The Real Reason Prince William May Have Shut Out the Former Archbishop of Canterbury
Prince William’s engagement with the Church of England was more distant during Justin Welby’s tenure as the archbishop.
Over the last few months, Prince William’s reportedly distant relationship with former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has sparked fresh discussion about how the future king manages trust and loyalty within his inner circle. The spotlight intensified in March, when both the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the enthronement of Sarah Mullally as the 106th spiritual leader of the Church of England. According to royal insiders, William’s coldness with Welby may not have been caused by a single issue, but might stem from a wider pattern of strained relationships and shifting alliances within the royal circle.
While the Prince of Wales recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Church of England and spoke about his ‘quiet faith,’ his engagement with the institution may have been more distant during Welby’s tenure, allegedly due to Welby’s closer relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. As reported by the Daily Mail, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have turned to the former Archbishop for guidance during several key moments of their royal life.
For instance, in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Markle claimed they were privately married by Welby a few days before their 2018 royal wedding. "We called the archbishop and we just said, ‘Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us.’ So, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our back yard with the archbishop of Canterbury," the Duchess had said in the sit-down.
Speaking on Times Radio, royal expert Roya Nikkhah added more to the conversation, saying, “Justin and his team, for many years at Lambeth Palace, did try very hard to get meetings with William, and there was just a wall of silence that came down. William is someone who does hold a grudge; he does choose sides. If someone picks the other side, he remembers that.”According to fellow commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, Welby may not have been the only prominent figure to face this cold shoulder, suggesting journalist Tom Bradby also experienced a similar distancing after his close coverage of Harry and Markle’s royal departure.
Fitzwilliams stated, “The journalist Tom Bradby was once a close friend of William's. However, in his documentary made during Harry and Meghan's tour of South Africa, where they represented the Queen, he chronicled their first publicly expressed dissatisfaction with royal life, which went viral, telling the world the brothers were on 'different paths'.” He added, “Bradby, who had been given an exclusive interview by William and Catherine when they were engaged and attended their wedding, was regarded by William as having betrayed him. He has reportedly cut off all contact for obvious reasons.”
Meanwhile, the tensions are said to extend beyond just the public figures and media relationships, with reports suggesting that William’s circle has also narrowed within his own family. Talking about his deteriorating bond with his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Fitzwilliams explained, “William was reportedly pushing for Andrew's titles to be stripped earlier. He has been taking a strong line all along, especially given Andrew's insensitive and bovine attitudes. At the Duchess of Kent's funeral, his disgust at his uncle's behavior was visible.”
