The coronation of King Charles III on 6 May was an opportunity to reunite his sons Prince William and Harry, who have been at odds for several years. Despite this festive moment, neither of the two brothers showed any sign of coming together. This Monday 15 May, the writer Stéphane Bern gave his analysis in the columns of Elle magazine.
It had been eight months since the estranged princes, William and Harry, had been together at an event. The last time they were reunited was on 19 September 2022, for the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. So their father’s coronation, which took place on Saturday 6 May, could have been the perfect opportunity to bury the hatchet. But what about it? This is the question that writer Stéphane Bern tried to answer this Monday 15 May, in the columns of Elle magazine.
“There is something that has broken between the two,” he announced. And he continued: “It’s a question of divergent memories. They don’t have the same memory. One has a positive memory, the other holds a grudge.” Indeed, Prince William – who will succeed his father on the throne – is honouring his royal commitments more than ever. Designated a trusted man by King Charles III, the Prince of Wales was the only one of the two heirs to play a central role in the coronation ceremony. Harry, on the other hand, preferred to stay away from his family. In January 2020, Lady Diana’s youngest son and his wife Meghan Markle announced their departure from the United Kingdom, and at the same time renounced all their royal titles.
The tumult of the fallen prince
Faced with this total rejection, Stéphane Bern tried to understand what is keeping the exiled prince in Montecito’s stubborn resentment, and continued his analysis: “I don’t blame Harry, because I think he has suffered a lot from the loss of his mother. When you ask two brothers, they have different perceptions of childhood memories. Harry is in a posture too.” He concludes, “We can accept that we are no longer victims too.”
To do this, Prince Harry did not hesitate to settle his accounts, by publishing his memoirs entitled The Substitute. In this autobiographical account, published on 10 January, Archie and Lilibet’s father did not spare any member of the royal family, not even himself. He tells how he lost his virginity and what drugs he may have used in the past. The book follows a Netflix documentary in which Meghan and Harry spoke out about the “racism” of the royal family and their disagreement with Princess of Wales and William. Under these conditions, it is difficult to imagine any reconciliation between the two brothers.
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