They used to be very close … Princes William and Harry grew up together, supported each other after their mother’s untimely death, and worked side by side as they began to fulfill their royal commitments – two brothers who seemed bound forever by their blood relationship, tradition and tragedy.
However, this relationship is now painfully strained while William is in London defending the British royal family from accusations of racism and insensitivity by Harry and his wife Megan from their new home in Southern California.
Fans of the court will keep a close eye on any sign of truce or deepening of the abyss between William and Harry on Thursday, when the two will unveil a monument to their mother, Princess Diana, on the day she turns 60. The event in one of the gardens of Kensington Palace in London will be the second public meeting between the two, after Harry and Megan retired from their royal engagements more than a year ago.
“People should not expect a quick resolution of the conflict, because these two men are fighting for their key beliefs.“said Robert Lacey, historian and author of The Battle of the Brothers: William, Harry, and the Story of a Family in Trouble.”
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“It is about love for debt, as William defends debt and the concept of monarchy as he perceives it.“, he said. “And from Harry’s point of view, it’s about love and loyalty to his wife. He protects her. These are deep-rooted differences, so it would be easy to think that the problem would be solved with the click of a finger.“.
But finding some way of rapprochement between the princes is key to the monarchy, as the British royal family wants to please the younger generations and more people.
When Harry married Megan more than three years ago, it looked like they would be the main characters in the next chapter of the royal tale.
The magnificent quartet – William and his wife Kate and Harry and his wife Megan, were seen as a symbol of youth and energy that will lead the monarchy forward after the turbulent times of the 1990s and the beginning of the present, when divorce, the death of Princess Diana, Prince Charles’ second marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, cast doubt on the future of the institution.
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Prince William, Prince Harry, Megan Markle and Kate Middleton
Photo: Getty Images
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Megan, a former Los Angeles TV star and a member of two races, was expected to be an important part of that effort. Blacks and Asian commentators noted that for the first time in the royal family, there was a man who looked like them.
But the definition of a “magnificent four” was quickly shifted to tabloid headlines from “royal discord.”
First, their common royal office was disbanded. Harry then retired from his royal engagements and moved his family to North America in search of a more peaceful life. William is concentrating on royal engagements, including participating in goodwill events such as the one that accompanied his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, this week on a visit to a soft drink factory in Scotland.
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The relationship worsened in March when Harry and Megan gave an interview to American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey.
Harry confirmed the rumors that he and his brother had moved away and told Winfrey that his father, Prince Charles, was not answering his calls.
Then came the real shock. The couple revealed that before the birth of their first child, an unnamed member of the royal family expressed concern about how dark the baby’s skin could be. Days after the interview aired, William answered questions from reporters that his family was not racist.
But whatever misunderstandings between them, out of respect for their mother, Princes William and Harry will not show their differences during the unveiling ceremony, said historian Ed Owens, author of “The Family Business: The Monarchy, the Media and British Society 1932-1953 “, which explores the public relations strategy of the royal family.
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Photo: Harpo Productions via AP / BTA
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“We will not see resentment or enmity between the brothers on Thursday“Owens said.”I think that reconciliation between them is far away, but they are still excellent performers. Harry and William have been doing this for a very long time and they know that they must put aside even, if you will, their personal suffering in the name of fulfilling their duties.“.
Lacey is convinced that William and Harry will eventually get along, because it is in their best interest to do so.
Harry and Megan need to mend their relationship to protect their royal aura, thanks to which they signed generous contracts with Netflix and Spotify, with which they support themselves in California, Lacey said. If they don’t, they risk looking like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who shook the royal family with the duke’s decision to abdicate in the 1930s to marry a divorced American woman, BTA reports. Then his brother, the father of Elizabeth II, became king.
Next year will be a critical moment when the Queen will celebrate a platinum anniversary and celebrate 70 years on the throne.
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Under normal circumstances, at such important events, the Queen would like the whole family to be around her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they usually gather to wave to the subjects.
“Who will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace?“Lacey wonders.”The family should definitely include Megan and Harry with their two children Archie and Lily to their cousins, the children of William and Kate“, he said.
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