Prince William Was Actually the First One to Reach Out About Peace Talks Nearly 5 Years Ago — Not Prince Harry
Prince Harry and Prince William were never the best of friends, but they were always brothers who loved and cared for each other. However, things changed back in 2018 after Harry married American actor Meghan Markle. Things between Harry and William have not improved since.
Though the public has heard of alleged peace talks between the brothers, sources claim that those conversations started as early as 2019. But the most interesting part might not be that the peace talks started five years ago, but rather that it was Prince William who made the first move. Since then, the brothers have reportedly tried multiple times to have such conversations but have been unsuccessful.
Prince Harry refused to see Prince William for peace talks as far back as 2019, sources say
Harry and William’s relationship was a typical brotherly connection up until right around 2018, when Harry married Meghan. Meghan received a lot of hate from the press and the public, and the Sussexes felt the royal family wasn’t backing them up. Things became increasingly worse between Harry and William, to the point where Harry revealed during his 2019 Southern Africa tour with Meghan that he and William were not on great terms.
Apparently, though, William wanted to meet up with Harry to discuss the situation immediately following the release of the interview. Royal author Valentine Low wrote in his book “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown” that Harry refused to meet up with William because he didn’t want anyone to know about it.
“The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him,” Low wrote, according to Express. “Initially, Harry was in favor. Then he spoke to his brother again and asked him whom he would tell.” When William revealed that he would have to tell his private secretary due to needing to clear his schedule, Harry had a cold response: “Don’t come.”
Prince Harry and Prince William have allegedly tried to have peace talks several times since
Though it all started with William reaching out to Harry, there have been a number of other times where Harry and William have unsuccessfully tried to sit down. Peace talks were attempted in 2021 as well, when Harry sat down with William and King Charles after Prince Philip died in 2021. Harry wrote in “Spare” that Charles asked the brothers not to “make my final years a misery.” The meeting also came shortly after Harry and Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their first post-royal interview, during which Harry had said that the door for peace with his brother would always be open.
Peace talks reportedly happened again after the queen died in 2022, when Harry and Meghan joined William and his wife, Kate Middleton, for a royal walkabout to honor Queen Elizabeth II after her death. It was the first time the four had made an intentional appearance together since before Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles, and it had everything thinking that things could improve between the brothers. However, nothing came of the meetup or conversations, and things are reportedly in a tougher place than ever now.
