Prince Harry’s Relationship With Prince William ‘Still Has Not Recovered’ 1 Year After the Oprah Interview, Expert Says
In March 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dropped bombshells about the royal family during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Many sources believe the interview damaged Harry’s relationship with his family, especially with his brother, Prince William.
It has been a year since the interview aired, but according to a royal expert, Harry and William still have not mended their rift.
What did Prince Harry say about Prince William during the interview?
Harry revealed to Oprah that he felt “trapped” as a royal, and he alleged that William is in the same situation.
“I myself was trapped as well. I didn’t see a way out,” the Duke of Sussex said. “I was trapped, but I didn’t know I was trapped.”
He added, “My father and my brother – they are trapped. They don’t get to leave and I have huge compassion for that.”
In addition to that, Harry and Meghan accused an unnamed royal of making racially-insensitive remarks about their son, Archie. This led fans to speculate about who the royal might be, with some people even pointing their fingers at William. However, William later shut down the Sussexes’ claim by telling a reporter, “We are very much not a racist family.”
Prince Harry’s relationship with Prince William ‘still has not recovered,’ expert says
According to royal journalist Camilla Tominey, Harry has been in contact with his father, Prince Charles. Yet, he and William are still estranged.
“While Prince Charles is thought to be in regular contact with his youngest son, Harry’s relationship with William has still not recovered from Oprah, after he suggested both his father and his brother felt ‘trapped’ in the Royal family,” Tominey wrote for The Telegraph.
Tominey also quoted a source who allegedly said, “As the Queen has always said, they remain much loved members of the family but it’s not been easy. It’s hard enough for any family to get along but when such intimate details are made public on prime time TV? It’s difficult to put that genie back in the bottle.”
Prince Harry reportedly does not want to ‘face his family’ in the U.K.
Since the Oprah interview, Harry has only returned to the U.K. twice. In April 2021, he attended the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip. Then, in July, he appeared at Kensington Palace alongside William to unveil a statue of their late mother, Princess Diana.
Later this year, Harry will release a memoir, and some people believe he could share more criticism of the royal family. According to author Tom Bower, Harry might be hesitant to return to the U.K. this year because of this.
“I think Harry won’t come back because he knows he cannot face his family, and be pleasant with them, knowing what he’s written about them in that book,” Bower told Closer. “That book will have a lot of casualties and cause a lot of hurt. It will really deliver, as Harry knows it has to, to justify the money he’s been paid to do it. How can Harry come back and pretend it’s all fine? The worst of what he will say is yet to come.”
