Prince William Won’t End Feud With Prince Harry—Not Even for Princess Diana

If ever there was a flag behind which Prince Harry and Prince William could both rally and put aside their differences, one might imagine that their mother Princess Diana’s legacy would be that cause.

Yet for all of the brothers incessant lip service to the concepts such as “community,” “kindness” and “compassion,” they once again revealed their hypocrisy when it comes to living up to their own ideals in their failure to come together in support of their mother’s charity, The Diana Award.

Their inability to appear even in the same virtual space (the awards were held online Thursday), marked a “sad indictment of both brothers obstinacy,” that is harming both of their reputations, friends of the family and former staffers told The Daily Beast.

There seems no prospect of a Christmas reconciliation.

Harry is said to have dropped his own demands for an apology from the royals for the poor and discriminatory way he alleges his wife was treated by the royals when they lived in the U.K as working royals, and The Daily Beast has been told he would like to make a fresh start with his family, including his brother.

However, Harry has made it clear he will not apologize for or withdraw remarks made in his films, book or interviews which shed unprecedented light on intimate family secrets—and William will not countenance a rapprochement unless he does.

William’s stance has hardened, sources have told the Daily Beast, since one friend first told The Daily Beast that William “f***ing hates” his brother. This came after Kate Middleton was “accidentally” named as one of the so-called “royal racists” who Meghan Markle alleged raised “concerns” over the likely skin color of any of Meghan and Harry’s children, before they were born. The other was apparently the king, according to a now-pulped foreign language copy of an Omid Scobie book.

Friends of William’s have previously told the Daily Beast that many in William and Kate’s circle believe that by telling Oprah Winfrey on TV that somebody or some people had made racially insensitive comments, Harry and Meghan set in train a series of events that would inevitably ultimately lead to Kate being identified.

Kate is said to have been instrumental in the strong wording of the late Queen Elizabeth’s official response to the interview: “Some recollections may vary.”

For all their animus, it is Princess Diana’s ghost which consistently draws the brothers together.

They were most recently in the same space earlier this year to attend the funeral of Diana’s sister’s husband, Robert Fellowes. They did not speak.

The last time they were seen to communicate in public was at an unveiling of a statue of Diana in July 2021.

The Diana Awards were presented Thursday in an online ceremony.

Harry was looped in with an interactive video, but this, it appeared, was a provocation too much for William. William absented himself from the awards entirely, instead writing letters to the winners which were shared on Wednesday evening.

Prince William’s letter read: “I am so proud of the impact every one of you has had on your communities and beyond. You are driven by kindness and compassion and through this you are all changing the world for the better.”

Harry said: “My mother’s belief in the power of young people to drive positive change continues to inspire me. No matter the challenges we face, whether it’s climate change, mental health or systemic injustices, her legacy and the efforts of young people to inspire further action in the world fill me with hope.”

One source, a former royal staffer who worked for both brothers during their time at the palace, said of their lack of co-operation in the context of a charity event held in honor of their mother: “It’s extraordinary how what was essentially a family argument has got completely out of proportion and is now causing immense damage not just to Harry’s reputation, but also to the king, who looks weak for not being able to crack his sons’ heads together, and the future king, William, who looks petty and ridiculous.

“Whether or not it is the case, it looks very much like William refused to attend the awards after hearing Harry was making a video appearance. Is this how he is going to rule the country?”

An old school friend of William and Harry, who has remained closer to William than Harry in recent years, told the Daily Beast: “The Windsors are known for being obstinate, and this is a sad indictment of both brothers’ obstinacy. It’s in honor of their mother, for goodness sake.”

The Daily Beast has previously reported that William is getting, if anything, more hostile to the concept of a reconciliation with Harry. Furthermore, The Daily Beast has been told he is using his influence to prevent any reconciliation between Harry and King Charles.

Charles' biographer Robert Hardman confirmed this in a recent interview with The Daily Beast, saying Charles cannot reset his relationship with Harry without buy-in from William.

Hardman said: “Whatever the king does needs to be done in tandem with both brothers, not just one. He can’t have unilateral discussions if William isn’t in agreement… Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process. People keep asking about the king’s feelings, but William also has to be on board, which adds complexity.”