Harry has William and the King over a barrel – they'll look so petty if they ignore his latest request

The Irish Sun

25-06-2025

PRINCE Harry has King Charles and William over a barrel and will make them look 'petty' if they ignore his latest request, according to experts.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, has invited both members of his estranged family to the next Invictus Games in 2027.
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If the King and Prince William attend it could mark a big step towards reconciliation with Harry
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The brothers have been at loggerheads ever since Harry and Meghan quit the royal family in 2020
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Harry's invite runs the risk of making the monarch and his brother look "petty"
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Harry has drawn up the invitations in advance to give the King and Prince William time to fit it into their schedules, despite it clashing with a royal bash.
The ceremony will kick off at Birmingham's NEC on July 12, 2027, and will wrap up on July 17.
The event falls on the same day as Queen Camilla's 80th birthday, a special occasion that will surely be celebrated by the royal family.
But if the monarch and his eldest son were to attend it could mark the biggest step towards reconciliation so far.
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Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, News.com.au's Royal Correspondent, Bronte Coy, said if the duo don't attend, it runs the risk of looking "petty".
She said: "I think this is such a difficult one, I've given this one a lot of thought.
"There's a lot of sympathy, understanding and respect for the King's and William's position because I think anyone can relate that if you've been spoken about publicly, and had your personal issues with family members aired in that way, of course you would be angry.
"And of course, you'd be well within your right to shut it down and cut him off because there's no trust."
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But Coy added that the event goes "beyond Harry", especially when the military are involved.
She added: "But it's in the UK and you're talking about the military community of which the royals are very, very, very entwined.
"You do run the risk of looking a little bit petty if they don't go and support it, given their position in supporting the military community."
"I think it's going to particularly complicated and something that is going to be discussed a lot in the palace."
Also speaking on the show was ex-palace spokesman, Dickie Arbiter, who said: "I think Harry has flagged up that he would like his dad and his brother there.
"But you have to clear up a lot of bad air to get them there because William really doesn't want to have anything to do with him.
"A parent is slightly different - he loves his son but he's very hurt by what his son has done and there doesn't seem to be any move of rapprochement."
He added: "It would cause a massive headache because you don't just roll over having been rubbished for such a long time.
"To rubbish the royal family to that extent and then expect everybody to roll over, kiss and make up, all is forgiven.
"There's an equation to this and the other half to the equation is Mrs Sussex."
This comes after Harry revealed last month that "I would like to get my father and brother back" in his
Prince Harry practices his German as he shares video message to mark country's first Veteran's Day
It's not yet known whether Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, will be in attendance after the Duke
It comes as Harry said a reconciliation with his family lay in the Charles' hands.
The Duke told the BBC that there was no reason to keep fighting but that his father wouldn't speak to him over the security row.
Harry said Charles "won't speak to me because of this security stuff", after
"I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious", Harry continued.
Harry also sensationally blamed the King for his woes and claimed "this whole thing could be resolved through him".
There was hope for reconciliation last year when Harry travelled to the UK to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of his Invictus Games.
However, the King and Harry failed to meet due to the Monarch's "full programme".
And the Duke was offered to spend his time at one of the royal apartments - however he turned it down in what
Meanwhile, Princes William and Harry have not been in direct communication since the release of Harry's controversial memoir, Spare, in January 2023.
Their last reported interaction was during the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022, but conversations were said to be brief. ​
The feuding brothers reportedly did not speak to each other despite standing 'virtually back to back' among mourners at their uncle's memorial service last year.
The brothers have been at loggerheads since
A timeline of Prince Harry's family feud
The first hints of friction reportedly came after William was introduced to Meghan when she was staying at Kensington Palace.
Once she'd returned home to Canada, William and Harry sat down for a brother-to-brother chat.
He knew Harry was already head-over-heels for her but it has been claimed he advised him to take it slowly.
The younger prince reportedly didn't take too kindly to the advice, with one royal source saying he "went mental".
Then in June 2019 Harry and Meghan officially
The Royal Foundation will be divided between the Sussexes and Cambridges as the couples focus on their own separate charitable endeavours.
Prince William and Prince Harry first established the Royal Foundation in 2009 before Kate joined two years later shortly after their engagement was announced.
The trio would often appear together at events and the Foundation had huge successes with projects like the Invictus Games for injured veterans and the mental health Heads Together campaign.
The Royal Foundation said the decision was made following the conclusion of a review into its structure - but added both couples will continue to work together in the future.
Harry and Meg were living in close proximity to Kate and Wills within the Kensington Palace estate, but they switched to
The move further increased rumours of a fallout.
Harry also hinted in his
In 2021, Harry and Meghan give their
Harry then jetted back to UK to join William in unveiling a statue to their mother Princess Diana in the grounds of Kensington Palace. But sources claimed William didn't want to attend the memorial amid their ongoing rift.
In 2022, just before their grandmother the Queen died, sources claimed Kate
In
Harry alleged William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor".
He said he was left with a visible injury to his back following the argument in 2019 at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of
In January 2024,
Harry flew back to the US the following day - without seeing Wills.
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It's not yet clear whether Meghan will also be in attendance at the Invictus Games
Credit: Getty
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The brothers used to share a close bond together with their father