Prince William Is Blocking Charles’ Reconciliation With Harry, Ex-Staffer Claims

King Charles III has had a complicated relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry, over the past few years, often being estranged from one another. Now, a former Royal staffer claims that it’s the Duke of Sussex’s older brother, Prince William, who’s been blocking their reconciliation.

In an editorial column for the Daily Telegraph, journalist Petronella Wyatt stated that a “former palace official” who worked for both royal brothers, “before the good times stopped rolling,” opened up about their experience. “There is a public misconception about William and Harry,” the source said. “It is William who was often the difficult one, and it is William who is preventing his father from having a proper reconciliation with Harry. This isn’t helpful at a point in time when the country would be buoyed up by seeing them together again, as would the King.”

Partially confirming Wyatt’s statement, a friend of Prince William — and his wife Kate Middleton — told The Daily Beast: “There is a grain of truth in what she is saying, although William wouldn’t dream of telling his father what he can or can’t do in relation to his other son.”

The source added: “But what is true is that Charles’ absolute priority is the unity of the monarchy, and given the extent of William’s animosity to Harry, Charles can hardly roll out the red carpet and invite Harry and the kids to stay at Balmoral for the summer holidays-however much he would like to.”

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have had a strained relationship with his family ever since the couple resigned from their royal duties and did an interview with Oprah that revealed some shocking claims, such as alleged comments made about the color of their son Archie’s skin, ahead of his birth.

The last time that Harry saw his father was back in February when he went to the U.K. for a visit after it was revealed that King Charles was diagnosed with cancer.