Prince Harry and Prince William release extraordinary joint statement in response to bullying claims
Despite claims of a rift, Prince Harry and Prince William have come together to release a joint statement about an “offensive” claim in the press.
Prince Harry and Prince William have united to say they are “deeply, deeply unhappy” about claims the latter’s ‘bullying’ caused the royal split.
A royal source told the UK press that The Duke of Sussex felt pushed out of the royal family by his big brother. But Harry and William slammed the claim, calling it offensive, The Sun reports.
In a rare show of unity, their statement read: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”
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MEGHAN ‘WANTS TO LEAVE’
The source had told The Times the decision for Harry to leave the royal family had been driven by Meghan.
It was also claimed Harry and Meghan wanted to take a step back after “constantly being told their place”.
According to repeated reports, Harry felt that William was insufficiently welcoming towards Meghan when they first started dating.
Their relationship has apparently not recovered since but royal insiders have been quick to deny the claims.
“She wants to leave … She thinks: ‘It’s not working for me’,” the source said.
“Harry is under intense pressure to choose. It is sad. He loves the Queen. He loves this country.
“He loves all his military stuff and I think it will genuinely break his heart to leave. I don’t think that’s what he really wants. I think they want some halfway house.”
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CRISIS TALKS
Amid crisis talks and upset at the bombshell, The Sunday Times reported the Duke of Cambridge hoped one day everyone would “play on the team” again.
William reportedly revealed his “sadness” over the tense relationship with his brother and the splitting of the royal family.
William is said to have made the remarks days after Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals and planned to spend much of their time abroad.
“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that anymore; we’re separate entities. I’m sad about that,” he said.
“All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page.”
The Queen summoned Charles, William and Harry to a historic summit at Sandringham to thrash out the royal family’s future.
It has been reported Prince Harry arrived just after 11am, while William — who has been staying at the nearby Amber Hall — arrived at 1.45pm, just before the meeting was set to start at 2pm.
Despite the rift between the brothers, the Queen and Prince Charles’s priority is keeping them united for the sake of the monarchy, insiders have revealed.
Breaking: Statement from Buckingham Palace #SandringhamSummit #HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/tuapaYRTse
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) January 13, 2020
TELL-ALL INTERVIEW FEARS
The meeting comes after it emerged The Sussexes may threaten a tell-all US TV interview to get their way.
Meghan’s American PR team is already in touch with major US networks and chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
The couple could use the TV threat to try to secure a better deal at the Sandringham talks with the Queen, Prince Charles and William over their plans to step down from frontline royal duties.
“Harry and Meghan’s people have been reaching out to all the big US networks to explore the possibilities of a sit-down warts-and-all interview,” a royal source said.
“Perhaps Harry and Meghan will use this as a negotiating tactic as there is no way the royals want their dirty laundry out in the open.
“Maybe they will get more money if they agree not to talk.”
The source said the couple want to “tell their side of the story”, adding “Meghan feels she’s been silenced and is no longer prepared to be muted.
“She and Harry feel the royals have been racist and sexist. Her people are actively exploring opportunities.”
‘FURIOUS’ PHILIP
Prince Philip, who is said to be ‘deeply hurt’ by the split, was today pictured leaving Sandringham ahead of the crunch talks.
“To say that the Duke feels let down would be a considerable understatement. He is deeply hurt,” a source said.
“He spends much of his time now confined to his cottage at Sandringham. But he was spitting blood when aides informed him what had happened.
“He has left the Queen in absolutely no doubt about how he feels. Philip has accused Harry and Meghan of lacking respect and he is weary of their behaviour.
“They did not spend Christmas with the family — which he and the Queen accepted — and now this. His primary concern is the impact this is having on the Queen. A lot of Philip’s anger comes from seeing Her Majesty upset.”
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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