Prince William Reportedly Didn't Want Harry & Meghan Around After Queen Elizabeth's Death

It's no secret that Prince Harry and Prince William's Feud has been raging for several years. The feud has been so rough that even the death of Queen Elizabeth II almost became a battleground between the estranged brothers. In fact, things got so ugly that Prince William reportedly came close to not inviting Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, to Windsor Castle following their grandmother's death.

As first reported by author and royal expert Omid Scobie in his 2023 book "Endgame," it was King Charles III who convinced the Prince of Wales to extend an olive branch to his younger brother. "Essentially, he told William to swallow his pride and invite his brother and sister-in-law to join them when they greeted mourners and well-wishers in Windsor that day," Scobie wrote (via People). "William wasn't keen. This was his moment with the public, but the King put pressure on [him]."

To facilitate the invite, William reportedly texted Harry for the first time "in months,"  proposing that "it would be 'good' if they came along, too." For many royal observers, seeing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spending time with the Prince and Princess of Wales felt like the start of a possible reconciliation. However, building bridges was apparently not in the cards for the royal siblings.

Despite the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the news of Kate Middleton and King Charles' dual cancer diagnoses, there seemingly haven't been any major efforts made by Prince William or Prince Harry to reconnect. "I think the thing that surprised me the most was that afterward everyone just went their own ways and nothing happened beyond that," journalist and author Omid Scobie told People.

However, it's entirely possible that Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," released in January the following year, had a little something to do with the ongoing friction between the royal brothers. Speaking with The Telegraph shortly after the book's release in January 2023, Harry revealed that the original manuscript was nearly 400 pages longer, but he cut it down as they contained stories regarding interactions he's had with his brother and father that he thought they "would [never] forgive" him for including. 

It should be noted, however, that when "Spare" was released in paperback edition in October, the new edition did not contain any of the excised pages, as some speculated it might. Royal expert Daisy McAndrew opined during an episode of "The Royal Beat" (via Aberdeen Live) that "even Harry could read the room" and knew that it would be "unwise, unkind and unforgivable" to drop any new bombshells amid King Charles and Kate's cancer diagnoses.