According to a forthcoming royal biography, King Charles III sent Prince William a message earlier this year about Prince Harry and second chances by inviting “disgraced” royals to events. Ahead, what a royal insider had to say about the meaning behind the king’s “very pointed message” to his oldest son.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have had moments of being back in the ‘royal fold’
In his new royal biography, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, out Aug. 6, 2024, author Robert Jobson wrote the king wants the Duke of Sussex and Prince of Wales to reconcile. (The two are estranged and reportedly haven’t spoken in years.)
Additionally, that he used his 64-year-old brother, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York—William and Harry’s uncle—and Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to send a message.
It started back in 2022. “First, the disgraced Duke of York was spotted—to the surprise of many—walking with other members of the Royal Family to their traditional Christmas service in 2022,” Jobson wrote (via Newsweek).
Andrew stepped back from life as a working royal following a widely panned 2019 interview about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The interview has since become the subject of a Netflix movie. Meanwhile, Amazon’s own version is on the way.
Andrew has remained largely out of the public eye ever since, only making the rare public appearance at royal family events. Ferguson is far removed from royal life and has been since her and Andrew’s 1996 divorce.
“Then, in February this year, he and his ex-wife [Ferguson] were photographed leading royal mourners as they walked to the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece,” the author continued.
William pulled out of the service at the last minute. It’s since been reported Kate Middleton may have first learned of her cancer diagnosis that day, hence William’s absence.
“What did it all mean?” he asked. “And why had Fergie—long banished from other such occasions—suddenly been welcomed so publicly back into the royal fold?”
The king’s message to William is about giving Prince Harry a ‘second chance’
Jobson continued, quoting a royal insider who felt the king’s invites to Andrew and Ferguson might’ve been a coded message for William about Harry.
“Remarkably, a senior figure in the royal household suggests that by extending a hand to the Yorks, King Charles was trying to send his elder son William a very pointed message. Not about Andrew—but about Prince Harry,” the author wrote.
“Perhaps the King is subliminally trying to show William that forgiving one’s brother and giving him a second chance is a strength, not a weakness,” he quoted the source as saying. “Prince William disagrees—and as for his own brother, as far as he is concerned, there is no way back.”
“In other words,” the author wrote, “the feud between Harry and William looks set to continue, possibly for the rest of their lives.”
William has an ‘absolute ban’ on Harry coming back ‘in any way’
As the person who is now “calling the shots when it comes to family discipline,” according to a Daily Beast report, William’s ensuring everyone steers clear of Harry, including King Charles.
The 42-year-old has instituted an “absolute ban” on Harry, the “most notable effect” of his new “enforcer” role. An insider said William doesn’t want Harry “returning in any way, shape, or form to the family fold.”
While King Charles wants to see Harry more, William is not letting it happen. That in itself “tells you everything you need to know about who is really in charge.”
So, it seems, for now at least, the king’s message about second chances and forgiveness hasn’t quite reached William.
