It’s been two weeks since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, and the ripple effects from it are still being felt from all over the world. Now, a source close to both Harry and his older brother Prince William is opening up about the growing rift between them.
“It’s a sad state of affairs because William and Harry could have been so brilliant” as a team, a friend of the brothers told People Magazine. “To think of what they could have achieved together is almost heartbreaking.”
Though they were always on “different paths” because of William’s destiny of becoming king someday, the brothers grew close, especially after the death of their mother Princess Diana.
William and Harry are set to reunite on July 1, when a statue of their mother is set to be unveiled at Kensington Palace. Though both William and Harry are eager to keep this appointment, they have a lot to talk about first.
“Neither of them have good poker faces,” said one palace source.
During their interview with Oprah, Harry and Meghan claimed that other members of his family can’t leave the “system” the way he did.
“It’s been really hard,” Harry said. “I am part of the system with them, I always have been, but I guess — and I’m very aware of this — my brother can’t leave that system, but I have.”
A source told The Sunday Times that William found these comments made by his brother to be “way off the mark.”
“He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service,” the source said.
Another source close to William said that the Duke of Cambridge was “reeling” after the interview first aired, adding that “his head is all over the place on it.”
When asked about where he currently stands with William in the interview, Harry described their relationship as “space.”
“I love William to bits. He’s my brother. We’ve been through hell together,” Harry explained. “But we are on different paths.”
During the interview, Meghan claimed that she was hit with racism from within the royal family, claiming that an unnamed senior royal questioned how dark her then-unborn son Archie’s skin would be. Harry refused to name this family member, only saying that it was neither Queen Elizabeth nor Prince Philip. Meghan also claimed that she felt so isolated as a royal that she considered committing suicide at one point during her pregnancy.
Two days after the interview, Buckingham Palace released a statement responding to it.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the royal statement read, according to Fox News. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
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