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TL;DR: 

  • King Charles III’s “intention” is to “heal” the “family rift” and “to try and work things out,” according to royal expert Katie Nicholl.
  • Otherwise, it will “hang over his reign.”
  • Despite Prince William and Prince Harry reuniting for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, a “meaningful reconciliation” hasn’t happened.
  • Meanwhile, Camilla Parker Bowles has tried to reunite King Charles and Prince William with Prince Hary.

King Charles III’s aim is to heal the “rift” in the royal family. Author and royal expert Katie Nicholl says the 73-year-old knows it will loom large over his reign if it continues. Therefore, the king’s “trying to work things out” with Prince William and Prince Harry.

King Charles knows there can’t be ‘discord’ at the center of the royal family 

It seems the king may be the one to get the healing process started. According to Nicholl, he knows the royal family has to be united. So he’s set on doing what he can to patch things up between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex. 

“It is Charles’ intention to heal this family rift, to try and to try and work things out, because he knows that this will hang over his reign, Nicholl told Us Weekly. 

“There cannot be this discord at the heart of the royal family,” she added.

But, as the author of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown explained, it may not be easy because there’s a lot at play. 

Prince William and Prince Harry put the ‘rift’ aside in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth’s death, ‘meaningful reconciliation’ is a long way off

Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sept. 8, William and Harry put on a united front. They came together for various events after their grandmother’s death leading up to her Sept. 19 funeral.

The brothers surprised royal watchers when they made a joint appearance with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle on Sept. 10. William invited Harry and the Duchess of Sussex to greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle and see tributes to the late monarch. 

Being seen together continued although William and Harry didn’t appear to interact with each other much. According to Nicholl, setting aside their differences was only for the short term. 

“The funeral was an opportunity for a thawing of what had become incredibly icy relationships, certainly between William and Harry,” she said. “Of course, we saw them on that walkabout in Windsor.” 

“But I think any suggestion that there’s been a long term and meaningful reconciliation would be wide of the mark. I think there’s a way to go,” she continued.

Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles, who has the 'intention' of healing 'rift' between Prince Harry and Prince William, according to Katie Nicholl, stands with Camilla Parker Bowles, Princess Anne at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral
Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Princess Anne | Andy Stenning – WPA Pool/Getty Images
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Camilla Parker Bowles has done ‘everything she can’ to reunite King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry

While William isn’t reportedly able to forgive Harry, someone else in the royal family has been trying to repair relationships. Nicholl told ET the king’s wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, has done “everything she can.”  

“In my book, The New Royals, I do talk about how behind the scenes, Camilla has done really everything she can to try and bring this family back together,” she said. 

Now queen consort, Camilla’s the one who, according to Nicholl, has stressed the “importance of trying to move on from this rift.” 

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