Blood is thicker than water, they say, but sadly, families sometimes fall apart because of disagreements, never ending feuds, and members not willing to reconcile.
Sadly, this is also true for the British royals, one of the most famous families in the entire world. The two brothers, William and Harry, not getting along doesn’t only affect their relationship but also impacts that of their children. The cousins don’t get any chance to get to know each other better or spend time together.
Knowing that William and Harry were extremely close growing up, this is a hard pill for both of them to swallow, yet none of them is wiling to offer an olive branch and try to make things right.
The relationship between the Sussexes and the rest of the members of the Firm deteriorated following Megxit, when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down from their royal duties.
This came as a shock to many, but according to royal experts, the couple knew “within” days of their wedding that they didn’t want to stay in the Firm long-term.
With the birth of Archie in 2019, Harry and Meghan had already begun moving towards greater privacy, seeking to distance themselves from being used by the Crown as a “marionette puppet” for fans and global media.
With his son’s arrival, Harry wasn’t much interested in revealing details surrounding the birth of the baby. However, he was forced into sharing with the people that Archie arrived into the world due to the breach of the “unwritten contract between the royals and the public.”
In her book The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, author Katie Nicholl described Harry as “almost morbidly obsessed” with keeping Archie’s birth as secretive as possible.
“Behind the scenes, matters were so fraught that more than one official — as I know from personal experience — was reduced to tears of frustration and despair,” Rebecca English, royal editor of the Daily Mail, added.
Lilibet’s birth was different. Born in June 2021 in California, there were no paparazzi close by. However, it wasn’t long before Harry and Meghan Markle brought their children back into the spotlight.
Following Queen Elizabeth’s passing, Harry and Meghan announced that they had given their children prince and princess titles.
Not only Archie and Lili don’t see of their cousins, but they have also been missing on spending time with their grandfather, King Charles, who has reportedly met Archie only five times and Lilibet just once. He is said to be “heartbroken” over the lack of relationship with his grandchildren. According to royal expert Tom Quinn, the monarch has considered changing that.
Quinn told Mirror that the king has plans of traveling to the States sometime in the future. “There is no doubt if it goes ahead he would build in time to visit his youngest son and his grandchildren, but there are mountains of planning to be overcome before that becomes even a remote possibility,” Quinn said.
“It’s certainly possible that he would make a discreet private visit to Harry and the children in California,” the royal expert added. “He is desperate to see them and hates the idea that Archie and Lily will not remember him as the warm friendly grandfather he wants to be.”
Relationship expert Louella Alderson told the Mirror that it would be a “significant gesture” if Charles would visit Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet in the US.
“The logistics behind King Charles’s making a trip to America, whether it’s private or not, and meeting with Harry without may prove difficult,” Alderson explained. “King Charles has many Royal obligations and now health issues as well, so a trip to America in any capacity would likely require careful planning and coordination.”
She continued: “This fact alone means if King Charles is willing to make the effort and put forth the time and energy to visit Harry in America, it could be a significant gesture of his desire to mend their relationship.
“It’s possible that he may be more willing to address any issues and work towards finding a resolution than he has been previously.”
While the relationship between William and Harry is strained, Tom Quinn recently told the Mirror that the Prince and Princess of Wales had encouraged Harry and Meghan to bring their children to the UK for a visit. Unfortunately, according to Quinn, Meghan declined.
“There is no way Meghan would bring the children to the UK. William and Kate have suggested that Meghan and Harry bring the children and that the two couples and their families try to make up, but the suggestion is not leading anywhere so far,” Quinn said.
One of the reasons is that Meghan fears for her kids’ safety.
“It’s now got to the point where Meghan doesn’t want to come to the UK with the children. She just doesn’t feel safe. The situation is now about whether the family should attend with increased security or Harry should go it alone,” a source told OK! Magazine.
“Harry doesn’t want to keep making solo trips to the UK,” the source continued. “He would prefer it if the entire family made regular visits to see his family and build bridges, but there is so much going on behind the scenes that it just isn’t possible at the moment.”
Another reason is that Meghan doesn’t want to “be thrown back into an anxiety-fueled visit to England where she feels like she’s not wanted.”
William and Kate have “very, very” limited contact with Archie and Lili. “I think the feud runs deep there, and it’s getting to the point where every time you ask a question about Prince Harry to anybody close to Prince William, the barriers go up, which suggests to me that there is still a real issue there between William and Harry – I don’t see how that changes in the current circumstances;” royal correspondent Cameron Walker told GB News.
GB News‘ royal editor Svar Nanan-Sen added, “William and Kate don’t have any relationship with Archie and Lilibet either. We know that King Charles has only met Lilibet once – the same probably goes for William and Kate.”
“Archie and Lilibet have no relationship with George, Charlotte and Louis – and they’re cousins. So this this feud between Harry and William and Kate and Meghan is creating a rift down the entire family that is crossing generations.”
Cameron Walker concluded, “George, Charlotte and Louis are not going to have that with their two cousins, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – it’s really sad to see, and it’s also not their fault.”
“It’s going to be interesting in 20 years’ time to see if there is any relationship between Archie and Lilibet – if they stay in California – and the three royal children here in the UK,” he told GB News.
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