In April 2021, Prince Harry arranged a 'secret meeting' with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, to discuss how they should move forward.
This meeting took place one month after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan Markle, participated in a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they discussed their struggles within the Royal Family and the reasons behind their decision to step back from their senior roles and move to the United States.
Prince Harry traveled to the UK to attend his grandfather, Prince Philip's funeral. It was during this time that he saw an opportunity to address 'the state of things' with his family members.
This trip to England marked the first time Harry had visited the country since he and Meghan relinquished their senior royal titles and made the US their home, residing there with their children, Archie and Lilibet.
As shared in his memoir, Spare, published in January 2023, Prince Harry admitted feeling anxious while waiting for Prince William and King Charles to join him for their meeting. He even harbored concerns that they might cancel the gathering altogether.
When Prince William and King Charles finally approached Prince Harry for the meeting, he described them as having a 'grim, almost menacing' look.
The Duke's attempt at a smile was met with silence, leaving him feeling vulnerable and reminiscent of his late mother, Princess Diana, hoping for her strength during the encounter.
Prince Harry's greeting to his family members, affectionately calling them 'Willy' and 'Pa,' was met with a cold response, with both William and Charles addressing him by his formal name, "Harold."
This interaction left Harry pondering the nature of the meeting, questioning if it was a friendly rendezvous or something more confrontational.
In his book, the duke wrote, "I rose from the wooden bench, made a tentative step towards them, gave a weak smile. They didn’t smile back. Now my heart really started thrashing in my chest. Deep breaths, I told myself. Apart from fear, I was feeling a kind of hyper-awareness, and a hugely intense vulnerability, which I’d experienced at other key moments of my life. Walking behind my mother's coffin. Going into battle for the first time. Giving a speech in the middle of a panic attack."
"There was that same sense of embarking on a quest, and not knowing if I was up to it, while also fully knowing that there was no turning back. That Fate was in the saddle," he continued. "'OK, Mummy,' I thought, picking up the pace, here goes. 'Wish me luck.' We met in the middle of the path. Willy? Pa? Hello. Harold. Painfully tepid."
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Prince William is turning to "replacement brothers" from his inner circle amid the strained relationship with Harry.
"When two people in a family fall out, it makes life very difficult not only for them but for the rest of the family, too," veteran royal reporter Jennie Bond told an outlet when discussing the rift. "Loyalties are tested, and there is no easy answer."
She continued: "This is a time when William needs all the love and support he can get from his family. His brother is not, and will not, be here to help or provide a shoulder to cry on. And so I'm really glad that William has a cousin who is almost like a brother to him inPeter Phillips."