In a stunning revelation from his memoir "Spare," Prince Harry has disclosed a heartbreaking conversation with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles, during Prince Philip's funeral in 2021. The exchange, which took place amidst the ongoing rift within the royal family, highlights the deep divide between the Duke of Sussex and his closest relatives.
According to excerpts from the memoir, Prince Harry approached William and King Charles at the funeral, seeking a "secret" meeting to discuss "the state of things" and attempt to resolve the tension that had been building since his well-documented exit from royal duties in January 2020. Despite his hopes for a productive conversation, Harry was met with a curt and dismissive response from his brother.
"You left, Harold," Prince William reportedly told Harry, using a shortened version of his name. Stunned by the reply, Harry countered, "Yeah - and you know why," only for William to claim, "I don't."
The exchange, which Harry described as "painfully tepid," set the tone for an increasingly heated discussion. "Every time I ventured a new explanation, started a new line of thought, one or both of them would cut me off," Harry wrote. "It got so heated Pa raised his hands. Enough!"
The conversation ultimately culminated in a frank exchange between the brothers, with Harry attempting to remind William of their shared history and the home they were meant to share. "Willy, this was supposed to be our home," Harry recounted saying. "We were going to live here the rest of our lives."
However, William's response only served to underscore the growing distance between the once-close siblings. The revelation of this painful moment at Prince Philip's funeral offers a rare glimpse into the private tensions that have plagued the royal family since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped away from their senior roles and relocated to the United States.
The candid account in "Spare" comes on the heels of a series of public comments made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including a bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and their 2022 Netflix docuseries. These revelations have seemingly widened the rift within the monarchy, leaving many wondering if reconciliation is possible.
Royal writer and expert Tom Quinn, speaking to The Mirror, suggested that Prince Harry's approach to seeking an apology from his family may be misguided. "Over the years that Harry has complained about his treatment by his family he has had just one aim - to get an apology and to see his father and brother make amends," Quinn noted. "Harry just can't see that complaining in private might work; complaining publicly just makes things worse and in Harry's case that means more and more ties to his past being severed."
As the royal family continues to grapple with the fallout from Prince Harry's memoir and the ongoing rift, the heartbreaking conversation at Prince Philip's funeral serves as a poignant reminder of the deep-seated issues that have driven the brothers apart. With reports suggesting that wedding hosts are reluctant to invite both princes out of fear they both turn up, it appears that the funeral may have been one of the last honest exchanges between Harry and William for the foreseeable future.
