Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, are set to “reject” the Duke of Sussex’s offer of reconciliation because they “cannot forgive” him, a royal commentator has claimed.
Royal biographer Tom Bower believes that Prince Harry has caused “too much damage” with a return only likely to cause “further damage”.
It has been reported that the Duke has contacted his family to “call a truce” and discuss a return to the UK after leaving the Firm and moving to the US in 2020.
But since then, Harry has spoken candidly about the Royal Family, giving an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, featuring in a six-part Netflix docu-series alongside the Duchess, and releasing his explosive memoir in January.
An insider told In Touch earlier this month that Harry called William to say that he and Meghan, who currently live with their two children in California, would be open to returning to the UK and working as royals.
The source said: “Harry admitted he’d phoned William to call a truce and told his brother he and Meghan would be open to going back to London, where they would serve King Charles.”
They said that leaving the firm had “blown up in their faces” — having just lost a lucrative deal with Spotify and with their Netflix venture reportedly also hanging in the balance — and Harry is considering whether crossing the pond was the right thing to do.
They added: “He’s even suggested to Meghan that they return to London and the Royal Family.”
But Mr Bower, who penned the 2022 bestselling biography Revenge, said he doubts the Prince and Princess of Wales would be open to this.
He told OK! Magazine: “I think Harry’s offer will ultimately be rejected. I doubt William and Kate can forgive Harry. I don’t think he can come back — he’s caused so much damage to the family and the concern now is that if he does return, he could well damage it even further.
“I think Meghan would’ve been horrified by Harry’s suggestion. She’s not close to William and Kate, and in my opinion, London was just a stepping stone for her. I would imagine the last thing she’d want to do is return to England to live in a small, poky flat in Kensington Palace.”
Over the past year or so, Harry has described himself as being left “terrified” after his brother “screamed” at him during the so-called Sandringham summit in January 2020 and claimed there was an “unconscious bias” in the Firm.
In Spare, he alleged that William, who he described as both his “arch-nemesis” and “beloved brother”, “grabbed Harry by the collar, ripping his necklace, and … knocked him to the floor” after he insulted Meghan.
However, the Daily Express’s Richard Palmer, speaking on the Royal Round-Up believes that although a reconciliation might not be on the cards now, it could be possible one day.
The royal correspondent added: “Maybe there will be some sort of reconciliation at some point but no sign of it at the moment I’m afraid.”
The brothers were not seen interacting at the King’s recent Coronation with Harry swiftly returning to LA to attend his son’s birthday which fell on the same day.
William is due to be heading over to the US in September for the Earthshot Prize annual innovation summit but he is unlikely to meet with his brother while he’s there.
