Prince Harry Wants Prince William Reconciliation but Meghan Markle Won't Budge
Prince Harry is ready to admit mistakes of "sheer temper"—but Meghan Markle and Prince William will not give ground in efforts to mend the royal rift, a historian tells Newsweek.
The two princes will see each other on Thursday after Prince Philip's funeral reportedly failed to meaningfully repair their damaged relationship.
The brothers will be side-by-side at the unveiling of a statue in their mother's honor at Kensington Palace, creating a new opportunity for progress in negotiations.
Robert Lacey charted the royal rift in his bombshell biography Battle of Brothers, which detailed how William threw Harry out of Kensington Palace over bullying allegations against Meghan.
However, out of the three royals it is Prince Harry who is most ready to admit fault, the historian said.
He told Newsweek: "What's interesting is that on one side we've got William who doesn't seem prepared to concede anything and on the other side friends have told me that Harry wouldn't mind reconciling and then it's Meghan who is sticking to her guns on this issue."
"It should surely be possible," he continued, "for both sides to say the past is in the past. It's very regrettable that Meghan doesn't withdraw just a little. Why can't she say it was the pressure? 'I was getting used to this incredibly complicated system, I was just pregnant, I couldn't sleep.'
"'I was wandering about all night firing off emails. Perhaps in retrospect I went over the top about it.'"
Meghan was accused of bullying two PAs out of the royal household and targeting a third member of staff in an email sent by communications secretary Jason Knauf in October 2018.
A story leaked to the Sunday Times that December suggested Meghan's staff found her difficult to work for and stated she would fire off email demands as early as 5 a.m.
More recently there have been reports in U.K. newspapers of staff left shaking or in tears after a dressing down from Meghan.
Lacey's book details how internally the bullying allegations caused a fierce argument between William, who backed his staff, and Harry, who backed his wife.
Battle of Brothers quoted a friend who said it led to William throwing Harry and Meghan out of Kensington Palace, with the Sussexes splitting off to form a new office at Buckingham Palace in March 2019.
However, even Harry and Meghan's exit from royal life did not put the issue behind them as Meghan returned to the dispute during her court case against U.K. newspaper the Mail on Sunday.
Lawyers for the duchess told the High Court in London she was left unprotected by the institution while she was pregnant in summer 2020.
When the couple's Oprah Winfrey interview was announced earlier this year Knauf's email alleging bullying was leaked to The Times.
Meghan then leveled damning allegations in the prime time tell-all, accusing the palace of leaking false stories about her and denying her access to a mental hospital while she was suicidal.
Despite the explosive allegations on both sides, Lacey says Harry is prepared to concede mistakes privately to friends.
