Prince Harry and Prince William will come face-to-face again in a few days as they reunite for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned for their late mother, Princess Diana. But friends fear it won't be the reconciliation we're all hoping for.
- According to close friends of the boys, "neither are offering an olive branch" to one another ahead of the Princess Diana statue unveiling on July 1.
- Friends fear it could be a repeat of Prince Philip's funeral where the boys exchanged few words.
- It follows royal news that extreme lengths were taken to ensure Prince Harry knew Prince Philip had died.
There were hopes that Prince Harry and Prince William would have healed their rift ahead of next week's tribute to their late mother, Princess Diana—on what would have been her 60th birthday.
But now friends of the brothers have revealed the reunion could be very transactional, with an occasional "nod of recognition".
An insider told The Sunday Times, "Neither are offering an olive branch. I fear it will be the same as at Prince Philip's funeral, a nod of recognition and that's about it."
It will be the first time the brothers have seen each other since Prince Philip's funeral back in April, where they appeared to break the ice after the ceremony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdJkO3PLZrs
Now friends fear Thursday's event could be overshadowed by the growing tension between the brothers. "On the day it will be difficult to separate the statue from the occasion, which is now loaded with all sorts of unwelcome baggage," a separate source explained.
It comes as the royal family continue to deal with the fall-out from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they discussed the real reasons they stepped back as senior royals.
In that interview, Prince Harry revealed he and William are "on different paths".
"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," he told Oprah.
There was hope that Kate Middleton could act as "peace keeper" between Prince Harry and Prince William at the statue unveiling next week, but it's now been reported that she's been culled from the guest list.
Kensington Palace confirmed Prince Harry and Prince William will be the only senior royals to attend.
A statement released on Friday said, "Prince Harry and Prince William will attend a small event to mark the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on Thursday 1 July.
"In addition to close family of Diana, Princess of Wales, members of the statue committee, the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, and garden designer, Pip Morrison, will also be present."
According to the Duchess of Cambridge's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, the mum-of-three has been "trying to mediate" behind the scenes in order to try and heal the rift.
He told Closer magazine, "If anyone can bring peace to the royals, Kate can. Kate is a brilliant arbiter and peacemaker.
"Every bone in her body is about making friends and doing the best she can... She’s trying to mediate.”
