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‘Petulant Prince Harry must make first move to heal rift with William for crucial reason’, royal expert says
The Prince of Wales celebrated his 42nd birthday on Friday
"PETULANT" Prince Harry must make the first move to heal his rift with William, a royal expert says.
Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun that any rift is "undesirable", especially when people who are battling illness - such as King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales - are involved.
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The Prince of Wales celebrated his 42nd birthday on Friday - the day after watching England's disappointing Euro 2024 draw against Denmark.
His wife Kate, also 42, has been receiving chemo for an undisclosed form of cancer since February. She made her own return to public life during Trooping the Colour on June 15.
Buckingham Palace revealed the King had cancer on February 6 after a prostate operation.
Speaking about the possibility of reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Royal Family, Mr Fitzwilliams said: "You never know what may happen.
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"And of course two senior royals, the King and the Princess of Wales, are seriously ill.
"So you have a situation with a huge question mark in the future, and we have no knowledge or idea of how the Sussexes are going to respond in the future equally.
"They can't attack the Royal Family at this time. Obviously it would be highly insensitive.
"I think it's abundantly clear that any rift is undesirable, and when individuals are ill who are involved in it, it makes it even more undesirable.
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"If the Sussexes, in their public appearances, decided to say something nice about the Royal Family, something positive, I think that would be a step in the right direction.
"But in reality what you need is something private, something we don't know about."
Mr Fitzwilliams said it was up to Harry to instigate any efforts at reconciliation as he had done the most to harm the royals.
Royal Family arrive at the Royal Ascot races
However, an insider told The Sun that Mr Fitzwilliams' perspective appears "somewhat one-sided", and it is important the recognise that "relationships are reciprocal".
They added that it would not be "entirely fair" to place the sole responsibility of mending the relationship on Harry and Meghan.
The rift dates back a number of years, culminating in 'Megxit' - a term coined by The Sun.
When asked about the perspective that it might be constructive for the Prince of Wales to reach out, Mr Fitzwilliams said: "The problem with any rift is that it leads to deep mutual mistrust.
Royal rift: Megxit, Oprah and Spare
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced on January 8, 2020, that they would be stepping down as "senior" members of the Royal Family.
On January 18, it was then announced that Harry and Meghan would "no longer be working members of Britain's Royal Family", and would not use their "Royal Highness" titles.
The pair moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise their son Archie.
In March 2021, the Sussexes' interview with TV host Oprah Winfrey was broadcast.
The tell-all chat, which was watched by 12.4million viewers when it first aired in the UK, made a series of fierce revelations about the Royal Family.
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah of conversations with Prince Harry and a "family" member about their unborn son and what colour his skin would be - and "what that would mean or look like".
And in January 2023, Prince Harry's explosive memoir Spare was released, also featuring a number of explosive claims - including that William "attacked" him in a row over Meghan Markle.
The Sussexes have also spoken out in a Netflix documentary, titled simply Harry & Meghan.
"Harry and Meghan were deeply unhappy as senior working members of the royal family. He believed they were due an apology for the way Meghan in particular was treated."
He added: "Given that they are not currently attacking the Royal Family and the idea of bridging the rift is in the air, of course this is welcome.
"However, give a thought to the damage caused by what happened from the interviews they gave in South Africa, on Oprah, on the Netflix documentary and in Spare and the interviews publicising it.
"Of course William was enraged. They made the Queen's last years very difficult. The King evicted them from Frogmore."
Kate's sweet birthday message for William
PRINCESS Kate shared a sweet snap of Prince William with their children on Friday to mark his 42nd birthday.
The royal, 42, posted a never-before-seen picture of Wills and their adorable little trio on a beach outing.
The fun action shot shows Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George holding hands as they leap from a sand dune.
Kate wrote a heartwarming message alongside the snap, which she took herself, it read: "Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx"
It was uploaded on The Prince and Princess of Wales' official Instagram account.
It appears to be from a beach in Norfolk, where the family have their country home.
The Princess shared a heart-warming picture of William with the kids at a similar setting on Father's Day.
Meanwhile, the Royal Family shared an adorable baby photograph of William in King Charles' arms.
The Monarch, 75, shared a heartwarming picture showing the prince perched on his lap as a tot.
In the touching black-and-white snap, Charles looks lovingly at his son, who is also brimming with joy.
The beautiful moment was captured at Kensington Palace in London, on February 1, 1983.
It was uploaded to the Royal Family X profile on Friday morning.
But he later added: "Time can heal things. Serious illness can certainly change things."
Mr Fitzwilliams also questioned what the future held for Harry and Meghan - and their relationship with the Royal Family.
He said: "So far as King Charles is concerned, I think he and William are absolutely one at the moment on how to deal with these Sussexes.
"The point is how the Sussexes want to deal with the Royal Family.
"In the weeks and months to come we will see, and we will monitor, because what future have they got?
"What do they want to do? Is it just Netflix? Does she want to go into politics? All these these questions."
Harry stepped down from the Royal Family four years ago and has since made a number of shocking allegations about William.
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Their relationship has only worsened after the Sussexes made a number of accusations against the Royal Family in their Netflix docuseries.
Harry and William were last seen together at King Charles's Coronation last May but they were sat separately and the Duke made a quick escape.
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How Wills has supported Kate through cancer
'DOTING' Prince William has been proudly at Kate's side since she started undergoing cancer treatment.
The heir, 41, did not attend the Thanksgiving service held in honour of Greece’s late King Constantine on February 27 - citing a "personal matter".
It was later claimed that he pulled out of the church service to be with his wife.
Kate revealed Wills had been supporting her throughout - and the "outpouring of kindness" from the nation and further afar had got them though.
In a personal message, Kate said "support and encouragement" from royal fans had boosted her and William's spirits.
She has previously said: "I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months.
"It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.
"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.
"On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting.
"But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."
Kate added: "My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months.
"On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.
"I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet.
"I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.
"Thank you so much for your continued understanding, and to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me."
A spokesman for Wills previously said: "The Prince is pleased to see The Princess starting to engage with the work and projects that are important to her.
"He will continue to focus his time on supporting his wife and children, while continuing to undertake his public duties."
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