Father knows best? Prince Charles might be the one to get through to Prince William and Prince Harry amid their rocky relationship, author Robert Lacey tells Us Weekly exclusively.
William, 38, and his younger brother, 36, have faced plenty of ups and downs over the years — and the strength of their sibling bond has been tested. Lacey’s new book, Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, delves into the long-running drama between the royal family’s leading men. Although “we get nothing coming out of the palaces about reconciliation,” Lacey thinks Charles, 71, could be convincing enough to help his sons reconnect.
“The obvious person to create or encourage [their] reconciliation is Charles,” the historian explains. “He hasn’t come into the picture so far as we know so far … [but] that is one possible channel for reconciliation. … I’d rather hope that behind the scenes, Charles is at work mending the fences [and] building the bridges.”
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, rocked the royal family earlier this year after announcing that they would be stepping down from their senior positions in the palace. Just before their exit was made official in March, an insider told Us exclusively that the Duke of Sussex was not in a good place with his older brother.
“Publicly, they’ve stopped short of trash-talking each other,” the source said at the time. “But behind closed doors, they’re both filled with anger and resentment.”
William and Harry’s already tense relationship suffered in the aftermath of the Sussexes’ exit. Before Harry and the Suits alum, 39, settled in California with son Archie, 17 months, the Duke of Cambridge was “mad” at his brother “for uprooting and leaving him to pick up the pieces.”
Despite their disagreements, Lacey believes that William — who will one day inherit the throne from Queen Elizabeth II — could eventually benefit from mending his relationship with his young brother.
“England has had five bad kings,” the writer tells Us. “William does not want to become the sixth bad king who allowed the family to split while on his watch. … So I think William has a very good motive to try and bring Harry back in.”
Battle of Brothers is available now.
