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The relationship between brothers Prince Harry and Prince William remains strained with no communication between them in the lead-up to their father King Charles’ coronation on May 6.
Despite Buckingham Palace announcing that Prince Harry would attend the event, his appearance is unlikely to ease the ongoing tensions.
Strained Relationship Between the Brothers
According to an exclusive report by PEOPLE, a palace insider revealed that the relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William remains tense, with no communication between them leading up to their father’s coronation.
The insider further claimed that Prince Harry’s participation in the historic event would do little to ease the tensions between the brothers.
“I don’t think the coronation and a big conversation can be conflated,” said the insider.
Prince Harry’s Memoir
In his memoir, ‘Spare,’ released earlier this year, Prince Harry revealed some of the reasons that drove him and Prince William apart.
Harry claimed that a 2019 confrontation over his relationship with Meghan Markle turned physically violent.
Harry wrote that William called Meghan “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive,” to which Harry replied that his brother was simply “parroting the press narrative” about his wife.
“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Prince Harry wrote.
Prince Harry’s Hope for Reconciliation
In an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby surrounding the book’s release in January, Prince Harry said that he hoped to talk through the issues with his family before the coronation.
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But the door is always open. The ball is in their court,” he said. “There’s a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they’re willing to sit down and talk about it.”
However, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an email about the royal event from King Charles’ office, it became clear that the “sit-down” Harry sought wasn’t going to happen.
A close friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE that they did not hear from Charles directly, and Harry wanted to hear from his father himself.
“Despite the wounds, it’s his son, and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t want him to be there regardless of the hurtful things that have been said,” said royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith.
