‘Furious’ Prince William ‘didn’t want to attend Princess Diana statue unveiling with Prince Harry’ after the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview, sources have claimed.
The Duke of Cambridge, 39, put aside personal differences and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Duke of Sussex, 37, to unveil the bronze statue of their mother in the Sunken Garden in July last year.
However insiders have now claimed that the event was almost overshadowed by William’s anger towards his brother, who had weeks before given the bombshell interview to the American media mogul.
Sources told The Times William had ‘taken the view that he could only ‘give so much’ to Harry, with the Duchess of Cambridge playing peacemaker with the brothers.
One aide said: ‘[Kate] was amazing behind the scenes when Harry came.’
‘Furious’ Prince William ‘didn’t want to attend Princess Diana statue unveiling with Prince Harry’ after the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview, sources have claimed
During an explosive chat with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan claimed Kate made her cry before she married Prince Harry as the couple dropped a series of ‘truth bombs’ including saying there was ‘concern’ over Archie’s skin colour.
When Harry was reunited with his family just weeks later at his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral, Kate was the first member of the family to be seen chatting to him – and was even spotted holding back in a bid to reunite him with brother, Prince William.
One insider said that Kate had acted as a ‘peacemaker’ with Harry during the period, with another adding: ‘[William] has had a year from hell and she has been fantastic supporting him.’
At the time of the statue unveiling, the brothers were said to have barely spoken and had an ‘incredibly strained’ relationship after two years of rows over Harry’s wife and her alleged treatment of staff, the couple’s decision to emigrate to America and the tonnes of ‘truth bombs’ the Sussexes have dropped in TV interviews watched by tens of millions of people around the world.
Sources told The Times William had ‘taken the view that he’d only ‘give so much’ to Harry, with the Duchess of Cambridge playing peacemaker with the brothers
Harry and Meghan believe they were abandoned by the Royal Family, even accusing them of racism towards Archie and ignoring their cries for help when the Duchess of Sussex felt lonely and suicidal while pregnant in London.
Sources close to Earl Spencer said that there was a hope that the statue unveiling would bring Harry and William together again after months of discord over the Sussexes’ decision to quit the royal family and subsequent interviews in which they publicly criticised The Firm.
However insiders said Harry was greeted not by William at the event but by James Holt, a former press officer at Kensington Palace who has since defected to the Sussexes and now heads up their Archewell Foundation.
Meanwhile the brothers were barely seen to properly speak, with any conversations centred around the event itself.
Sources close to Earl Spencer said at the time that there was a hope that the statue unveiling would bring Harry and William together again after months of discord
Afterwards, the brothers issued a rare joint statement, as if to emphasise their brief moment of unity.
Sources have previously claimed how Kate has been ‘really, really upset’ about the royal family’s estrangement from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Speaking to People magazine, insiders claimed the Duchess had found seeing the Duke of Cambridge ‘distraught’ over the estrangement had been ‘tough’, adding: ‘Everything with Harry and Meghan has been hugely stressful, but if anything, it’s pulled [her and William] closer together.’
Gary Goldsmith, 56, who is brother to Kate’s mother Carole, described the Duchess as a ‘brilliant arbiter and peacemaker’ and insisted she was doing everything she could to make things right between her husband and his brother.
Sources have previously claimed how Kate has been ‘really, really upset’ about the royal family’s estrangement from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Meanwhile sources have also claimed that Duchess of Cornwall is unlikely to ever forgive her stepson Prince Harry for their actions since stepping back as senior royals in March.
Harry has addressed his relationship with his father in several interviews throughout last year – after first opening up about it in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March where he claimed he has been ‘let down’ by Prince Charles.
Writing in The Telegraph, royal expert Camilla Tominey reported that a source close to Camilla has said that even though Buckingham Palace is conveying the message that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still loved by the family, the Duchess of Cornwall will struggle to move on.
Another source claimed that Prince Charles was deeply affected by the reported fall out with Prince Harry and that it had been ‘really hard for him.’