Prince William is the royal who’s most responsible for Prince Harry’s lifetime ban from all family functions.
At least that’s the incendiary claim being made by one prominent royal expert.
As you’re probably aware, the feud between William and Harry has been raging for years now.
Prince William Bans Harry From Royal Functions: Does He Have the Authority?
According to journalist Hilary Fordwich, Harry is still persona non grata among his own family. And even though Charles is king, it seems the decision was mostly William’s.
Charles, it seems, would love to reunite with his estranged son. But William has encouraged his father to adhere to centuries-old royal rules of conduct.
“If anyone would relent, it would be King Charles III, whom, of course, Prince William won’t challenge,” Fordwich recently told Fox News.
“[He] still misses his ‘darling boy’ and would like to see more of Prince Harry.”
But while Charles might long to reconcile his son, Fordwich claims that Harry’s memoir and other breaches of protocol make it all but impossible.
“However, to this day, after the release of Spare and the Netflix series, as well as with everything else Harry has said, done and not done — it’s Prince William who adamantly refuses to even speak to his brother,” says Fordwich.
“With Prince Harry, it’s all an issue of trust. Prince William is the most unlikely royal to ever forgive Harry for all his despicable indiscretions.”
William Lays Down the Law
According to Fordwich, William is a firm believer in the importance of royal customs, rules, and protocol.
“He is now very much seen and accepted as the family enforcer, taking on the hard-line ruler role of his grandfather, Prince Philip,” she says.
“In this capacity, it’s widely known within the family that Prince William has laid down an absolute ban on Harry returning in any way, shape or form to his former royal family fold,”
Just a few short years ago, the idea of William placing a ban on Harry would have seemed absurd.
The brothers were famously close. According to insiders their bond was strengthened through shared grief over the death of their mother, Princess Diana.
But these days, Harry and William are no longer on speaking terms.
And it sounds more and more like William has zero interest in burying the hatchet.
There’s been talk of Harry visiting the UK at Christmas. But at the moment, the odds of a Yuletide reconciliation with William seem slim.