How Queen Elizabeth’s Death Is Affecting Prince Harry’s Relationship With His Family: ‘There’s Strife’

Prince Harry and the royal family are at odds following Queen Elizabeth II‘s death, a source exclusively tells In Touch. “There’s strife between Harry and the royal family for announcing the queen’s passing before he arrived at Balmoral,” the insider says. “Emotions are running high right now and Harry was hoping his family would wait.” 

Viewers will “be seeing them unite in public, but behind closed doors, there remains underlying tension,” explains the source. “You would’ve thought Elizabeth’s passing would have brought them closer as a family, but it’s not the case. Hopefully in time they’ll heal.”

The queen died at the age of 96 years old on Thursday, September 8, after serving Great Britain and its Commonwealth for 70 years. The official Twitter account of the royal family confirmed the news that day. 

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” a statement read from the account. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

More than two years prior to her death, Harry and wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, announced they were stepping down as members of the royal family. In March 2020, the couple made several shocking allegations about the royal family during a bombshell TV interview. Harry also spoke about the apparent tension between him and his brother, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. 

“You know, as I’ve said before, I love William to bits. He’s my brother,” Harry said during the televised interview. “We’ve been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we — you know, we’re on — we’re on different paths.” 

The Duke of Sussex described his relationship with William as needing “space at the moment,” noting that “time heals all things, hopefully.” 

One month later, the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99, and Prince and Harry came together to attend his funeral with their grandmother. That summer, the brothers reunited again for the unveiling of their late mother Princess Diana’s statue at Kensington Palace. 

During the tribute to the People’s Princess in July 2021, Harry and William appeared to be in good spirits. However, their “deep-rooted issues” had “not been resolved,” a separate insider told In Touch at the time. “William is trying really hard to forgive Harry for what he’s put the family through, but he just can’t let go of his anger.”