Prince William and Prince Harry Reportedly Remain Estranged Despite King Charles Reunion

Prince William and Prince Harry Still Have ‘No Contact’ Despite Harry’s Reunion with King Charles (Exclusive)

“There has been no movement, especially on William’s side,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story

Prince Harry at the Invictus Games’ One Year to Go event at National Exhibition Centre on July 10, 2026 in Birmingham, England; Prince William at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2026 in London.Credit : 

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Prince Harry’s long-awaited reunion with King Charles may have marked a turning point in one royal relationship — but not the one with Prince William.

“It’s so broken,” an insider tells PEOPLE about the bond between the King’s sons in this week’s exclusive cover story.

Adds a source who knows both brothers: “I thought it would have perhaps eased a little bit by now, to be honest. But there has been no movement, especially on William’s side. There is no contact.”

Though Prince William, 44, and Prince Harry, 41, stepped out just 12 miles apart in London on July 7, the first day of Harry’s U.K. trip, there was never an expectation they would meet.

PEOPLE Magazine, July 27, 2026.

The strain between the once-close brothers deepened after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and it widened further with the publication of Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, in which he laid bare his experience of royal life.

Prince Harry’s U.K. trip included a long-awaited reunion between King Charles and Harry’s wife and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. Meanwhile, on the same day, Prince William attended his annual charity polo match in Windsor with Kate Middleton.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 at the Guards Polo Club on July 10, 2026 in Windsor, England.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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The distance that divides the brothers now extends to the next generation. The Prince and Princess of Wales’ children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — have no relationship with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, their California-based first cousins.

“[Princess] Diana would be devastated that it has turned out like this, particularly because [the brothers] were once so close,” royal author Simon Vigar says of what William and Harry’s late mother would make of the situation.

Royal historian Robert Lacey previously told PEOPLE: “The rift is very profound and very long-lasting. It will not be changed, in my opinion, until Harry makes a move and apologizes.”

Complicating the dynamic, historian Amanda Foreman added, “Everyone wants it to happen on their terms, but that’s what makes it impossible.”

Prine William at the Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain (The London Welsh School) in Hanwell, West London on July 7, 2026; Prince Harry at Chatham House for the fourteenth Invictus Games Foundation Conversation: From Policy to Practice on July 7, 2026.

The Duke of Sussex had a rocky road to reunion with his father, and an explosive back-and-forth over security and accommodation for his family cast a shadow over his return.

Harry ultimately carried on with the trip alone, while Meghan, Archie and Lilibet traveled to Britain from Portugal, where the family was vacationing, on July 9. They reunited with King Charles and Queen Camilla the following day for the first time in four years.

The meeting marked a step forward for Harry and his father, and a dose of fresh hope about what the future may hold.

“The relationship is better,” a close source tells PEOPLE.

Prince Harry, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and Meghan Markle in the family’s 2025 holiday card; King Charles visits the charity REORG at the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in London on June 24, 2026.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram; Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP via Getty

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Prince Harry has voiced a wish to restore relationships with his family, telling the BBC in May 2025, “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”

SOURCE: https://people.com/prince-harry-prince-william-no-contact-despite-king-charles-reunion-exclusive-12019296