The new chapter in the Windsor family’s history revolves less around Prince Harry than Meghan Markle.
According to veteran commentator Ingrid Seward, what is holding back reconciliation between the two brothers is William’s deep mistrust of his sister-in-law. It is, in Seward’s own words, “the fly in the ointment.”
The Prince of Wales has not spoken to Harry in over two years. It is not only the tensions surrounding the memoir, the interview with Oprah, or the Netflix series that weigh heavily between them; what really hinders reconciliation is the feeling that Meghan has damaged the trust and image of the royal family.
Seward put it bluntly: “She’s disliked intensely by a large number of the monarchists of this country.” She adds that even in the US, there are those who find it strange how Meghan has also distanced herself from her own father and family.
The fact that Thomas Markle has yet to meet his grandchildren fuels this perception of coldness that many do not understand.
“Harry has never even met her father, which is extraordinary,” Seward said. That distance, she said, reinforces the idea that Meghan has failed to build bridges on any front, either in London or California.
And if Harry insists that his brother was unpleasant to his wife in the past, it is clear that the wound is far from healed.
Meanwhile, other voices such as Robert Lacey claim that the rift is deep and could only be healed by a gesture from Harry toward William. But the reality is that his calls and messages have gone unanswered.
For Seward, the conclusion is clear, William has taken a firm stance and has no intention of backing down.
And with two such opposing views of what happened, it is difficult to imagine a reunion in the short term.