There was once a time, believe it or not, when Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton were inseparable. Then the brothers had a falling out—for first-hand details, Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, really goes there—and the chasm between the two sons of King Charles and Princess Diana continues to widen, both geographically and emotionally.
This year has been a difficult one for William and Kate, as Kate battles cancer; Charles, too, was diagnosed earlier this year and continues to receive treatment. As Kate is on the mend—evidenced by yet another stunning appearance, this time at Wimbledon, on Sunday—William and Kate have reportedly made a “conscious” agreement about Harry, according to The Mirror.
The outlet reports that William and Kate decided not to see Harry during the latter’s recent trip to the U.K. back in May, a trip to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games. “William and Kate are very consciously focusing on positivity and recovery,” a source told the outlet, and, as such, decided not to see Harry when he visited two months ago. Charles also didn’t get the chance to see his younger son when he was in the U.K., though Harry did fly to London to see his father nearly immediately after learning about his cancer diagnosis in February.
William and Kate’s decision in May came after William “made the difficult decision to cut ties completely with his younger sibling,” The Mirror reports.
“William is sensitive,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward said. “He likes structure and has perseverance. He does not give up easily. His relationship with [his] brother Harry upset him more than he would care to admit. But he found it easier to cut ties rather than allow himself to be continually annoyed.”
According to The Sun, William is “fiercely protective” over Kate, especially as she continues to receive treatment for cancer. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said the Prince of Wales is “stubborn” when it comes to his family and caring for his wife, and “William has never been more protective of his wife and children as now,” she said.
As for any hope of a reconciliation between William and Harry (and, vis a vis, Kate), former royal butler Paul Burrell—who worked for the royal family for 21 years, perhaps most closely with William and Harry’s mother, Diana—said, referring to William and Kate’s home in Windsor, “The door of Adelaide Cottage is shut,” he said. “William knows that Harry can’t be trusted, and he doesn’t want any more upset in his family.”
