Prince William and Prince Harry don’t speak. But at one point, the brothers were close, and although those days are long gone, things didn’t turn silent overnight. There were a number of exchanges between William and Harry in the years leading up to their estrangement, and tensions began to rise as far back as 2017.

But apparently, there was a time when Harry wanted to discuss peace with his brother. William wouldn’t have it, giving Harry a cold three-word response.

Prince Harry, King Charles, and Prince William | John Stillwell/WPA Pool/Getty images

Prince William did not want to make peace with Prince Harry after his royal exit

Harry and William were friendly growing up, but they were never the best friends that some brothers become. They remained on good terms until both men were in their 30s, but once Harry gained a greater sense of independence after his wedding to Meghan, things unraveled between the two. In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced that they were taking a step back from their roles as senior royals. And in March of that same year, the two left the royal family entirely.

When the feud began to boil over, Express reports that Harry revealed he did try to make peace with his brother — but William wanted no part of it. He had just three words to say: “You left, Harold.”

Harry combated William’s brief sentence by saying, “Yeah — and you know why.” But William argued his brother’s words with another brief reply. “I don’t.”

Although few words were said in the exchange, it was enough to make it clear where things have stood ever since between them. If anything, those words are even worse than a big blowout discussion because they suggest that William was exhausted from the battle and wanted no part of fixing things.

Is Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship permanently damaged?

It seems that experts and insiders can’t decide on whether things will ever improve between the two brothers. William and Harry have not been on good terms in years, and almost nothing has brought them back together. Their father, King Charles, reportedly told his sons that he did not want his last years to be a “misery” due to their feud, but even that was not enough to bring the two men closer.

It’s hard to say if Harry and William’s relationship will ever improve. There are constant stories arguing both sides, with some insiders saying the two want to heal things and others saying they’re far from it. We do know, from Harry’s words, that he and Meghan won’t return to the United Kingdom until they have better security, so that right there is one reason Harry and William won’t have a sit-down to sort things out. But that doesn’t mean it will never happen.