Yesterday, on Twitter, I made this remark: “Having read most of the post-Harry-visit coverage in the British press, it really sounds like they’re all collectively talking around the idea that Peg is in the middle of a nervous breakdown.” We knew that Prince William would be raging and thrashing around about his brother’s four-day visit to the UK, but what I didn’t expect was seeing William called out on his behavior to this extent. People are openly talking about his fragile mental state, people are openly talking about his pitiful attempts to upstage Prince Harry last week, and people are openly talking about William’s laziness and how King Charles is deeply unhappy with his heir. It’s clear that William has been rage-briefing, but instead of just acting as stenographers to the future king, royal reporters and commentators are actually saying: wow, this guy has real issues. Speaking of, Tom Sykes’ Royalist column is a doozy: “Prince Harry’s Tour Worked. This Is William’s Worst Nightmare.” Some highlights:
What William is really mad about: It’s now apparent that William’s attempts to freeze Harry out were never just about punishing his brother for his tell-all book Spare, as useful as that cover story may have been. They were about ensuring Harry could not use the fairy dust of royalty to work his way back into the band of working royals and steal attention from him. After this past week, William’s fears look absolutely justified.
Harry’s charisma: What was striking about Harry’s trip was how easy he made it look. He zipped around the country, laughing and joking with schoolchildren, sword-fighting with balloons, high-fiving young people, flashing glimpses of the “old Harry” Britain once adored. He was upbeat, funny, relaxed—and the U.K. lapped it up. Against William and Kate’s buttoned-up image, Harry’s exuberance was a reminder of how dull the heir and his wife can seem. Their rushed diary-fillers—heritage sites and textile factories—only made Harry shine brighter.
King Charles was the one who leaked the meeting with Harry: But, make no mistake, it was Harry’s meeting with the king that really mattered. Both sides tried to dampen expectations in advance, but the choreography on the day was unmistakable. Photographers, tipped off by the palace, were waiting outside Clarence House. Insiders confirm no corners were cut: sandwiches, biscuits, and Harry’s beloved chocolate biscuit cake were all laid out. As one source told me: “It was a proper tea—everything was there.” A private reunion, yes, but also very deliberate theatre. Charles signalled to the world that Harry was back under his roof. Not a balcony return, yet, but the first step toward rehabilitation, and a direct rebuke to William.
The British press turned on a dime: Harry’s decision to stop complaining about how unfair and brutal his life is is part of the reason, but a bigger factor, I think, is the king’s endorsement. In a monarchy, nothing matters more. Where Charles leads, the public follows (see: Camilla Parker Bowles). By welcoming Harry back, Charles shifted the dial overnight. The consequences are seismic. For Charles, reconciliation makes sense against the backdrop of his illness. Frail and tired, he cannot want to face the end of his reign unreconciled with his son, or estranged from his grandchildren.
Work-shy Willy, out in the cold: For William, the shift is catastrophic. He has always seen Harry’s return as a zero-sum game: Harry’s gain is his loss. Now he has been proved right. By re-embracing Harry, Charles has left his heir dangerously exposed. William and Kate are publicly split from the king and forced to confront an agonising choice. Do they swallow their pride, reconcile with Harry, and risk the humiliation of letting him back on the balcony, half in and half out as he always wanted? Or do they hold the line, knowing they will have to sustain 50 years of cold war once William takes the throne? Either path is fraught. What is unprecedented is that Britain’s son and heir now finds himself openly at odds with the king—and the knives are out for him as never before.
This is so interesting to me: “He has always seen Harry’s return as a zero-sum game: Harry’s gain is his loss.” I’ve spoken about this for years, the short-sighted jealousy within the Windsor clan, and how they see EVERYTHING as zero-sum. That’s a huge reason why the entire Firm worked to push out Harry and Meghan, because they believed that “attention” is finite and a fixed amount, and the Sussexes were getting too much attention, leaving not enough attention for QEII, Charles, William and Kate. None of the left-behinds ever understood that Harry and Meghan would have brought more positive attention overall to the institution, and no courtier ever suggested “maybe we shouldn’t let royal jealousy dictate how we conduct the business of state.” Anyway, as I said, they’re really laying into William. It’s amazing and well-deserved.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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