William says ‘no chance’ he’d allow Harry back
Prince William is reportedly determined to prevent Prince Harry’s attempts to return to the royal fold. The Mirror reports that sources close to William say he would step up to the plate if needed in the wake of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, as he believes Harry and Meghan Markle “cannot be trusted.”
A source close to William told the Mirror there was “no chance” he would allow his brother back.
The “never, nada, no way” response from William came after the Times of London reported that Harry had signaled his willingness to step up if needed, and the revelation that he and Charles had had several “warm exchanges” recently. Harry told Good Morning America this week: “I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him—I’m grateful for that.”
A royal insider told the Times: “On all practical levels it makes perfect sense for the family to come together to support the king while he’s sick. Much has been said on both sides in recent years, but that has never diminished the fundamental bond of blood, and there are now pragmatic aspects to consider, with the king and Kate (Middleton)’s wellbeing paramount in this. The details of the Clarence House meeting and subsequent conversations are private, but the feeling is that this arrangement could work.”
A source close to Harry quoted in the Mirror said, “Harry is ready and willing to help and genuinely believes it would work well for both parties. In his view, it wouldn’t be dissimilar from what was proposed back in 2020, with a hybrid model of working. With the king’s illness there is perhaps more of a reason for those options to be considered.”
However, the source close to William told the Mirror, “Whatever has been discussed between William and the King is private, but it is absolutely and categorically clear that he (William) would not allow Harry to return. He thought it was a bad idea at the time and he’s even more clear now. If anyone is going to take on more duties it will be William and that isn’t even on the agenda for now. His main focus is on his father’s health, his family and what is best for the monarchy. There is a zero per cent chance Harry is coming back in any capacity.”
Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reacts as she, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Queen Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral and burial of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 19, 2022.
The sound of draw-bridges coming down echoes in a report in the Telegraph emphasizing much the same thing, with the paper reporting, “There is no way back for the Duke of Sussex to take a temporary working role in the royal family while his father is ill...after reports he is willing to step in.”
The paper says this is in accordance with the terms and conditions of Harry and Meghan’s exit from their senior royal roles which made clear there was to be no “half in, half out” option for them. One source told the Telegraph: “Those terms were quite clear, and the King’s illness hasn’t altered that.”
Another source told the paper that Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, and Prince William's collective view that a hybrid model of working royalty was not appropriate “remains the case.” The matter was also not discussed when Harry recently met Charles, the Telegraph said.
Harry visit to Sandringham reportedly blocked
This morning’s British newspapers look like a deliberate attempt to dash Prince Harry’s hopes of rejoining the royal family.
While there are plenty of explicit briefings going out saying that there is not a snowball’s chance in hell of him being given royal jobs again (see above), a story in the Sun really twists the knife, alleging that Harry wanted to join King Charles III at Sandringham, when he flew over to the U.K. two weeks ago, but that his plans were halted by Palace aides, who reportedly harbored concerns that once he was there, “they’d never get rid of him.”
According to the Sun, Harry, 39, only found out he had been redirected to a London hotel and given a 45-minute meeting at Clarence House after his flight from Los Angeles had landed.
The Sun says Harry was envisioning a prolonged heart-to-heart with his father and hoped to spend a few days at Sandringham but those aspirations were cut short, and he was advised to find accommodation in a hotel for the night.
(l to r) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at St Mary Magdalene's church for the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2018.
The news of Harry’s somewhat business-like treatment at the hands of his father emerged, probably not coincidentally, after Harry suggested to Good Morning America that his father’s illness could help bring about a reconciliation between him and his family, then his camp briefed that he would like to be called on for royal jobs while his father was ill.
Friends of the king have told The Daily Beast that they are appalled by Harry, who criticized his family and the institution he left in a prime time Oprah Winfrey interview, a Netflix series and his own memoir, now using—they claim—the king’s illness to portray himself as a peacemaker.
One friend of Charles and Queen Camilla, when told of Harry’s comments by The Daily Beast on Friday, responded: “It seems Harry has taken it on himself to use the diagnosis to publicize his own agenda. If it wasn’t so sickening it would be funny. What really would have helped the family come together would have been if Harry had said he wouldn’t be taking questions about his father.”
William builds homes for homeless on his land
Prince William will build and fund a £3 million social housing development on his land to tackle homelessness, the Sunday Times reports. The 24 homes in Cornwall are set to be completed next year, and is sited at Nansledan, a suburb of Newquay. The move follows William’s pledge in an interview with the same paper last year that he would put social housing on his Duchy of Cornwall land, a 130,000-acre property portfolio valued at £1 billion.
Britain's Prince William speaks during a visit to Dockhead Fire Station to mark Emergency Services Day (999 Day), in London, Britain, September 9, 2021.
William wants the development to “look and feel as homely as possible,” with sources close to the prince saying he wanted to “lead from the front,” and encourage other landowners to build more social housing. He is mulling further projects himself.
King Charles and Queen Camilla attend church
The royal family are attempting to transmit the message that the king’s cancer treatment is going well. Charles has been notably visible, even making sure, when in London and going for treatment, to travel in one of the quasi-ceremonial Rolls-Royces, with huge rear windows made of un-tinted glass through which he can be seen and photographed.
Today there was more of the same, as Charles and Camilla walked to church in Sandringham despite heavy rain.
Why no Netflix?
An observation by Alison Boshoff of the Daily Mail: Harry and Meghan’s new website does not contain the word, “Netflix.” This, she argues, does not bode well for the Sussexes future with the streaming giant.
Boshoff writes that “sources with knowledge of the deal” have told her it has been “disappointing all round” and that Harry and Meghan personally have only actually been paid about $20 million. She adds that “the expectation in Hollywood is that both parties will break the deal as soon as it is contractually viable, which will mean a ‘divorce’ in September this year or next.”
Boshoff cites a source as saying: “The whole arrangement was basically the trade-off for Netflix getting the Harry & Meghan documentary. It was never the huge payday that the press reported. The $100 million number was always a newspaper figure.”
The couple have substantial financial needs, Boshoff writes, with the $14.7 million mortgage on their Montecito mansion costing $50,000 a month dwarfed by the cost of their security detail, which she says is “generally thought to cost somewhere north of $2 million (£1.6million) a year.”
This week in royal history
Prince Andrew turns 64 tomorrow; he was born on Feb. 19, 1960, at Buckingham Palace. Don’t expect a 21-gun salute in Green Park.
Unanswered questions
Will Harry find a way to return to royal duties, or will William scotch his ambitions? And can Harry build a relationship with Charles, if the palace powers-that-be are determined to stand in their way?
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