it’s whether Harry can be trusted,” she told Page Six. “One afternoon at Highgrove doesn’t answer that question. King Charles can afford to think about legacy. Prince William has to think about longevity.”
As a father, Charles can choose to forgive his son, but Kinsey said that when he and William are thinking like monarchs, the situation becomes a bit more complicated.
“One meeting is easy,” she said. “Rebuilding trust is extraordinarily difficult.”
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