Harry Sends William an Olive Branch, But Dad Is Still Mad

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On their tenth wedding anniversary, Prince William and Kate Middleton seem to be stronger than ever—but the occasion also brought news that William’s relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be thawing (or at least, not frozen beyond repair). A spokesperson for the Sussexes told The Daily Beast that the couple privately reached out to Will and Kate to congratulate them on the milestone.

Things seemed initially chilly at the somber occasion of their grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral earlier this month, but the pair of brothers was eventually spotted cordially chatting. One report claims that it was Kate who helped ease the tension. But even the Beast’s report comes with the caveat that a simple private anniversary acknowledgment may not mean much. “Others may well say that such an interpretation is grasping at straws,” concludes the item on the idea that this might be some sort of brotherly breakthrough. Cordial is a long way from healed. However, it’s a start, we suppose.

Whatever the case, the situation between brothers seems to be in a better place than Harry’s relationship with his father Prince Charles. An Us Weekly report claims Charles is still “fuming” over Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah, and barely communicated with his youngest son when the family temporarily reunited for the funeral. “There definitely continues to be a huge wedge between the two,” claims Us’s Source.

In the Oprah interview, Harry claimed he’d hardly spoken to his father since he left England and that the future king didn’t make a habit of taking his son’s phone calls.

That report comes amid renewed attention toward the longstanding rumors that once Charles is king he intends to severely slim down those counted to be among the official royal family. But those rumors have been circulating for years, even before Harry met Meghan.

“Prince Charles has wanted for a very long time to cut the monarchy down to save costs and to make people be worth the money that they get from the taxpayer,” royal biographer Angela Levin told British broadcaster talkRadio. “I imagine that might be when Harry and Meghan are ditched from being members of the royal family.”

Regardless of royal function, however, all members involved will always be actual family. If anything, news of the acknowledgment of a sentimental anniversary milestone may indicate that all involved hope to make amends someday. Although the cynic may just assume the news was made public lest the media create more drama out of some imagined anniversary snub.