Prince William was keen to meet with Prince Harry to talk about his and Meghan Markle’s issues after their 2019 tour of South Africa – but Harry rejected the meeting in a blunt way, claims a new book
Prince Harry politely declined a meeting with Prince William in an effort to mend their relationship. His response was only two words of recent book claims.
It has been widely reported that the two brothers’ frosty relationship was caused by William’s worries about Harry’s rapidly increasing relationship with Meghan Markle before their 2018 royal wedding. In an interview he gave in 2019 while on a tour of South Africa with Meghan, just months before they sensationally resigned as working royals, Harry made his first allusion to a feud.
He famously admitted to ITV’s Tom Bradby that he and Meghan were “struggling” with some of the pressures of life as working royals. However, he also dropped the bombshell that their sibling relationship was going through “good days” and “bad days”.
A recent book claims that William, the new Prince of Wales, tried to reach his younger brother after the interview was broadcast. According to the recently published book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Harry was initially said to be open to the offer but later declined it because he was worried that royal staff would leak information about their meeting.
And in an extract from the book published in the Daily Mail, author Valentine Low writes: “The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him.
“Initially, Harry was in favor. Then he spoke to his brother again and asked him whom he would tell. William explained that he’d have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry told him: Don’t come.
“He was so concerned that William’s team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than the risk it getting into the papers.”
According to the book, the failure of the brothers to personally meet came as “heartbreaking” news to those close to the brothers and highlighted how some members of The Firm had grown to find it challenging to directly communicate in the face of intense scrutiny.