He’s spent much of the last year sabotaging his relationship with the royals – now Prince Harry is desperate to fix things with one family member in particular. Insiders say Prince William is still refusing to take his little brother’s calls, so now the Duke’s plotting to ambush the Prince of Wales during his forthcoming trip to the US. We’re told friends are warning Harry against the plan, saying his peace-making attempts may not be welcome, but he’s not listening. And it sounds like Harry could be about to make everything a lot worse…

“He really wants to mend bridges with William,” says an insider close to the Duke of Sussex, who is dad to Archie, four, and two-year-old Lillibet, with wife, Meghan Markle. “He’s had enough of this standoff with the whole family, and with William especially. They used to be so close and he thinks it’s time they rip the band-aid off this feud and start hashing things out. He’s pretty shocked things are still this bad between them – he really thought he’d be on better terms with all of the royals again by now. But William, in particular, has been way more stubborn about all of this than Harry ever expected. He still won’t even take his calls or answer messages! Harry never would’ve guessed things would get this bad and it’s maddening for him having all these things left unsaid. He’d rather have a big fight and confrontation where they can sort it all out, than endure this silence.”

It was recently revealed that William, 41, is planning a trip to the States to attend the Earthshot Prize annual innovation summit in New York City, which falls on 18th and 19th September – just days after Harry’s birthday on 15th. Kensington Palace confirmed in a statement that the Prince of Wales will join “policymakers, global business leaders, philanthropists and climate activists” at the event, adding that William will “also carry on additional meetings and public engagements in the city.” However, Closer’s sources say Harry definitely won’t be on that to-do list of meetings. We’re told, “Harry likes the idea of seeing his brother in America. It’s a whole lot more appealing than flying into the lion’s den in England, where Wills is surrounded by Palace aides and other royals who have made it clear they don’t like Harry. He says that if his brother’s team refuse his request, then he’ll just fly out to New York at the last minute and force a face-to-face conversation, if he has to. He’s confident William will speak to him and is convinced that if they just get some one-on-one time, he would be able to get through to his brother. He wants some closure at last either way.”

It follows another recent visit to the US for Wills and Kate, 41, in December, when they attended the Earthshot Prize awards show in Boston. The pair also caught a basketball game, checked out the Harvard Centre, and even met up with President Joe Biden. But they avoided seeing Harry, despite the former third-in-line living there with Meghan, 41, since 2020. Most recently, the brothers had a near miss at their dad, King Charles III’s coronation on 6 May. After weeks of will-they-won’t-they attend, Harry RSVP’d yes, while the former TV star stayed at home to celebrate their son Archie’s birthday, later going hiking with friends. And while many thought a reunion might happen in Westminster Abbey, Harry and Wills kept their distance, sitting several rows apart and avoiding eye contact. Harry flew home just hours later, only to return in June, as he gave evidence at London’s High Court, in his case against a tabloid publisher. Again though, Harry saw none of his family. As Closer recently reported, there was short-lived hope amongst royal fans at the end of June, when it was revealed that both brothers were appearing as part of the annual Diana Award, helping to honour young people for changing the world. But the pair appeared only in videos – and separately.

“Harry and Meghan were hoping to see the Waleses last time they were over in America,” says our insider. “But it was all much too raw between the couples. There was all the drama surrounding the Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, plus Harry’s memoir, Spare was about to hit shelves. It made the possibility of meeting up a non-starter in the end. Harry said he let go of the snub at the time but it’s clear he’s been stewing about it ever since. He’s not going to let William ignore him like that again. He’s hoping that meeting up in America, without the interference of the rest of the family and the scrutiny of the British media, will give them a better chance of working this out.” As Closer has told you, the previously close brothers have been at loggerheads since Harry met and married former Suits actress Meghan in 2018. The rebel royals later quit their official duties in 2020, moving to California where they gave a shocking interview about their treatment by royals to Oprah Winfrey. Things got even worse for familial relations with the release of their docu-series Harry & Meghan in December, followed immediately by Harry’s explosive autobiography, Spare, accompanied by several damning TV interviews and podcasts. Harry detailed the fall-outs after he met Meghan, revealing how his “archnemesis”, William had called his new wife, “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. The brothers ended up in an alleged physical altercation, with Harry landing in a dog’s bowl. In the book, Harry described how he was left bloodied after it “cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”

And sources say William hasn’t let go of any of it yet. “He is very standoffish whenever Harry’s name comes up,” says the insider. “After everything that happened, he’s still very, very angry and mistrustful. Kate has tried to talk to him about moving on and forgiving but William doesn’t seem ready. If Harry really does ambush him in NYC, it’s hard to imagine it going well. Wills needs more time to get past this. Everyone is urging Harry to be patient, but he’s not listening. He’s ready to force the issue and doesn’t seem to care if he makes things worse. Harry prefers things to be out in the open and likes to confront people – he’s always been that way – whereas William deals with things differently. Most people are advising Harry against this plan, but Harry will do what he wants, as always. He’s impossible to advise, which is how he’s ended up in this mess in the first place…”