Prince Harry has had a fractured relationship with both his father and his older brother William ever since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020

There was a time when Prince William and Prince Harry were incredibly close. But in recent years, the gulf between has grown to such an extent that a reunion seems highly doubtful, according to experts.

In the time since he left the royal family, Harry and wife Meghan Markle have been openly critical of the monarchy; in their infamous Oprah interview, their Netflix show, interviews, and in his memoir Spare.

Their continual bombshells have left William’s relationship with Harry strained – and according to one royal expert, there’s one personal reason the future King ‘cut ties’ with his younger brother.

Ingrid Seward touched up the importance of stability in William’s life as she told the Mirror: “William is sensitive, he likes structure and has perseverance. He does not give up easily.”

She then revealed: “His relationship with brother Harry upset him more than he would care to admit. But he found it easier to cut ties rather than allow himself to be continually annoyed.”

Reflecting on William’s challenging year, Ingrid continued: “His father got cancer and Kate had a serious abdominal operation. Later to announce she too had to have cancer treatment. William played both mother and father to the children while he carried on with his royal duties supporting the Queen in his father’s absence.

“The traumas of the past year have made him a stronger person. He has become the kind of man Diana always hoped he would be. Kind considerate and able to take on whatever life throws at him.”

Prince William is believed to have cut ties with his younger brother and it is not known when they last saw each other. In his 60 Minutes interview in January 2023, Harry was asked if he “Speaks to William now? Do you text?” He replied: “Currently, no. But I look forward to… I look forward to us being able to find peace.” The interviewer pressed on how much time it had been, to which Harry added that it had been “a while.”

When he was asked whether he spoke to his father, he replied: “We haven’t spoken for quite a while. No, not recently.” He continued: “But at the heart of it, there is a family, without question. And I really look forward to having that family element back. I look forward to having a relationship with my brother.

“I look forward to having a relationship with my father and other members of my family. My brother and I love each other. I love him deeply. There has been a lot of pain between the two of us, especially the last six years.”

Prince Harry most recently returned to his home country in May to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games. However, he did not reunite with his father. He cited the King’s ‘full schedule’ – but this was called into question when it was revealed that Charles had offered Harry royal accommodation, which was refused.

The father and son last saw each other in February when Harry flew to London to see the King amid news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis. Their meeting lasted just 45 minutes.

But, according to reports, Charles is still keen to have a relationship with his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.

Tom Quinn, a royal commentator and author, has said that Harry is being urged by the King to find a UK residence so that Charles can spend more quality time with his family.

However, he doubts that Meghan would accompany her husband, given her past experiences with the Royal Family.

Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Mr Quinn stated: “King Charles has been putting pressure on Harry to do just this as he is angry that his only relationship with his grandchildren so far is via video calls, which Charles hates. William and Kate’s children would spend the weekend at Highgrove and Harry’s children could then easily pop over from their house nearby.”