Prince William wouldn’t invite Prince Harry to his coronation, friends say

The ‘estranged’ princes, who used to be very close, are now further apart than ever and haven’t spoken in nearly two years.

As things stand, Prince William would not want Prince Harry to come to the ceremony at which he is crowned King. Picture: Getty

Prince William does not plan to invite his brother Prince Harry to his coronation, friends say. The brothers, who used to be very close, are thought not to have spoken in nearly two years.

Friends of Prince William, 42, and Prince Harry, who will be 40 next month, say they are “estranged” and, as things stand, William would not want Harry to come to the ceremony at which he is crowned King.

Sources close to William said that he rarely speaks of Harry, who pulled no punches in his depiction of his brother in his memoir, Spare, published last year.

Sources close to William said that he rarely speaks of Harry, who pulled no punches in his depiction of his brother in his memoir, Spare, published last year. Picture: Supplied

The book included claims that William had attacked Harry, knocking him to the ground during a fight about the Duchess of Sussex in 2019, and suggestions that the Princess of Wales was cold towards Meghan.

A source close to William, who is understood to have no desire for a reconciliation with his brother, said: “This year his focus has very much been on his wife, his children and his father. His brother isn’t really something that’s discussed.”

One of their closest friends said: “They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad.”

When Catherine, 43, publicly revealed her cancer diagnosis in March, sources close to Harry and Meghan said that they had reached out privately to her and William. The Sunday Times understands that the contact was not reciprocated. The Waleses did not share news of the diagnosis with the Sussexes before the public announcement.

This year William’s ‘focus has very much been on his wife, his children and his father’, said a close source. Picture: Instagram/@princesscatherineofwales

William and Harry are not thought to have spoken since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on September 19, 2022.

Harry is also understood to have been wounded by the King’s decision not to allow him and Meghan to attend a Buckingham Palace reception for international dignitaries on the eve of the funeral, which Charles deemed was for working royals only.

The official briefing notes for the funeral were not sent to Harry and Meghan until about 11pm on the night before the service, according to a friend of the Sussexes.

It can also be revealed that the King is “frustrated” by Harry’s legal battle with the government over his security in the UK.

The prince lost his automatic right to around-the-clock police protection when he withdrew as a working member of the royal family in 2020. He claimed that the security decision was influenced by members of Charles’s household who sit on the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures.

William and Harry are not thought to have spoken since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on September 19, 2022. Picture: Getty

Harry, who is currently in Colombia on a four-day tour with Meghan, still receives protection when in the UK on a “bespoke” basis. Unless full security is restored, he has said it is not safe to bring Meghan, 43, or their children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, to Britain.

The young princess, whose name comes from her great-grandmother’s childhood nickname, but who is known as Lili, was born in California, and has visited the UK only once, in June 2022 during Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

In February Harry lost a High Court challenge to overturn a ruling that there was nothing unlawful in the decision to downgrade his security, but intends to appeal. Sussex “insiders” recently told the US celebrity magazine People that Harry “feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father”, but that calls to Charles “go unanswered”.

Unless full security is restored, Harry has said it is not safe to bring Meghan or their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to Britain. Picture: Netflix

A source close to the King, 75, who is still having treatment for cancer, said: “His Majesty’s son is suing His Majesty’s government, and that is very tricky for the King. If they were to meet, there is a worry that son would lobby father because of the mistaken belief that the King has control over his security. For him not to have accepted the judgment of His Majesty’s government and courts is frustrating.”

Other friends of Charles, who last saw Harry on February 6 when he flew to the UK after his father’s cancer diagnosis, point out that it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the monarch to intervene in a judicial process.

Harry and Meghan will conclude their tour of Colombia today (Sunday) with two engagements in the city of Cali, a forum focused on “highlighting and uplifting Afro-Colombian women” and a meeting with young people from the Pacific region. Yesterday (Saturday) they visited San Basilio de Palenque, a town founded by escaped slaves during the colonial era, now known as a symbol of their resistance.

The Times