Prince Harry is set to travel to New York while his brother is participating in a summit there. The Prince of Wales and future British King, Prince William, will be in the Big Apple on September 24 for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, while a spokesperson for his brother, the Duke of Sussex, said he is scheduled to travel to the city from September 22 to 29 “to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives.”
Royal commentators, however, say the siblings are unlikely to connect, having not spoken to each other for more than two years. The once close brothers have been estranged since Harry criticized the family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, and later published a tell-all autobiography revealing intimate details of life behind palace walls – a significant departure from protocol and a move many consider a betrayal of the family and the ancient British institution.
Harry and his American wife, Meghan Markle, left the UK in 2021 to relocate to California after Meghan struggled to adjust to the highly regulated and controlled life of a British Royal. Relations since then have deteriorated, and the Prince’s relationship with his father, King Charles III, is severely damaged. When Harry visited the UK earlier this year, his father did not see him, citing a hectic schedule. Media reports, however, suggested that “cruel comments” about his stepmother Camilla in his autobiography were the real reason for the King’s snub.
There was speculation that Prince Harry had held out an olive branch to his brother when he re-released his explosive book, Spare, in paperback recently, but unusually, did not include any updates. Once again, however, Royal experts said the gesture would not be enough to mend the wounds between the two brothers.
In Spare, the fastest-selling autobiography in history, Prince Harry described his brother as a bully, said his father was cold and unemotional, and accused “the firm” (the administration behind the Monarchy) of mistreating his wife. The title, Spare, stems from his position in the Royal hierarchy – the sibling of the heir to the throne is considered a “spare” should tragedy befall the next in line.
