Prince Harry may be seeking peace with his family, but insiders say his efforts will remain stalled until he repairs his relationship with Prince William.

While the Duke of Sussex is rumored to be working on his relationship with King Charles III, a friend told writer Rob Shuter it means little without William. "You can patch things up with your father, but until the brothers speak, nothing truly changes," a palace source told Shuter via his Substack column.

Harry has been estranged from the royal family since he and Meghan Markle stepped back from their full time roles in 2020. The choice to move to and stay in California, coupled with lavish deals with Netflix and Spotify, deepened the rift.

One of those steps was a London meeting between his representatives and a senior aide to Charles.

But people who are aware of the talks say those are more about symbolism than substance.

"This wasn't progress. It was PR," one insider told Shuter.

The greater divide arguably belongs to William. The future King hasn't had any substantive talk with Harry since the fallout from Harry's memoir "Spare" released in 2023. Harry described physical altercations and long-running anger in the book.

He wrote that William called Meghan "difficult," "rude," and "abrasive." Harry also described a fight where William grabbed him, tore his necklace, and pushed him down, sending Harry into the dog bowl.

"William felt blindsided, exposed, and humiliated," the source told Shuter, adding that he remains deeply upset and is not ready to forgive.

Tensions Remain High, Trust Is Still Lacking

The last public appearance by Harry and William together was at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022. They walked with their wives at their sides but had little interaction. The rift showed again at King Charles' 2023 coronation: Harry sat in the third row, while William took a major role.

Since stepping back from royal life, Harry has returned to the UK a couple of times for legal reasons. He also visited his father briefly in early 2024, after the King's cancer diagnosis. Reports say their meeting lasted only 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Meghan has not flown back to the UK since the funeral of the Queen. Their 2021 televised interview with Oprah, in which they described feeling trapped and made allegations of racism against a family member, only made the fallout worse.

Journalist Sarah Vine told Mail Online that signs of reconciliation may be more style than substance from Harry.

She called him "volatile" and "untrustworthy." She suggested he may be motivated by lack of luck outside royal life.

"Every single project he's undertaken has been predicated on his titles," Vine said. "The only real currency he has is as a member of the British Royal Family."

She also claimed Harry has "ruthlessly mined" his royal past.

Now, she says, he seeks to revive that connection to "promote" himself. "The King needs to be aware of this. At the end of the day, Prince Harry has more to gain than his father does from a rapprochement," Vine continued.

Until William is willing to speak with his brother, insiders believe that no peace talks will move the needle. As one source told Shuter, "This whole summit means very little without Prince William at the table."

Tags
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, King Charles