Any Chance of a Potential William, Harry Christmas Reconciliation Was Snuffed out Weeks Ago
There will seemingly be no Christmas miracle for Prince William and Prince Harry. Any hope for a potential reconciliation between the two this holiday season was reportedly gone early in December 2024 when the estranged brothers couldn’t even be in the same virtual space.
Prince William and Prince Harry marked the 2024 Diana Award separately
The 2024 Diana Award ceremony on Dec. 5, 2024, didn’t bring together the late Princess Diana’s sons, the Prince of Wales, 42, and Duke of Sussex, 40. Unlike their Spencer relative’s memorial service earlier this year, William and Harry didn’t find themselves in the same room. Or, for that matter, the same virtual space.
The Diana Award ceremony took place online. Harry, for his part, appeared in a video during the ceremony. This, however, according to The Daily Beast, proved to be a “provocation too much for William.” The father of three didn’t participate in the ceremony. Instead, he sent letters to the winners.
What happened at the Diana Award ceremony wasn’t a good look for William, Harry, or King Charles
Marking their late mother’s legacy separately, even in a virtual setting, didn’t reflect kindly on William, Harry, or their father, King Charles III. As an old school friend told the publication, it highlighted the brothers’ stubbornness. And, of course, that “there seems no prospect of a Christmas reconciliation.”
“The Windsors are known for being obstinate, and this is a sad indictment of both brothers’ obstinacy,” the friend who has stayed closer to William said. “It’s in honor of their mother, for goodness sake.”
A former royal staffer, who worked for both William and Harry, described their lack of cooperation as an example of how their “family argument” is wreaking havoc. Not just on their personal lives, but on their reputations and that of their father.
“It’s extraordinary how what was essentially a family argument has got completely out of proportion,” they said. “[It] 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,” they added, before asking, “Is this how he is going to rule the country?”
Where William and Harry stand now
So, what exactly is going on with William and Harry as 2024 ends? After years of not talking, it seems the two aren’t charting a new course. Harry, per the outlet, is said to have dropped his demand for his relatives to apologize to Meghan Markle. Now, he reportedly wants to start fresh. That is, without apologizing or taking back anything he’s said publicly about all the royal family drama.
As for William, time doesn’t seem to have softened the future king on reconciling with his brother. Sources claimed the 42-year-old is standing firm. He won’t consider making up with Harry unless he apologizes for his comments.
Furthermore, he’s said to be using his growing influence in the royal family—William is first in line to the throne—to keep Harry at a distance from their father, King Charles III, despite staffing changes seemingly making the path to reconciliation easier.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman previously said King Charles couldn’t hit the reset button on his relationship with Harry without William’s support.
“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,” Hardman said. “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.”
So, it looks like William and Kate Middleton will celebrate the holiday season on one side of the Atlantic as Harry and the Sussex family do the same on the other with no reconciliation for the brothers.
