Prince William’s ‘Authority as Heir’ at Risk After Harry’s 'Successful' UK Visit, Claims Insider
Prince Harry’s surprise stop at Clarence House to meet his father on September 10 is not being seen anymore as just a harmless cup of tea between the estranged father and son. Instead, it has rattled nerves behind Palace doors and rekindled old rivalries that were lying dormant for the longest time.
Rob Shuter, on his Substack page, reports that the Palace has gone “into overdrive to downplay talk of reconciliation.” He claims there’s genuine unease about what Harry’s sudden charm offensive might mean for the future of the Crown. Charles, still recovering from illness and facing a wave of public sympathy, remains 'vulnerable'. “Charles is vulnerable right now, and Harry knows it,” an insider allegedly said. “If William feels edged out, Harry gains leverage.”
This leverage is precisely what alarms the Palace. For Prince William, the meeting was not only unexpected but also humiliating. Shuter argued that William was reportedly 'blindsided' by the meeting, fuming that he wasn’t consulted. “If Charles is seen cozying up to Harry, it risks undermining William’s authority as heir,” warns another insider.
Once the discussions were around reconciliation, but now that has shifted to realignment. A Palace aide, far less romantic about brotherly bonds, cut to the chase. “It’s no longer about mending fences. It’s about shifting power — and Harry knows exactly where to stick the knife.” The unease is compounded by Harry’s public reception in the UK.
Reportedly, it is his energy and charisma that reminded many of what the monarchy lost when he and Meghan Markle stepped away. But what won hearts among the public only hardened William’s resentment. An insider told the Daily Mail, “William is back at the point where if you mention Prince Harry in his presence, he would throw you out of the room. He’s doubling down.” The heir’s obstinacy, coupled with Harry’s continued relevance, leaves little room for compromise. Another insider noted, "William is more determined than ever to cut Harry off altogether. It infuriates William that Harry has pulled off a 12-month 'master plan' to re-ingratiate himself."
Talking about what he went through in the last five years, to have finally ended up where he is now, an insider remarked, "William originally went through all the stages of grief over his brother. When they first fell out, he went to Balmoral and went off his food. Just before the Oprah chat screened, he wept. Then he turned to anger, and when that stage was over, he simply compartmentalized it all and moved on. He never expected to be regularly in the same postcode as his brother again, like he was last week."
What complicates matters further is Charles’s own emotions. Behind the Crown is a father who has long yearned for the presence of his younger son. As author Tina Brown put it in The Quiet Triumph of King Charles III, “It was also the fulfillment of paternal longing. It’s no secret that Charles desperately misses his prodigal son who, in earlier days, was always the fun, ebullient scamp compared with the haughtier, more Hanoverian William.”