Prince William and Prince Harry remain estranged. Photo / AP
Prince William and Prince Harry remain estranged. Photo / AP
Prince Harry reportedly reached out to Prince William ahead of his fleeting visit to see their father following news of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
People magazine has reported the Duke of Sussex - who has openly spoken of his hopes to reconcile with his family, tried to organise a meeting with his older brother during his 24-hour trip. However, it’s understood William stayed firm on making “no plans” to meet Harry.
A former courtier told the magazine that, at the time, the reasoning was becoming William’s “principal concern is his wife”.
Calling the decision “terribly sad”, a source close to the royal household told the US publication: “It would be the normal run of things to go and see your sister-in-law who’s had a serious operation and also see your niece and nephews. But it isn’t normal. It’s terribly sad.”
Elsewhere, Catherine Mayer, the author of Charles: The Heart of a King, told the magazine: “The family torment is an open sore. There is such a profound breach there.”
Royal author Robert Lacey, meanwhile, told the magazine that William’s decision not to see Harry likely came down to the future King wanting to “protect the insitution”, claiming: “Harry can’t be trusted.”
Despite Harry’s estranged relationship with William, a royal source has claimed his relationship with his father, Charles, may be seeing an improvement.
King Charles and Prince Harry have reportedly taken 'baby steps' in healing their relationship. Photo / AP
Claiming “baby steps” have been taken to begin mending their relationship after the release of Harry’s scathing memoir, Spare, in which he launched multiple attacks on the monarchy and branded Queen Camilla a villain in an accompanying interview, the father and son are reportedly working to put that behind them.
Referring to Harry’s quick trip to the UK to see his sick father, a source said: “I’m sure it was emotionally draining for both of them, but it was a step in the right direction. It was a positive move.”
It comes after Harry spoke exclusively to Good Morning America in Canada last month, about his reunion with his father. Confirming he found out about Charles’ diagnosis after a phone call with the monarch, Harry said: “I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could.”
“Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that,” Harry said in the interview.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Photo / Getty Images
While the short meeting between Charles and Harry raised many questions, writer and broadcaster Robert Jobson said a longer meeting could have caused stress for the monarch as more divisive topics could have been raised.
“You don’t want his blood pressure going up ... the King’s not very well. Whatever type of cancer it is, he’s undergoing treatment,” he said.
“The best thing for him is calm. After the initial kiss and hug, ‘Love you dad, hope you get better soon’, what issues are going to get raised? Things that will get your blood pressure rising.”
Charles has stepped away from public duties as he continues his cancer battle, however the Palace has confirmed he is working behind-the-scenes on state papers and makes regular appearances at Buckingham Palace for scheduled meetings.
He is currently spending his time between Sandringham and London.
The Palace has called for the King’s privacy to be respected, especially during his treatment, but said he wanted to make his diagnosis public because of his long-running support for cancer charities.
