‘Angry’ Prince William’s move over brother Harry that signals ‘there’s no way back’ following ‘irreparable damage’
Prince Harry was back in the UK last week as he attended court hearings linked to his long running legal battle with the publisher of the Daily Mail. The Duke of Sussex is one of several high profile figures taking legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited over alleged unlawful information gathering.
Harry, now 41, is part of a group that includes Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Simon Hughes, and actresses Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley. They accuse the publisher of using practices such as phone hacking, blagging and illegal data collection. Associated Newspapers has strongly denied the claims.
During the hearings at London’s High Court, Harry gave emotional testimony about the impact the British press has had on his life. Despite spending several days in the country, it is believed he did not meet any members of his family during this visit.
William and Charles were both away
According to reports, Prince Harry did not see either his brother or his father while he was in the UK. On the same days Harry was attending court, Prince William travelled to Scotland for official engagements alongside the Princess of Wales. King Charles was also said to be in Scotland at the time.
This stood in contrast to Harry’s previous visit to Britain in September 2025, when he briefly met King Charles at Clarence House. The absence of any family meeting during this latest trip has raised fresh questions about the state of relations between the brothers.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe suggested the timing of William’s trip was telling. Speaking to the Mirror, he said court schedules are often flexible, yet William appeared keen to ensure he was nowhere near Windsor or London while Harry was present. Larcombe also noted this was not the first occasion William had been out of the country during one of Harry’s court appearances.
A rift that remains unresolved
Larcombe went on to claim that Prince William remains deeply upset with his younger brother. He said Harry’s words and actions over the past few years would have caused serious damage in any family, and that the public nature of the fallout has only made things worse within the royal household.
According to the expert, William currently has little sympathy for Harry and offers no visible support, though he added that relationships can always change with time. The brothers have been increasingly distant since Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US.
Harry’s interviews and his memoir Spare are widely believed to have worsened tensions. In the book, he made several allegations about both his father and his brother, including a claim that William physically confronted him during an argument involving Meghan Markle.
Despite this, Harry has previously expressed a desire to reconcile. In an interview with the BBC last year, he said he would welcome peace with his family and felt there was no point in continuing the conflict. For now, however, recent events suggest that the distance between the brothers remains firmly in place.
