Will Prince William and Prince Harry forgive and forget?
Prince William may be "unlikely to forgive and forget" his brother Harry's recent comments, while Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge plays a "pivotal role" in their reunion this week, a royal expert has claimed.
The brothers are set to meet this Thursday for the unveiling of their late mother Princess Diana's statue unveiling, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Harry jetted to England yesterday and is now quarantining ahead of event with William, which a royal source said would be a "very personal moment" for the pair. A spokeswoman for Harry also confirmed the duke had arrived "safely" at his private residence Frogmore Cottage close to the Queen's Windsor Castle home yesterday.
Camilla Tominey, associate editor at the Telegraph, warned that Harry and William may only be able to put aside their differences for the event, but true forgiveness may take longer.
It comes after Harry publicly spoke about having "compassion" for his brother who he said was "trapped" within the Royal Family.
She wrote: "While there is no doubt that the Royal brothers will publicly set aside their differences in memory of their beloved mother, privately, a reconciliation looks unlikely.
"According to one well-placed source: 'Of course they will put on a brave face for the event, like they did at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. They both know it is not about them but remembering the late princess.
'But the idea that this can all be forgiven and forgotten... it’s going to take a lot longer than a couple of days.”
"Yet as ever, it seems that the Duchess of Cambridge will take steps to help to heal the rift in the same way she encouraged a rapprochement between the brothers after Prince Philip’s funeral in April."
Back in March, Harry spoke about his relationship with William as he talked about him and Charles being "trapped" within the Firm.
He said: “I was trapped, but I didn’t know I was trapped.
“But the moment that I met Meg, and our worlds collided in the most amazing of ways and then [I began] to see how trapped within the system, like, the rest of my family are.
"My father and my brother, they are trapped.
"They don’t get to leave, and I have huge compassion for that.”
He also added his relationship with his brother William was "spaced" but he loved him to bits.
Harry said: "As I've said before, I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together.
"I mean, we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths."
William was the first royal who spoke out publicly after the interview was aired as he said he had not spoken to Harry.
Buckingham Palace also quickly responded the Queen was "saddened" by their claims, but added "recollections may vary".
Kensington Palace confirmed the royal brothers, Diana's close family and others involved in organising the statue will attend the ceremony in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace later in the week.
A royal source said: "This is a small event and a very personal moment for the family.
"Plans have been scaled back due to the current Covid-19 restrictions and media arrangements reflect both the size and tone of the event."
Diana's sons commissioned the artwork in 2017, which was the 20th anniversary year of her death, to celebrate the princess's life and legacy through the creation of a permanent statue.
The unveiling had been delayed, mostly due to the Covid pandemic.
William and Harry's troubled relationship is well documented but their mother will be their focus this week as they commemorate her life.
In a statement when the project was announced, the royal brothers said: "Our mother touched so many lives. We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and her legacy."
Among those attending the unveiling will be members of the statue committee, sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley who created the artwork, and garden designer Pip Morrison.
