Prince William and Prince Harry both have trust issues with each other. The Duke of Cambridge reached out to the Duke of Sussex after sensing that he and Meghan Markle were in crisis. However, the younger royal declined his brother's offer.
Prince Harry Told Prince William 'Do Not Come' For A Crisis Talk?
The Time royal correspondent Valentine Low spoke about Prince Harry and Prince William's relationship in his upcoming book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown. According to the author, Prince William watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's interview with Tom Bradby. Both were emotional and hinted at their struggles in the palace.
The Prince of Wales sensed that his brother and sister-in-law were in crisis. Prince William reached out to Prince Harry a day after the interview was aired by messaging him on WhatsApp asking for a meeting, so they could talk over the issues, according to Low.
Prince Harry agreed at first. However, he later asked his brother who would know about the meeting.
"William explained that he'd have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary," Low wrote, Express reported. "At that point, Harry told him: Don't come."
"He was so concerned that William's team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers. To everyone who knew what was going on, this was heartbreaking."
Prince William Also Does Not Trust Prince Harry?
Apparently, if Prince Harry had trust issues with his older brother, the latter felt the same after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey last year. The heir to the throne was reportedly furious at what Prince Harry and Markle disclosed during their bombshell interview.
Prince Harry reportedly talked to his father and brother shortly after the interview. However, the talks were "not productive," Gayle King said on CBS This Morning about the conversation.
"Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father, too," King said. "The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive, but they are glad they at least started a conversation."
Kate Middleton's husband was reportedly upset that Prince Harry shared it with King. Following the incident, the Prince of Wales no longer feels comfortable speaking to his younger brother as he doesn't trust him not to leak their conversations.
"William was left reeling. He says it was a cheap shot to leak details of their private call and that he twisted the truth," an anonymous source told Us Weekly. He "now feels uncomfortable" speaking with Prince Harry over the phone.
"He's putting himself at risk of the same thing happening again," the insider added.
Prince William and Prince Harry showed a united front during their grandmother Queen Elizabeth's funeral last month. However, several sources claimed that their relationship has remained strained until the Sussexes returned to California a day after the late monarch's burial on Sept. 19.