Reconcile with royal family is most important, Prince Harry says

Prince Harry has publicly expressed a willingness to move beyond past conflicts and seek reconciliation with the royal family, though experts remain skeptical that a reunion with Prince William is imminent. In a video interview with GQ conducted by host Zach Baron in September and released Tuesday, the 42-year-old Duke of Sussex was asked whether he mourned his strained ties with his father, King Charles III, 77, and his brother, Prince William, 44. "Yes, of course," Harry said. "I think from a family perspective — again, another massively relatable issue for so many people — sibling disagreements, broken relationships between kids and their parents, kids and one parent. That continues to come up with me the whole time with people that I speak to, so I know how relatable it is." "Some people maybe look at us and go, ‘How are you gonna work it out? Maybe that will help me work my stuff out,'" he continued. "Some people don't want it to work out," Harry added. "I want it to work out. With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile — that's the key point."

Harry Says 'Scars Stick Around Forever'

When Baron asked whether the family "wound" could be repaired, Harry replied, "Scars stick around forever." "But what your perception is, and what your mindset is to those things that have happened, letting go of the past," he said. "That's something that I would encourage everybody to do: If there's certain things from the past that are still affecting you every day, that's harder to let go of." "But, for me, there's enough drama in the world and enough drama in people's lives to continue with issues with family," Harry added. After the interview aired, Harry's remark that "some people don't want it to work out" prompted speculation that he meant William. A spokesperson later clarified the comment to People magazine, stating it "was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family." "The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way," Harry's representative added.

Years of Strain Between the Brothers

Harry's bond with his relatives has been frayed for years. Talk of a rift between the brothers emerged in 2018 following Harry's marriage to former "Suits" actress Meghan Markle. In October 2019, Harry openly acknowledged difficulties with William, telling ITV that while they would "always be brothers," they were on "different paths" and saw less of each other than before. Matters worsened after Harry and Markle withdrew as senior working royals in January 2020, moving first to Canada and eventually to California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex later leveled grievances against the royal family in their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, alleging insufficient support from the institution and accusing an unnamed royal of racism. Harry spoke of his fractured ties with Charles and William, admitting he felt "really let down" by his father and revealing Charles had stopped taking his calls as the couple prepared to step back. Despite that, Harry said he would "always love" his father and vowed to "make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship." He said he loved William "to bits" but reiterated they were on "different paths," describing their relationship as "space" while hoping "time heals all things." The situation deteriorated further with the 2022 Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," in which Harry accused the institution of leaking and planting stories. It worsened again with the January 2023 release of his memoir, "Spare," which detailed private disputes and alleged William physically attacked him during a 2019 argument over Markle. Buckingham Palace declined to publicly respond to the allegations.

Harry's Continued Push for Accountability

Harry has nonetheless kept voicing his wish to mend fences. In a January 2023 ITV interview promoting "Spare," he said, "Forgiveness is 100% a possibility because I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back." "At the moment, I don't recognize them, as much as they probably don't recognize me," he added. Harry also said reconciliation would require a condition. "Though I would like to have reconciliation, I would like accountability," he said. "I've managed to make peace over this time with a lot of things that have happened. But that doesn't mean that I'm just gonna let it go."