Last Friday, the New York Times did their own breaking-news coverage of the Highgrove Summit between King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their two children. It’s always wild to me when “the paper of record” dips their toe into royal coverage and royal gossip. Granted, the NY Times has a London bureau and there are many British reporters working for the Times, so I shouldn’t be that shocked. Still, days after the Highgrove Summit, I wasn’t expecting this piece in the NYT: “Missing From Prince Harry’s Trip to Britain: A Reunion With Prince William.” I don’t even think this is William trying to impose himself on the storyline in some kind of “don’t forget about meeeee” briefing. I think this is just sort of organic royal gossip, and a reminder for an American audience that Prince William is still incandescent with rage.
Prince Harry’s visit to Britain last week for a series of charity appearances brought him back to the same country as his older brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne. But as the younger prince’s trip home drew to a close without a meeting or joint appearance, the siblings seemed as far apart as ever.
On Friday, Harry, 41, played pickleball and wheelchair rugby in Birmingham, in central England, to promote the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, a charity sports event that he founded for wounded veterans. About 115 miles away, William, 44, was taking part in a charity polo competition in Windsor, outside London.
Later that day, Harry; his wife, Meghan; and their two children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, were reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla for the first time in years, at Highgrove House, a royal residence. The long-anticipated gathering — which included the king’s spending time with two young grandchildren that he barely sees — appeared in sharp contrast to the continued estrangement of the two brothers.
A spokesman for Prince Harry declined to comment, and Kensington Palace, which represents Prince William, did not respond to requests for comment.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a British royal commentator, said, “It is all very sad because both of them are part of the rich tapestry of British life. And of course Harry has chosen to go to the United States, but this really underlines things,” he added. “You can’t help wondering, what’s it going to be like in 10 years or 20 years or 30 years?”
The siblings’ rift has already lasted years, since Harry and Meghan renounced their most exclusive royal titles and moved to the United States in 2020. Harry’s very public complaints about the monarchy — including in an Oprah interview; in his tell-all memoir, “Spare”; and in a documentary series — left deep scars and resentment in the royal family.
… By exposing the private frustrations and fractures inside the family, Harry put himself publicly at odds with his brother. In his memoir, he even accused William of knocking him to the floor during an argument. Kensington Palace has long refused to comment on that accusation.
I find it interesting that, because of Spare, basically any above-board conversation about William and Harry’s estrangement now includes the story about William assaulting Harry. The royalists have spent years trying to explain it away or make it sound like Harry deserved it or that Harry was being melodramatic. But again, the one thing no one can say is that it never happened. William has never denied it, even if his minions have tried and failed to say that there was a different context. William has also never denied that he’s spent years ranting and screaming about Meghan, or that he spent all of 2018-2020 smearing the crap out of the Sussexes. But Netflix! But Spare! But Oprah! But what about everything that came before?
As for the larger questions about whether Harry and William will ever heal their rift… I can understand why people ask, but I feel like so many people are being too cute by half as they act like family estrangements aren’t an actual thing that millions of people deal with.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
