Hopes of reconciliation are growing, but Harry’s comments about Catherine remain a sticking point, according to royal expert Robert Jobson.
There was a time when King Charles welcoming Prince Harry back seemed unlikely, as relations between the monarch and the Sussexes grew increasingly strained.
Harry and Meghan were asked to leave their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, following the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare. Charles was believed to have been furious over Harry’s description of Camilla as the “evil stepmother.”
Harry’s remarks about an “establishment stitch-up” and the dispute over his security further complicated matters.
In a surprising turn of events, however, Harry and his family met with the King this year. Weeks later, the Sussexes were back in the UK.
Attention has now turned to Prince William and Princess Kate, with royal watchers wondering whether a reunion between the estranged brothers could follow.
According to royal biographer Robert Jobson, one significant obstacle remains: William’s response to Harry’s comments about Catherine, whom Harry once described as a “sister he never had.”
Jobson said William could accept criticism of himself but “wasn’t prepared” to tolerate comments about his wife.
“I think he could take a lot of things being said about him, but he wasn’t prepared to have things said about her when she’s not in a position to answer back.”
He suggested that William and Catherine would choose to “rise above” the noise coming from the Sussexes rather than become drawn into it.
“I think that they’ll probably think, well, we’ve been down this road before; It creates a circus, and we’re not going to get involved.”
