'Absolutely no chance': Royal expert's verdict on why Prince William refused to see Harry on his whirlwind London visit
By April Glover|
When Prince Harry made his second mad dash back to the UK for a royal crisis in just two years, fans of the monarchy once again waited with bated breath.
Would the Duke of Sussex be prepared to mend fences with his father King Charles and brother William, the Prince of Wales, once and for all?
Many royal watchers agreed: if a cancer diagnosis wasn't enough to bring the feuding princes back together, what possibly would? Alas, it seemed Harry and William did not brush shoulders during the duke's whirlwind 26-hour visit.
And the reason for this could still very well be the bold claims published in Spare, 9honey's expert and royal reporter Natalie Oliveri says.
READ MORE: Prince Harry heads back to LA after 24-hour visit to London
As Oliveri explains, there is still "deep resentment" from William and his camp over Harry's written barbs about Catherine, Princess of Wales.
"It's a shame Prince Harry did not see his brother this time around. By all accounts the two did not meet face to face, the bad blood between them clearly still very prevalent," Oliveri says.
"It's unknown when Harry and William last spoke, with the Prince of Wales still harbouring a deep resentment over claims Harry made about his wife, Catherine, in Spare and understandably so."
READ MORE: 'Not a good idea': Anne's warning to Charles just months ago
Harry and William's frosty (and almost non-existent) relationship could prove more detrimental to the Duke of Sussex than anyone else as time wears on, Oliveri warns.
As the future King of England, William is in a unique position of power over his brother. If the ongoing feud gets any worse, she says Harry could find himself unable to ever return to the royal fold.
"With Prince William expected to take on more duties in the coming months as his father has treatment, Harry would do well to get back in his brother's good side," Oliveri continues.?
"It is William who is the future of the monarchy and once he is King, Harry could find himself จC and his two children จC completely cut off from the royal family with absolutely no chance of his return if he does not start to repair relations with his brother now."
It was quite a different story for Harry and his father the king, however.
Harry is understood to have had a private reunion with Charles after flying to the UK from California upon hearing the news of his cancer diagnosis.
This reunion, albeit brief, could be another small stepping stone towards a warmer relationship between father and son.
"Charles has always made it clear he loves his son and it's obvious Harry feels the same about his father, rushing to be by his side within hours of being told about his cancer diagnosis," Oliveri adds.
"Despite all that has been said in Spare, in the Netflix docuseries and in those interviews, the royal family is still primarily a family first and when there is such news as a cancer diagnosis within that unit, petty grievances must be set aside."
READ MORE: Airline announces controversial move to start weighing passengers
Though, it's unlikely things were getting better on their own behind-the-scenes, Oliveri speculates, as Harry needed a health crisis to prompt a visit to his own father.
It was their first lengthy in-person audience in over 12 months.
"It's a sad indication of the state of their relationship, though, that it took a cancer diagnosis for the two to come together for their first proper face to face meeting in more than a year," she adds.
"Charles and his son are not believed to have had any significant contact at the coronation, when Harry was last with his family, but the first step in their reconciliation came in November when the Duke of Sussex called his father for his 75th birthday."
