The once-close bond between Prince Harry and Prince William has been severely strained in recent years.

Friends of Prince William have suggested when the two might meet again (Image: Getty)

Friends of Prince William have explained when the likelihood is that the two brothers will reunite again, and they next expect William to see Prince Harry at a very sombre occasion – King Charles’s funeral.

The once-close bond between Prince Harry and Prince William has been severely strained in recent years, and the chances of reconciliation seem increasingly distant, following Harry’s decision to step down as a senior working royal alongside his wife, Meghan Markle in 2020.

The Sussexes’ departure, often referred to as ‘Megxit’ marked a turning point, but it was only the beginning of a deepening divide, with the couple detailing their private lives within the Firm publicly on TV and in Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, which was released in January 2023.

A friend of Prince William told the Daily Beast they do not expect Harry to be invited to William’s Coronation: “I believe it 100 percent. Why would William and Kate want all the distraction and circus that his presence would bring? I suspect that William will see Harry one more time in his life in the flesh—at their father’s funeral.”

Speaking of the brother’s relationship, the source added: “Things are totally frozen between the two of them. It is hard to overstate how utterly William feels betrayed and hurt on a very personal level.

“The two brothers were so close growing up that they would finish each other’s sentences. Amid all the trauma of their mum dying and their dad being quite distant, it was an amazing thing to witness.”

It was reported in the Times that William and Kate did not respond to Harry and Meghan when the royal duo sent well-wishes to Princess Kate after she revealed her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
A source also told The Daily Beast that William was annoyed when Harry and Meghan chose to refer to his wife as “Kate” in that March 2024 statement instead of “Catherine”.

The statement read: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”

However, Harry and Meghan’s interviews and documentaries since leaving the Royal Family, where they openly criticised the royal family’s treatment of them, added further fuel to the fire.

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry alleged physical confrontations and emotional neglect, particularly involving his brother. With each revelation, the chances of reconciliation seemed more unlikely.

Alongside his wife, Princess Kate, and their three children, William is firmly focused on the traditional expectations of monarchy and is often believed to be, by royal experts, as the pillar of the Royal Family’s future stability.

On the other hand, Harry and Meghan have built a life in California, away from royal protocols, and are raising their two children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, in a more private setting.