After weeks of waiting, amid fevered speculation from the public and the palace, Prince Harry has finally RSVP’d yes to the coronation next month. King Charles III will now have both his sons present to witness him being crowned, but with tensions at all time high between the Duke of Sussex and Prince William – as well as their wives, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton – royal insiders say the new monarch is giving up all hope of the Fab Four ever reuniting…

‘William is refusing to have anything to do with his estranged brother,’ says an insider close to the royal family, who lost Harry to California in 2020, after he and Meghan quit official duties. ‘He’s been very clear in his view that he doesn’t think it’s right the Sussexes were ever invited to the coronation. He believes it’s just plain wrong that Harry should be allowed to swan over and join in the festivities after all the damage and stress he and Meghan have inflicted on the family. Never mind that neither of them has shown the slightest bit of remorse. He’s disgusted by Harry’s arrogance and sense of entitlement and says he won’t even consider sitting down for peace talks when he’s over here. He knows their dad wants Harry there, and it’s his choice to make, but he’s beyond disappointed with his father for not taking a stronger line. For Charles’ sake, he’s willing to give Harry the absolute minimum in terms of conversation in public, but that’s it. He won’t be spending time with his brother without others around and there’ll be an ugly showdown if Harry tries to force a conversation.’

The previously close brothers fell out after Harry met Meghan back in 2016. There was an argument Harry detailed in Spare where he says his big brother blasted his new wife as ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive.’ They allegedly had a physical altercation, where Harry says he ended up landing in a dog’s bowl ‘which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.’ They seemed to call a truce after the Queen died, walking together behind the coffin, but things got worse with the release of the Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan in December, followed by Harry’s book Spare a month later. And – as Closer has already told you – Kate and Meghan’s relationship has been fraught since the early days, with Harry revealing fights over bridesmaid dresses, gifts and seating plans. Things have got worse in recent weeks as Harry and Meghan were handed an eviction notice from their UK royal residence, Frogmore Cottage. Meanwhile William’s children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, five, have been given special roles to play at Grandpa’s coronation, with Prince George also acting as page boy alongside Camilla’s grandsons, Gus and Louis Lopes, Freddy Parker Bowles and her great-nephew Arthur Elliot. Adding insult to injury, it was revealed earlier this month that Harry will not be allowed to join the new King on the palace balcony, where the rest of the family will wave to crowds.

Our source continues, ‘This whole thing is not just hard for William, but Kate too. She used to be so close to Harry and it really upsets her that the boys are estranged. She’ll always be fond of her brother-in-law, even if she finds it almost impossible to get through to him these days. It’s especially hard for her when Meghan’s around, and she’s really relieved she won’t have to see her at the coronation. She and William see them as this gruesome twosome double act, so resentful of all the privileges they’ve been given. They seem to be holding grudges against her and William in particular, so the idea of exchanging small talk with Harry at the coronation is incredibly awkward, especially with the eyes of the world on them. To be honest, she’d rather they’d both turned down the invite so she and William could enjoy the event without all this tension hanging over them like a dark cloud.’

It follows the leaking of official invitations, designed by illustrator Andrew Jamieson, with sources saying the floral design was representative of the King’s environmental campaigning and love of gardening. It was reportedly also intended to symbolise spring and rebirth, with palace insiders confirming Charles was hoping his coronation could bring his warring sons together. ‘He’s really happy Harry’s attending his special day,’ says the insider. ‘And he desperately wants him to make nice with William and Kate. He knows it’s going to be challenging and uncomfortable for everyone. All it would take is some snarky comment or eye roll, and everyone knows William could explode. The best that can be hoped for is that Harry just slinks in and out quietly, keeping his head down, without seeing or speaking to William and Kate. It really is so sad that it’s come to this, but it feels like there’s no going back now.’

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