Prince WilliamandPrince Harry’s reunion at grandfatherPrince Philip’s funeral did not put an end to their rift.
In a new article for theDaily Mail, Robert Lacey – author ofBattle of Brothersand consultant to Netflix’sThe Crown– wrote that though some hoped the funeral “would bring the warring brothers together in an atmosphere of reflection,” the result was not as positive.
Although the pairshared a brief public chatoutside St. George’s Chapel that day, an argument broke out between William and Harry “within minutes of the siblings getting inside the castle and beyond camera vision,” according to the royal historian.
“They started quarrelling again,” he added.
“There they were, at each other’s throats as fiercely as ever,” a friend of the family told Lacey. “The rage and anger between those two has grown so incredibly deep. Too many harsh and wounding things have been said.”
Prince William and Prince Harry at Prince Philip’s funeral.Gareth Fuller/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Lacey went on to write that the brothers did not have a family talk withPrince Charles.
“There was no reconciliation, and no brotherly sit-down or ‘mini summit’ followingPrince Philip’s funeral on April 17,” Lacey wrote, later adding, “The conflict between Diana’s two bitterly divided sons does not seem likely to end any time soon.”
As PEOPLE previously reported, the schism between the brothers began whenWilliam expressed concernabout the speed at which Harry’s relationship with then-girlfriendMeghan Marklewas moving prior to theirMay 2018 wedding.
According to new chapters in Lacey’s book, things worsened again in October 2018 when William learned of allegations fromstaffers who said they had been bullied. (When the bullying claims first surfaced inThe Timesin March, the Duchess of Sussex’s officestrongly denied the allegationsand said they were part of a smear campaign against the Duchess, 39. The palace set up an independent inquiry, which is still “ongoing,” a source confirmed to PEOPLE.)
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Prince William and Prince Harry with Peter Phillips at Prince Philip’s funeral.Alastair Grant/WPA Pool/Getty Images
“Everyone was optimistic,” a source close to the royal householdtold PEOPLE earlier this weekof the pair’s reunion at Philip’s funeral, “but nothing really happened.”
Added another close source: “There was not really any time to build bridges.”
There is, however, another reunion just around the corner: on July 1, both brothers are expected to attend theunveiling of the long-awaited statue of their mother,Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace Gardens, a project they commissioned together several years ago.
source: people.com
