The New ‘Glimmer of Hope’ in Prince Harry and Prince William’s Rift
After what has been a seemingly never-ending parade of bad news regarding Prince William and Prince Harry’s rift, things are apparently starting to look up. There’s a “glimmer of hope” for the estranged brothers as the two reportedly attended their uncle’s memorial service in what an insider has called a “promising sign.”
Harry and William went to a memorial service for their uncle on Aug. 29
The Duke of Sussex, 39, and Prince of Wales, 42, reportedly attended their uncle Robert Fellowes’ memorial service on Aug. 29, 2024. It came a month after his death on July 29, 2024, at the age of 82. Fellowes was married to Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana’s sister, for 46 years. (Aug. 31, 2024, marked the 27-year anniversary of Diana’s death.)
That means William and Harry were in the same room together for the first time since their father, King Charles III, had his coronation in May 2023. Harry flew from California to join William and other guests at St. Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, England, near the royal family’s Sandringham Estate (via BBC).
A source who attended the memorial service confirmed both Harry and William were there. Although the two didn’t interact. The Sun reported the brothers “kept their distance” after arriving “very discretely.”
William and Harry proved they won’t let their rift ‘overshadow important family events’
A source told The Daily Beast that the “glimmer of hope” in William and Harry’s rift is that they both went to the memorial service. After all, Harry skipped a friend’s wedding because William would be there earlier this summer.
“It was probably always going to be a funeral that brought the boys together under one roof,” a friend of the Spencer family said. “And the fact that William didn’t boycott it because Harry was going to be there has cast a glimmer of hope in an otherwise deeply depressing impasse.”
“It’s an important recognition of the fact that blood is thicker than water. It’s a mature, promising sign that their private disagreements are not going be allowed to overshadow important family events.”
They also noted going to the service made sense to those close to Harry and William because they “adore” their aunt Jane. Therefore it was “absolutely right that they were both there out of respect to her.”
The Spencer family’s ‘working hard’ to end the rift
One relative potentially key to ending the rift is, sources close to the Spencer family claimed, William and Harry’s aunt Jane.
“Harry is still very close to his mother’s family. If anyone can mediate between the brothers, it will be Jane,” a “friend and neighbor of the Spencers,” told the outlet. Furthermore, the wider Spencer family’s said to have been doing what they can to repair William and Harry’s fractured relationship.
“Behind the scenes, the Spencers have been working hard to get the brothers to reconcile,” the second Spencer insider said. “They understand William’s hurt at Harry’s betrayal. But they also understand Harry’s position because of the way Diana was treated by the Windsors.”
