Prince William made a rare mention of Prince Harry in his new documentary. But don’t get too excited about the estranged brothers potentially reuniting. Despite some reports of it being called an “olive branch” or a sign of an impending reconciliation, one commentator says it’s not a “major breakthrough” in the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex’s relationship.
What William said about Harry in his homelessness documentary
In William’s documentary titled, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which began streaming stateside on Nov. 1, 2024, he shared memories of learning about homelessness from Princess Diana alongside Harry.
“My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and I both there,” William said. “I’d never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.”
The two-part documentary charts the first year of William’s Homewards initiative. Launched through he and Kate Middleton’s Royal Foundation, it addresses homelessness in six U.K. cities.
“My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a joke with everyone,” he continued. “I remember having some good conversation, playing chess, and chatting. You meet people, like I did then, who put a different perspective in your head.”
William ‘had to mention’ his brother in the documentary or risk an apparent ‘snub’
According to royal commentator Phil Dampier, William including Harry in his memories about visiting homeless shelters as a child wasn’t an olive branch. Rather, it was probably more of a strategic move.
“[William] was going on about their childhood when Diana took them to various charities and so he had to mention [Harry]. It’s as simple as that,” Dampier told the U.K.’s Sun.
Had William not mentioned Harry, the commentator argued, it wouldn’t have looked good. “It would have been a snub if he hadn’t,” Dampier continued. “I don’t see it as any sort of major breakthrough, I’m afraid, in their relationship, which is sadly, as far apart as ever.”
Why William mentioned Harry in the documentary aside, it marked the first time the future king has said his brother’s name in a public speech or interview since 2018 (via The Daily Mail).
William has ‘no interest’ in reconciling with Harry
So, where does William stand on his and Harry’s rift? According to The Daily Beast, reuniting with his younger brother isn’t a high “priority” for the future king. “The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan [Markle],” a friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales told the publication.
William, they continued, “regards what Harry said in his book (i.e. his memoir, Spare) as unforgivable. And, understandably given Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, [he] just wants to focus on his wife and family first and his job second. There isn’t space for a complicated reconciliation process with Harry. It’s not a priority.”
William and Harry attended their uncle’s funeral in August 2024 but reportedly didn’t speak to each other. As for their father, King Charles III, Harry’s legal fight over security is said to have “angered” the soon-to-be 76-year-old. So much so, the report claimed, that the king is “avoiding speaking or meeting” with Harry out of fear his son might “lobby” him to intervene.
Meanwhile, the Sussex family isn’t expected to spend the holidays with William, Kate, King Charles, and the rest of the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t publicly confirmed their holiday plans. However, Diana’s childhood home of Althorp is said to be a possibility.
