Several royal experts believe Prince Harry is making a “big mistake” that could ruin his chances of reconciling with his family.
In his first major interview since returning to the U.K. with his family, the Duke of Sussex told GQ he wants to make peace with his father and brother. However, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Harry’s willingness to publicly discuss his strained family relationships only makes the royals more reluctant to extend an olive branch.
“The peace offering is already undermined as it is public,” said Fitzwilliams. “That continues to be his big mistake. He cannot be trusted. [The Sussexes] had already launched brutal attacks on the royal family [with their tell-alls]. Family disputes are bitter. But numerous interventions from ‘friends’ and interviews like Harry’s in GQ make this highly unlikely.”
PRINCE HARRY SAYS ‘MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO RECONCILE’ WITH ROYAL FAMILY
Speaking about the family rift, Harry told GQ: “Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile — that’s the key point.”
“Scars stick around forever,” Harry continued. “But what your perception is, and what your mindset is to those things that have happened, letting go of the past. That’s something that I would encourage everybody to do: If there’s certain things from the past that are still affecting you every day, that’s harder to let go of. But, for me, there’s enough drama in the world and enough drama in people’s lives to continue with issues with family.”
Harry also told GQ that he has been “really criticized” for sharing his side of the story.
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“I find it fascinating because everybody else is allowed to tell their version of my story, but God forbid I should be able to tell the other side of it.”
Royal broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that although Harry may yearn for reconciliation after years of the Sussexes publicly airing their grievances, “the palace doesn’t trust Harry and Meghan.” Chard said Harry’s decision to speak publicly “proves Prince William’s fear — anything said in private will end up in print.”
“Vindication on Megxit and absolution without apology do not equate to reconciliation,” Chard added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020, citing intense media scrutiny and a lack of support from the palace. After moving to California that year, the couple discussed their struggles in interviews and documentaries. Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” further strained his relationship with the royals. Several experts told Fox News Digital that Harry and William are still not on speaking terms.
On Oct. 15, the Sussexes attended a series of charity events in Nottingham, marking their first major joint outing since their reported return to the U.K. The appearances drew attention from royal experts, many of whom compared them to official royal engagements.
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In January 2020, Queen Elizabeth II made clear following the Sandringham Summit that there would be no “half in, half out” role for the Sussexes. They couldn’t remain working members of the royal family while pursuing independent, income-generating ventures.
“Following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Feb. 19, 2021.
In response, the couple issued a statement of their own, saying: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
Shortly after the couple returned to the U.K., Buckingham Palace released a letter from the Lord Chamberlain, written on behalf of King Charles III, stressing that there was “no change” to their status. The letter stated that Harry and Meghan are “no longer working members of the royal family” and that their charitable work “is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.”
“In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” the letter added.
A source close to the Sussexes then pushed back against the description of the couple as “private citizens.”
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“They are public figures,” the source told People magazine. “Members of the public know who they are. The idea that they can live a normal, ‘private’ life is sadly not realistic.”
Another friend of the couple told The Times that Harry and Meghan “hate” the phrase “working members of the royal family.”
“‘Working members of the royal family’ is a really lazy phrase,” the friend told The Times. “He hates it, she hates it. They are not ‘working’ for the institution, but they are members of the royal family, and they work.”
The friend said the Sussexes also dislike the term “former royals.”
“Things like Nottingham aren’t done in the name of the institution or the crown, but Harry is the son of the king, he is still a member of the royal family, he’s just not a member of the institution. It’s misleading to call them ‘former royals.’ It has an impact on how they’re perceived and the way people talk about them.”
A friend of the Sussexes told Hello! magazine that Harry and Meghan never agreed to the late queen’s decision to prohibit a “half in, half out” arrangement.
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“It doesn’t trouble them,” the friend said. “They never agreed they wouldn’t be half in, half out. That was what was decided and foisted upon them.”
“They’re just living their lives and they can, because they’re financially independent,” the friend added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell for comment.
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that former palace courtiers were appalled by the unidentified friend’s remarks.
“Harry publicly declared he’d accepted the agreement with his grandmother, the queen,” Fordwich said.
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the royal family, often referred to as “The Firm,” made “a mistake” by not allowing the Sussexes to resume their royal duties and support the king.
“Harry and Meghan are not private citizens — this was decreed by King Charles in the letter created by the Lord Chamberlain which, in my view, was humiliating for the couple,” Turner said.
“What that means is that Harry and Meghan can do whatever they want right now. … It just goes to show at the moment that whoever is advising the royal family [is] constantly making mistakes. Because if they really wanted to control Harry and Meghan, they would invite them back so that they can be part of the royal family and could actually control what’s going on.”
“Yet the same accusations are levied against Meghan and Harry when they apparently have decided to do an event for themselves in Nottingham,” Turner said. “What is the difference? I ask. Because, in reality, they are allowed to do whatever they want to do now to actually promote their charities and good causes.”
Fordwich also suggested there was a “divide” between King Charles III and Prince William over how to handle Harry’s return to the U.K.
“The divide is as follows: The king craves family united, keeping the door open and aiming to facilitate some sort of way back, while he is though completely united with Prince William that the Sussexes will never again represent the royal family,” Fordwich explained.
“Obviously, from both his actions and words, Harry is rather desperate for reconciliation,” she said. “But with every public statement and action, rather ironically, he’s actually thwarting any remote chance now of even a familial thawing.”
Fordwich doesn’t believe Harry will reconcile with his family anytime soon.
“Writers of ‘The Crown’ must be sitting with pens poised at this now ridiculous situation escalating,” Fordwich said. “Although Harry and Meghan wish to build proper bridges, the king apparently refuses to even discuss the subject.”