Prince Harry and William 'extremely intense behind the scenes' ahead of holidays

Ellie Hook Sat, October 24, 2026 at 9:05 AM UTC

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Prince Harry may be going back to the States for the holidays (Image: Getty)

Things are not looking good for Prince Harry and his hopes to make up with his brother and the rest of his family.

In late August, the Duke, 42, and Duchess of Sussex, 45, relocated back to the U.K. with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. On September 7, as they settled in the Cotswolds, King Charles issued a letter confirming the couple would remain non-working royals.

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, have remained silent. The estranged brothers have reportedly had no contact despite now living in the same country once more, and Harry's hopes of reconciling with his father and William are reportedly growing dimmer by the day.

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Now, the prospect of the pair setting aside their differences for the holiday season has been dashed - something that has made William and Kate "breathe a sigh of relief."

Grant Harrold, who served the 77-year-old monarch at Highgrove between 2004 and 2011, believes the fractured relationship between William and Harry is unlikely to be mended anytime soon, and the holidays being around the corner isn't going to help.

William and Kate may be relieved (Image: Getty)

Speaking to CanadaCasino, former royal butler Grant Harrold exclusively told Express US, "I think Prince William and Catherine will be relieved that Harry and Meghan are reportedly going back to the US for Christmas.

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"Things are still extremely tense behind the scenes, and the idea of a potential forced reunion hanging over them would have been a big concern.

"It's still too early to be playing happy families; there is a lot of upset behind the scenes. But it also would have looked bad for the royals if the Sussexes were just sitting at home on their own on Christmas Day.

"For the King it takes the pressure off him, as he doesn't need to worry about what to do," he continued.

"He's well aware that if he had invited them, it would have been extremely awkward, or more likely, key members of the family - including William and Catherine - would have made alternative plans.

"Harry and Meghan have taken this decision out of his hands, and I think he will be grateful. Hopefully next year things will be different, but there is still a long way to go," the former butler concluded.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”