A lot has happened between Prince Harry and his family in the three years since he quit royal life, moving to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle. He’s given damning interviews about the family he left behind, made a shocking documentary series about them, and released one truly explosive memoir. It’s a lot to come back from, but we’re told the Duke of Sussex is more determined than ever to repair relations. That’s despite his brother, Prince William continuing to ghost his calls and messages…

“The last year has been extremely tough for Harry,” says an insider close to the Duke, who lives in a $15million Montecito mansion with former Suits star, Meghan, and their two children, Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet. “Everyone seems to think he doesn’t want his family in his life after everything he did, but he misses them terribly and is desperate to make peace. He was prepared for his family to be upset when he stepped down from royal duties and angry when he shared his story with the public on the Netflix show and in his book, but he was not prepared for this level of white hot fury. He truly thought they would’ve forged some sort of truce by now and is gutted they haven’t. Harry desperately wants to start afresh with all his estranged relatives, but he knows it’s an uphill task.”

As Closer has previously reported, the only royal who has so far been receptive to Harry’s peace offerings, is his dad, King Charles III. Charles invited his son to his May coronation, and was said to be disappointed when Harry, 38, jetted back to California after only a few hours in the UK. “Charles still loves Harry and means it when he says he wants the best for him and Meghan – as well as this new life they’re building in America,” says our source. “But the King is clear that he’s still badly scarred by past events. He’s also very aware what an uproar there would be within the family – especially with his wife – if he were to welcome Harry and Meghan back with open arms.”

It follows some furious passages in Harry’s memoir Spare directed at his stepmum, Queen Camilla. In the book, Harry detailed how he pleaded with his dad not to marry the 76-year-old former Duchess of Cornwall. He compares her to “the wicked stepmothers in storybooks”, and claims she “sacrificed me on her personal PR altar”. In other chapters, Harry complained about how the Queen consort turned his bedroom into a dressing room after he moved out of Clarence House. After Spare’s publication, Harry gave further interviews, calling Camilla, “dangerous”, a “villain”, and accusing her of leaking stories about him and his brother to the press, comparing it to leaving “bodies in the street.” All of which left Charles – who married Camilla in 2005, after first meeting at polo in 1970 – feeling torn between his wife and son. Our insider continues, “Harry misses his dad, but does at least speak to him here and there. He can tell he’s being kept at arm’s length as their conversations are always very brief and sometimes it feels like Charles is avoiding his calls. Harry’s still chipping away though, leaving messages and pulling on his dad’s heartstrings in any way he can. He’s hopeful they can find their way back to a good relationship again one day.”

And while there’s hope with Charles, 74, insiders say Harry’s still hitting a brick wall with his brother, William. “His whole life, William’s been his best friend,” says a palace insider close to the Prince of Wales, who is dad to George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Louis with wife, Kate Middleton. “So of course he’s feeling the loss of him in his life. He keeps trying to call and message – same as he does with his dad – but it’s not working at all. William knows Harry hates to be ignored so he’s quietly enjoying giving his little brother a taste of his own medicine. The way Wills and 99 percent of the royals see it, there’s just too much mud under the bridge for Harry to be welcomed back now. The only way it might happen is if he came back apologising on his hands and knees – without Meghan.” In his book, the Duke also went into some detail about the prickly relationship between William and his wife, which began shortly after he met the actress in 2016. He revealed fall-outs and tension, explaining how his “archnemesis”, William had called Meghan, “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. He also claimed his sister-in-law Kate, 41, argued with Meghan over bridesmaid dresses and Easter gifts. The brothers ended up in an alleged physical altercation in one incident, with Harry left bloodied after William knocked him down, where a dog’s bowl, “cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”

But we’re told – despite everything – Harry isn’t giving up. “He can’t accept that William will never forgive him,” says the source. “He keeps extending the olive branch and is desperate to work this all out with his family. His dad isn’t getting any younger and Harry wants his children to have time with him and with William’s kids too. It’s all just very sad, and the fear is that if they let this go on for too long it might never get fixed. That’s why Harry’s begging them to end this war with him.” As Closer has reported, the future King William is due in New York City for the Earthshot Prize annual innovation summit on 18th and 19th September – just three days after Harry’s 39th birthday – and the former third-in-line was hoping to catch up with his brother there. “He’s offered to meet up in NYC, and has invited William and Kate to come and visit him in LA. He’s even offered to fly over to London to see him. But William either ignores his messages, totally ghosting him, or has his team politely decline. Considering how hot headed Harry can be, it’s a shock to everyone that he hasn’t snapped over all these snubs and lashed out. But Harry says he’s not letting this get to him and will keep reaching out to his brother and dad until they can find a way past this. Whatever it takes, he’s determined to mend things with his family.”