In the fratricidal conflict between William and Harry, their father Charles III would be the mediator.
At least, he would try to smooth things over to preserve his own serenity and that of his reign at the same time.
In any case, this is what we understand in an extract released today from
Spare
, the explosive memoirs of the Duke of Sussex to be published on January 10.
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In a passage consulted by the
Guardian
, reported by the
Daily Mail
this Thursday, January 5, Prince Harry recounts a meeting held with his father and his brother after Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. He remembers that the one who was still prince of Wales stood between him and his brother, "looking at [their] blushed faces", before pleading with them, "Please boys, don't make my last years an ordeal".
We guess quite easily that Charles did not want the quarrel between his sons to make the front page of the British tabloids, and even less that it tarnish his reign, he who waited decades before ascending the throne of England.
“We took different paths”
William and Harry have been cold for several years now.
Already in 2019, Prince Harry spoke of his disagreements with his eldest.
“Inevitably, this kind of thing happens in a large family,” he said, fatalistically, facing journalist Tom Bradby in the documentary
Harry & Meghan: an African Journey
.
"We are brothers," he continued.
We will always be brothers.
We have certainly taken different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him, just as I know he will always be there for me.
Calm remarks made, however, before the Megxit…
The shattering departure of Meghan and Harry from the royal family in January 2020 had, in fact, added fuel to the fire, and destroyed the hypothesis of a reconciliation between the two brothers.
The journalist Omid Scobie, close to the Sussexes, even claimed, in the summer of 2020, that William and Harry had not spoken for two months after the Megxit.
“The two brothers had not spoken since the Sandringham crisis meeting (
in January, editor's note
).
They hadn't seen each other either.
(…) And I think they have moved away a little more each day.
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A dated estrangement
In reality, everything would have changed in January 2020, after the launch of the Sussex website.
The latter had explained their new "work model", stating in particular that they wanted to become financially independent.
And this, without consulting the Windsors beforehand.
“These statements were not discussed internally, pointed out Omid Scobie to the True Royalty TV channel in August 2020. This deeply hurt William, because he has two hats.
Not just that of Harry's brother, but also that of the future king.
He felt it damaged the reputation of the royal family.”
Wales also didn't appreciate the Sussexes suing the
Daily Mail
, which had made public the contents of a letter from Meghan Markle's father.
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See the slideshow45 photos
However, the distance between the two sons of Charles III would go back a priori to even further.
In his autobiography, Harry returns in particular to “one of the biggest mistakes of [his] life”: that day in January 2005, when he arrived at a party disguised in a Nazi uniform.
And although he assumes his share of the responsibility, the Duke of Sussex reveals today that his big brother William and Kate Middleton were not totally strangers to this choice of disguise.
“I phoned Willy and Kate, asked them what they thought.
Nazi uniform, they replied, ”wrote the Duke of Sussex, in the right sheets of the book consulted by
Page Six
.
Problem: the disguise, in very bad taste, shocks the whole world when the tabloid
The Sun
publishes a photo on the front page under the title “Harry the Nazi”.
And shakes the reputation of the youngest of Charles and Diana, renowned for his antics and turbulence.
On the contrary of William who, him, will emerge unscathed from this affair.
“For the first time, their relationship really suffered and they barely spoke to each other”, confided a source close to the royal family to Robert Lacey, whom he quotes in 2021 in
Royal war, lies and betrayals
.
"Harry didn't appreciate the fact that William got away with it so easily."
Years later, another event would have increased the tensions between the two brothers: the arrival of Meghan Markle at the Windsor.
Since then, the gap between the heir to the throne and his "
spare
" continues to widen.
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