While rumours that a reconciliation between Prince Harry and his older brother Prince of Wales, Prince William were on the cards following the announcement that their father, King Charles II, had been diagnosed with cancer, a meet up between the princes didn’t happen when Harry was in the country. Now, after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle are said to have changed their last names and those of their children to Sussex from Mountbatten-Windsor last week as they launched their new website, insiders say William isn’t prepared to forgive and forget everything Harry has accused him of the last few years, despite pleas from Princess of Wales, Kate and others to give him a chance, and he plots to strip Harry and Meghan’s Sussexes titles at the earliest opportunity.

The insider says, “William has impressed everyone with how well he’s handled all the extra responsibility on his plate, he’s really stepped up in Charles’ place and it’s not just ceremonially, he’s been overseeing a lot of the inner workings of Buckingham Palace, everything from staffing issues to diplomatic decisions.

“Charles is relinquishing a lot more responsibility to him than anyone expected and it’s clear that William is ready. And when he does take over, one of the first orders of business will be taking away Harry and Meghan’s titles, he’s very determined to put them in their place once and for all. He’s disgusted by their tone-deaf PR rollout using the Sussex coat of arms, the fact that they’re cashing in on their Duke and Duchess titles again really sickens him and he’s vowed to put a stop to it as soon as possible.”

The source continues, “He doesn’t buy that Harry really wants to make amends, nor does he believe that he’s changed for the better or has any real remorse. As far as William is concerned, this is just another case of Harry and Meghan trying to squeeze what they can out of the monarchy without putting anything in and he’s going to make it his mission to strip them of their titles the moment he gets the power to do so. And it doesn’t seem like anyone can talk him out of this, not even Kate.”

The Duke, 39, and Charles, 75, are said to have had several “warm exchanges” before Harry flew from his Californian home to the UK two weeks ago and spent 30 minutes with his father. But Harry didn’t meet with William, 41, and Kate, 42, on the trip. However, it was reported he send Kate a get-well message, following the news she was to undergo abdominal surgery. 

Shortly after his visit, Harry promised an imminent return to the UK as he says he has “many trips planned”, and claimed to see his family “as much as he can”. The Duke admitted, “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.” Harry also hinted at a possible reconciliation with the family, saying, “I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together.”

Relations between Harry and William began to deteriorate in 2018 when it was alleged the brothers had a falling out around Christmas time, when Harry told William he wasn’t doing enough to include Meghan in the royal family.

A year later, royal filmmaker Nick Bullen confirmed Prince William and Prince Harry’s feud. “It’s actually that William and Harry have had a rift,” he said. “All brothers fall out. All families fall out. Their fall-out at the moment is becoming public.”

In October 2019, Prince Harry admitted there is tension between him and William. He revealed, “Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens. But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”

He added, “We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”

Things got worse after Harry and Meghan criticised the Royal Family in an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey in 2021, their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and Harry’s memoir, Spare, which was released in January 2023. In Spare, Harry described the moment his brother William attacked him, knocking him to the ground in a row over Meghan and breaking a dog’s bowl during the kitchen bust-up. Recalling the alleged 2019 incident, Harry claimed William arrived at his former home he shared with his wife Meghan Markle, Nottingham Cottage, “piping hot” and branded his Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. Harry, 38, claims William “came at me”.

He wrote, “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. 
“I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.” Harry alleges that William – who he affectionately calls Willy in the book – had urged him to fight back, as they did when they were children, but that he had refused, leaving a “regretful” William to return later to apologise. Harry also claims that William told him he didn’t need to let Meghan know what had happened and told him, “I didn’t attack you, Harold.”

The insider says William is struggling to forgive his brother after all that’s been said and ultimately doesn’t trust him.

“There’s no doubt William is angry, but he’s also extremely hurt. He feels so betrayed by Harry, never in a million years would he have imagined that things with his brother would end up this way. Of course he’d love to be able to just forgive him and move on, but the reality is he simply can’t trust Harry. He’s now been stabbed in the back so many times he’d be a fool to open himself up to more betrayals,” they say.

“This isn’t a case of William letting his emotions run the show, he’s very clear that his priority is protecting the monarchy, the way William sees it Harry has shown nothing but disdain for the Crown and there’s no universe where he deserves to be making money off his association with it. William is absolutely gobsmacked that Harry and Meghan would have the gall to use their Royal coat of arms to promote their brand after all they’ve said and done against the family.

“It just goes to show how disingenuous and calculated they are. As far as William is concerned it has Meghan’s fingerprints all over it, but as much as he wants to blame it all on her, he can’t ignore that his brother has at the very least co-signed the idea. Either way, William has come to the sad conclusion that his brother is no longer trustworthy and is seriously considering that he and Meghan are formally removed from any association with the Royals and take away their Duke and Duchess titles.”

The insider adds that William is “extremely committed” to moving the monarchy forward.

“His goal is to focus on quality over quantity so there’s no chance that Harry will be asked to step back as a working member so the way William sees it there’s no reason for him to maintain a title. William doesn’t care if Harry is hurt by it, as far as he’s concerned it’s the only natural outcome for the way he’s behaved,” they say.

“He’s not going to let Harry and Meghan walk all over him and use their connection to the Royals when it serves. He and Meghan have proven time and again that they have no loyalty to the family or The Firm, so William is pretty much set about taking away their titles. It would take a lot to change his mind.”