Royal expert Jennie Bond has claimed the Duke of Sussex has missed his chance to patch things up with one major royal, who, at one point, may have held the key for a reconciliation
As rumours of peace talks between Prince Harry and King Charles continue to swirl after senior aides to the two royals were spotted at a meeting in London, a royal expert has weighed in on the claims that one major royal could mend the rift.
Earlier this week, a royal insider shared Harry should’ve reached out to his aunt , Princess Anne, more during the turbulent times within the royal family that eventually led to Harry and Meghan quitting royal life and relocating to California. The insider, a friend of the princess, who also played second fiddle to her brother, King Charles, said that they had first had the thoughts after Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare was released.
But despite the insider’s beliefs, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes it is too late for the Duke of Sussex to confide in the Princess Royal, and to lean on her to help mend the relationship between Harry and King Charles, given his “extremely disloyal” actions towards the Firm.
The insider allegedly said, as reported by the Sunday Times: “He [ Prince Harry ] really ought to talk to Princess Anne. She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently from Charles. She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path.
“In her twenties, she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that. He should talk to her about her experiences. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”
But as Jennie claims, the time for Anne to give Harry advice, both on how to navigate life as a ‘spare’ and how to fix his relationship with the royal family at large, has passed.
Jennie exclusively told The Mirror : “Yes Anne would have been the perfect person to offer advice and guidance, but sadly, this is no longer relevant as Harry has made it quite clear that he has no desire to return to life as a working royal.
“She could have told her nephew that ‘playing second fiddle’ is the wrong way to look at his status. Instead, as she has shown, the second born can be an invaluable support to the institution of monarchy, and a vital friend, confidant and wingman/woman to the monarch.
“She could have explained that they are a team, a firm, working together to keep the monarchy relevant and using their platform to help charities and communities.”
Jennie also speculated that Anne may not want to get involved in rehashing the drama between Harry and Charles, and even questioned whether the Princess Royal knew the extent of the family rift.
She said: “It may be that the King has discussed his family troubles with Anne, but I rather doubt that she would want to get involved. To Anne, loyalty is paramount, and I suspect she feels that Harry has been extremely disloyal to his father, his brother and the monarchy. She might well find that hard to forgive.”
Rumours of a royal reconciliation first emerged earlier this month when Harry’s chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan’s UK public relations team, met the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League at the private member’s club is right by Clarence House – Charles’ London residence.
While it is not yet known who initiated the appointment, the meeting has been described by sources as informal, with casual drinks intended to open a channel of communication between both camps.