Prince William unlikely to reconcile with Prince Harry soon: expert
Dan Wakeford, founder of Celebrity Intelligence, discusses Prince Harry's expected UK return, his relationship with King Charles, and why a meeting with Prince William remains unlikely.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were kept in the dark about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s top-secret reunion with King Charles.
Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair royal correspondent, reported that, according to sources, "not even the Prince and Princess of Wales were made aware that the meeting was taking place."
Nicholl also reported that the king, "who has sworn his youngest son and daughter-in-law to secrecy," insisted that nothing about their July 10 meeting be leaked. Only palace aides were permitted to confirm the reunion took place after the Sussexes left Highgrove House, Charles' country home, without being seen.
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Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton were kept in the dark about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's secret meeting with King Charles. (Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.
"I don't see this as Prince William losing influence," Kinsey Schofield, host of "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital. "I see it as King Charles recognizing that Prince Harry is his relationship to manage."
Britain's King Charles III (center) hosts a reception for recipients of the King's Award for Enterprise 2026 at St. James' Palace in London on July 8, 2026. (Aaron Chown/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Prince William's priority is protecting the future of the monarchy," said Schofield. "Charles can afford to make emotional decisions that William, as the next king, probably cannot."
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The king hosted Harry and Meghan for the first time in years as they tried to repair a rift that has persisted since the Sussexes stepped back as senior working royals and moved to California.
The couple and their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, met with the monarch and Queen Camilla, Buckingham Palace confirmed. A source close to Charles told Nicholl that the hour-long meeting was "completely cloak-and-dagger, orchestrated by the king."
Queen Camilla shelters under a parasol during a visit to Penguin Beach at London Zoo in London, ahead of meeting Prince Harry and his family on July 10, 2026. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"The king wanted to see Harry and the children," said the source. "A time was agreed for the Sussexes to come to Highgrove... and it was uncharacteristically last-minute for the king. Everyone was sworn to secrecy so that the meeting could remain private."
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex departs from The Invictus Games Foundation Conversation: From Policy to Practice at Chatham House on July 7, 2026, in London. Multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital that there's no doubt King Charles' younger son misses his life in the U.K. (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
The insider said Camilla, who was staying at her Ray Mill House estate, drove to Highgrove for the meeting in "quite a hurry."
Highgrove House, the king's private residence, in Doughton, Gloucestershire. (Neil Bennett/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
"Charles wanted Camilla to be there for moral support because she had been a pillar of strength for him throughout all the drama with Harry, and she dropped everything," the source told Nicholl. "She told no one, not even her family. She just got in the car and headed over. They were all on a mission to keep the meeting as watertight as possible."
From left: Prince William, Prince of Wales, King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Thistle Service at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 1, 2026. (Aaron Chown/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Personally, I feel Camilla played a hand in this, too," royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. "She would have encouraged Charles to support a meeting, provided that none of the issues discussed would be made public."
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The Prince and Princess of Wales put on a united front in Windsor on July 10, 2026, while the Sussexes privately met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Noticeably absent from the reunion were William and Kate. The Princess of Wales was supporting her husband as he saddled up to participate in the DMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 at Guards Polo Club in Windsor. The estranged brothers did not see one another.
"The king's dealings with the Sussexes are personal family negotiations," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend The Royal Charity Polo Cup at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, England, on July 10, 2026. (Ben Montgomery/Getty Images)
"This is not institutionally or monarchy-led. This is about Charles' personal relationship with his son and grandchildren. He makes his own call on family. However, Prince William will not be enamored with the private meeting. He wants nothing to do with his brother or be burdened with the Sussex drama, a drama that he no doubt will have to manage one day as monarch."
Britain's King Charles III visits the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at the University of Oxford, on July 10, 2026. (Toby Shepheard/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
A source who knows William and Harry told People magazine that the relationship between the brothers is "so broken."
"I thought it would have perhaps eased a little bit by now, to be honest," said the insider. "But there has been no movement, especially on William's side. There is no contact."
Prince William, Prince of Wales, participates in the Royal Charity Polo Cup at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, England, on July 10, 2026. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
The source noted that there was no expectation the brothers would meet while Harry was in the U.K.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on Sept. 19, 2022, in Windsor, England. (Getty Images)
The strain between the brothers, once close, deepened when Harry and Meghan made their royal exit in 2020. It only worsened when Harry’s memoir, "Spare," was published in 2023, in which he detailed the ongoing sibling rivalry.
"The consistent message I've heard is that Prince William isn't focused on reconciliation," Schofield said.
From left: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a ceremony to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"He's focused on protecting his family and the institution he'll eventually lead. I've never gotten the impression William is driven by revenge. I think he's driven by caution. I'm told he's actually very sensitive, and after years of interviews, documentaries, a memoir and public accusations, he simply doesn't see enough evidence that the pattern has changed in Harry."
Prince William, Prince of Wales, is seen attending Day 14 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, on July 12, 2026. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
"I think Prince William has reached a point where actions matter infinitely more than words," Schofield continued. "Before there's ever a meaningful reconciliation, there would have to be a sustained period in which private conversations remain private and confidence is gradually rebuilt. Right now, that appears to be the biggest hurdle."
On July 10, 2026, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) had a private reunion with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at Highgrove House with King Charles and Queen Camilla. The Prince and Princess of Wales (left) weren't present. (Chris Jackson/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Sadly, one can see how polarizing the Sussex debacle is, not just within public opinion but within the royal family itself," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "Prince William and King Charles have completely different outlooks. They are operating from two different places."
Prince Harry (left) and Prince William (right) attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday. Royal experts told Fox News Digital the last time the brothers spoke was in 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. (Dominic Lipinski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that the king, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was eager to spend time with his young grandchildren. Harry, who has been vocal about wanting reconciliation, was willing to accept his father's terms.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks at Scotty's Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle near Birmingham, central England, on July 11, 2026. (Heathcliff O'Malley/AFP via Getty Images)
"[The Sussexes] are keeping the meeting top secret," a source close to the Sussexes told Nicholl. "They haven't said anything to anyone. The agreement was made before they met the king that nothing would be shared — no photos, no details. It was a top-secret arrangement, and they pulled it off, and frankly, they are delighted about that."
Since making their royal exit in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been attempting to carve out their own independent roles outside of the monarchy. (Joshua Sammer/Getty Images)
"... Don't expect to hear anything about what was said," said the source. "That was the promise Harry made to his father. It's critical because this is the first time the families have met in four years. Harry was very pleased it happened because everything was up in the air."
Schofield said William has different priorities.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, meets young people and volunteers in the Common Room at Eagle House on July 9, 2026, in Hastings, England. (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"King Charles can forgive someone for hurting him," she said. "Prince William also has to consider the repeated attacks on Princess Catherine and on the institution he’ll inherit. Those aren’t identical relationships. I’ve long believed Prince William’s issue isn’t anger. It’s confidence. Once trust has been broken repeatedly, another meeting doesn’t automatically solve the underlying problem."
Chard said keeping William uninformed about the meeting could cause more harm than good for any peace talks.
Prince Harry is seen walking behind King Charles during the procession for the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 14, 2022, in London. Harry has been estranged from his family since he and his family moved to California in 2020. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
"Many say reconciliation without William in the room is not family reconciliation," said Chard. "Without a full family council, a true family reconciliation may just fizzle out. The optics don't look good for a united family front. Trust is already thin, and if William is kept in the dark as Charles takes steps to maintain private family moments with the Sussexes, any future healing may become more difficult."
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Prince William (pictured here) did not meet with his estranged younger brother, Prince Harry, who spent time with their father King Charles III at Highgrove House, the monarch's private residence, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Dan Wakeford, founder of Celebrity Intelligence, previously told Fox News Digital that William's door is "bolted shut" to Harry and that he refuses to budge on his stance toward his estranged brother.
"He could perhaps have absorbed the criticism of himself, which Harry wrote in 'Spare,' but he cannot get over how much hurt it caused his wife," Wakeford claimed.
Multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital that Prince William is fiercely protective of his wife. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
"A palace source told Celebrity Intelligence plainly that William was fuming and particularly upset about what was said about Catherine. And so, the relationship ... he's done with it. He's done with the drama."
