A new aide to King Charles hopes to improve the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry by “knocking their heads together”, it has been claimed. Theo Rycroft, a former diplomat who is now a private secretary to the King, has reportedly described the situation between the brothers as “f*****g ridiculous” and has vowed to heal their rift.
The feuding princes are believed to have last spoken with each other at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022. Since then, the brothers have not publicly interacted at a number of family events, including the funeral of Lord Fellowes in August 2024. Their rift comes amid a long-term breakdown in trust, stemming from Harry and Meghan Markle‘s departure from royal duties in 2020.
As reported by the Mirror, Mr Rycroft believes the situation has become “f*****g ridiculous”. A source said: “He thinks it’s time to knock their heads together. The mood is, ‘he’s not wrong’.”
The source added that Mr Rycroft believes the feud causes “great pain” to the King and “sees his job as helping the King resolve it”. They continued: “Theo believes that Harry and William need to be forced to shake hands and allow Charles to repair his relationship with Harry.”
Mr Rycroft, known to be a calm and shrewd operator, previously worked as a diplomat in the Foreign Office, most notably as minister and deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Paris from 2021 to 2025. He is reportedly very close to William, and the pair have already worked together on a number of high-profile engagements.
Reports suggest the King could meet with Harry when he visits the UK next year for the Invictus Games. The source said Mr Rycroft would support such a meeting unlike other aides.
Mr Rycroft is reportedly the “most respected man in the building right now” after handling recent situations including the King and Queen’s state visit to the US last month. Although he “may be outnumbered” in wanting the King to meet with Harry, his opinion may hold more weight.