A royal insider has revealed that Prince Harry should have consulted one of his key family members in a bid to have stopped his bitter rift with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William
Prince Harry should have reached out to a key family member more in a bid to heal his bitter royal rift, an insider has warned.
The Duke of Sussex revealed earlier this year he is no longer on speaking terms with his father, the King, while his relationship with older brother Prince William is also said to be almost non-existent.
However, there has been renewed speculation that reconciliation between Harry and his father could be on the cards after a meeting of their top aides earlier this month.
Harry laid bare in his memoir Spare the extent of the feud between him and his relatives, and even claimed he and William came to blows in a physical fight after a row.
And according to the Sunday Times, royal editor Roya Nikkhah, a friend of Princess Anne, told her at the time the book was published that they think Harry should have reached out to his aunt more.
Anne, who celebrates her 75th birthday next month, was also the ‘spare’ behind her older brother, the King, and once her younger brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, were born, she fell further down the line of succession.
Harry claims he was given different treatment to his heir to the throne brother, William. And the insider reportedly said: “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.”
Anne, the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is known for her no-fuss approach. She has survived a kidnapping attempt, competed in the Olympics and spent decades supporting her mother before becoming a vital part of the King’s slimmed-down working monarchy.
The princess carried out nearly 400 official engagements in 2024 – the most of any member of the royal family – despite it being the year she was rushed to intensive care, spending five nights in hospital after she was believed to have been struck by a horse.
Last week, it was revealed that Anne had been honoured ahead of her 75th birthday with a commemorative coin released by the Royal Mint to celebrate her “remarkable lifetime of service” to the Firm.
The first ever official UK coin to honour the Princess Royal has been dubbed the “Anne-iversary £5 coin”, and has been personally approved by the Princess.
The coin features a portrait of King Charles ’ sister wearing the Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara with her hair swept up in her signature style. The design is framed with the inscription “The Princess Royal – Celebrating 75 Years – Duty and Devotion” in tribute to Anne’s unwavering dedication to her royal duties over the decades.
To the right of the princess’s portrait is a depiction of her official coat of arms, and on the obverse is the King, who gave the creation its final sign-off in honour of his sister.