Prince William is reportedly opposed to King Charles spending any time with Prince Harry or his family, according to a royal author.
The heir to the throne is said to be “protecting the monarchy” from further disrespect following Harry’s departure into private life in 2020, after which he gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey, published a memoir chronicling his royal upbringing, and featured in a Netflix docuseries.
The Express US spoke to Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever and Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, about whether William is standing firm out of duty or simply nursing a grudge. She suggested it is “likely to be a mixture of both.”
This comes as Meghan is reportedly left ‘furious’ with Harry following his humiliation and setback in the UK.
“William probably feels he is protecting the monarchy from being further disrespected or monetized by the couple for their own ends,” said Maclaran. “However, there are bound to be personal issues too and a lack of trust in his brother.”
While Harry appears to have made some progress with Charles – reportedly meeting with him earlier this month and receiving an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace in September – William remains firmly unconvinced.
Maclaran shed light on what she believes lies at the heart of the future King’s profound frustration.
“William, being the brother who has to shoulder the future responsibility of the monarchy, is understandably alleged to still be very angry with his younger sibling,” said Maclaran.
“Particularly after all the revelations that have been made by Harry and Meghan over the years, but especially the Oprah interview and Spare.
“These accusations also implicated Catherine in various ways and I imagine that William finds that very hard to overlook,” she added. Concerningly, fears have now been raised that the bitter rift between William and Harry could be spilling over into the next generation.