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Prince Harry will see William one more time in his life and it won't be at the coronation. The close relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William has been severely strained in recent years. While a reunion and reconciliation isn't impossible, most experts agree the most likely scenario of the two brothers seeing each other again is at their father King Charles' funeral many years down the line.
The tensions between the siblings began escalating in 2020 when Harry and Meghan decided to step back from their roles as senior working royals, in what became known as "Megxit". The couple soon relocated with their son Archie to California and conducted a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where they leveled serious accusations about the lack of support Meghan received while dealing with suicidal thoughts and concerns over Archie's skin color.
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In the following years, Harry penned a tell-all memoir titled "Spare" where he further opened up about his mental health struggles and troubled relationship with his father and brother. He alleged specific instances of emotional neglect from his family and confrontations with William over Meghan. Each new revelation seemingly pulled the brothers further apart and deeperened the damage in their once close bond.
With the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II this September and his father ascending to the throne as King Charles III, William is now the heir apparent and taking on an even more prominent position within the royal family. He prioritizes supporting the Queen and King, safeguarding the long term prospects of the monarchy, and is seen as a figure of stability.
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Friends of both brothers now say that with years of hurt, tension and distrust having accumulated, they do not believe William would feel comfortable or see the value in inviting Harry to his coronation. Such a high profile family event would undoubtedly be overshadowed and disrupted by the media circus that would follow Harry's attendance. It would also involve placing further scrutiny on longstanding issues that William reportedly does not feel able or willing to resolve with his brother at this stage.
“Things are completely frozen between them. It is difficult to overstate how betrayed and hurt William felt on a very personal level.” a friend of the Prince of Wales's commented to The Daily Beast. As the heir, William must consider his duties to the institution of the monarchy above healing his fractured relationship until he is established on the throne. By contrast, in California, Harry has built a new life with intentions of more privacy and freedom from the constraints of the royal system.
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The one scenario that could possibly result in the brothers coming face to face, according to Willams's circle, would be at the funeral of their father, King Charles III. While that event may not occur for many decades if Charles follows the long life spans of his grandmother and grandfather, it stands out as the only foreseeable circumstance that would compel both men to be physically present together to mourn the passing of their father. Otherwise it seems their paths diverge, with William dedicated to public service for the house of Windsor in London and Harry opting for privacy and independence in America with his family unit.
Many royal commentators think that even if a conversation were to take place on that sad day in the future, it remains highly doubtful complete reconciliation could be achieved after so much water has flowed under the bridge. Both appear committed to their separate lives and responsibilities. While the hope of renewed closeness between the siblings who underwent the shared trauma of losing their mother exists, the realistic view is they have taken irreconcilably different directions that may not allow for a full mending of their once tight bond ever again. Only time will truly tell if their relationship transforms further from this point.
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For now, William keeps his focus on continuity of the monarchy with Kate and their children, carrying out over 500 public engagements just last year. Harry remains in Montecito living much more privately with Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet, occasionally making comments to the press about subjects like racism, parenthood and mental health. But with a continent and ocean between them, and the wounds of betrayals perhaps too deep to overcome, an in-person meeting like at a coronation seems unachievable, leaving their father's funeral as the most plausible occasion, however many years away, for the once close brothers to see each other one last time.
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