Prince Harry and Prince William’s Relationship Is Beyond Repair: ‘There’s No Going Back’

Nearly one year after Prince Harry opened up about his strained relationship with Prince William in his memoir, Spare, in January, it appears that the brothers have not been able to mend their relationship.

“I saw Harry’s release of Spare as his last attempt at telling his family how he’s felt for years,” Omid Scobie, the author of the upcoming royals book Endgame, told People on Wednesday, November 15. “Because clearly there’s never been an open enough forum to have these conversations or share these feelings.”

In Endgame, Scobie recounts the breakdown of the royal family and the weakening of the modern monarchy. The author took a deep dive into Harry, 39, and William’s relationship while researching for the book, finding that “absolutely nothing has changed” in the past year.

“I was talking to a source quite early on in the process, and they called Harry a ‘defector’ and said that was William’s view,” he said. “These were two men who once upon a time were firmly aligned in their outlook. One of them had to move on to also protect the crown.”

While things are rocky between the royal family members, Scobie said that the brothers could potentially save the monarchy. “There’s a real chance here to learn and adapt to modern society and also make up for mistakes of the past,” he told the outlet. “It’s their move.”

“These are probably sad realizations that will be had far too late in the journey,” Scobie said when asked if he believed that Harry and William, 41, could work through their issues. “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.”

Scobie added that “there’s no going back” for the brothers.

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, famously stepped down from their responsibilities as royals in early 2020, which only worsened his already strained relationship with William and his wife, ​Princess Kate.

However, an insider exclusively told In Touch in July that the couple “secretly reached out” to William “to discuss the possibility of returning to the royal family.” The source added, “This is something they both want very much.”

“William wants to put his feud with Harry behind them for the sake of the monarchy,” the insider revealed, noting that ​King Charles’ eldest son was concerned about the life Harry and Meghan created for their family in California. “He will agree to let Harry come back but not as a ‘part-time royal.’ He says it wouldn’t be fair to the other working members of the royal family — and that if Harry expects to get back on the royal payroll he’ll have to make a clean break from his life in the U.S.”

Meanwhile, the source explained that Harry wanted assurances that his and Meghan’s complaints about her treatment by the royal family have been taken seriously. “They accused the royals of racism and stand by that claim,” the insider explained. “They think implicit bias training would be a good thing for the royal family to invest in.”