A first step towards the end of the rift? Why a rare insight from Prince William might mean healing for the estranged brothers… details below 😱👇

Are we about to see the end of the royal rift at the heart of the House of Windsor? The Prince of Wales has been flicking through the family archives ahead of the release of his highly personal documentary, which focuses on his efforts to combat homelessness. Prince William: We Can End Homelessness looks back on the moment that Princess Diana took her son, aged just 11, to meet members of the homeless community at Westminster-based charity The Passage in 1993. Newly released throwback photos of that day have offered an emotional insight into the future king’s childhood, but it was what William said in a trailer for the passion project that caught the attention of royal watchers everywhere. For the first time in years, Prince William made a public reference to his estranged brother, Prince Harry.

The moment came while the royal was opening up about how Princess Diana inspired his commitment to ending homelessness during that visit to the Passage, a charity for which William now serves as patron. ‘My mother took me to the Passage, she took Harry and I both there… I’d never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect,’ the future King explained. ‘My mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed and having a joke with everyone … you meet people, like I did then, who put a different perspective in your head.’

This nod to Prince Harry – who is seen alongside his brother and Princess Diana in a heartwarming photo from that day back in 1993 – marks the first time that the Prince of Wales has uttered the Duke of Sussex’s name in public since 2018, when the two princes joined Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle for an interview at the Royal Foundation Forum.

It was Meghan’s debut as a working royal, and at the time, the ‘fab four’ were seen as the modern face of the monarchy, raising awareness for mental health campaigns and gearing up for a royal wedding in the Spring. It would, however, be the last time that this generation of the Windsors would address each other in front of the nation.

Speaking at the time, royal expert Ingrid Seward explained that the allegations and revelations made in Spare would be seen as a betrayal by Kensington Palace, saying: ‘They are surely feeling angry and betrayed that Harry decided to make money out of his immediate family in this disloyal way.’

The rest, as they say, is history. Many will be wondering whether Prince William’s decision to openly discuss his brother might just mark the extension of an olive branch. In 2021, the Sussexes sat down for an interview with their close friend Oprah Winfrey, in which they are surely feeling angry and betrayed that Harry decided to make money out of his immediate family in this disloyal way.’

The rest, as they say, is history. Many will be wondering whether Prince William’s decision to openly discuss his brother might just mark the extension of an olive branch. In 2021, the Sussexes sat down for an interview with their close friend Oprah Winfrey, in which they claimed that a member of the royal family had expressed ‘concerns’ over the colour of their son, Prince Archie’s, skin tone. Prince William would publicly rebute the allegations that the Windsors were racist, telling reporters during a royal engagement that ‘we’re very much not a racist family’

Ahead of the Prince of Wales’ 40th birthday, royal insiders told Rebecca English that the future King’s relationship with Harry was at ‘rock bottom’. ‘He alternates between grieving for what he has lost and feeling really, really angry about what his brother has done,’ said friends of the brothers. ‘He truly loves Harry and feels he has lost the only person, aside from his wife, who understood this strange life of theirs.’

The feud has only appeared more fractious this year, with William and Harry seemingly refusing to communicate amid the Duke of Sussex’s trips to London. Rumours spiralled in May, when Prince Harry returned to the UK to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Foundation at St Paul’s Cathedral. What better time, many thought, for the brothers to reunite? After all, William is said to have encouraged Harry to set up the foundation, which supports injured veterans, and cheered from the sidelines at the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014.