Princes William and Harry ‘need to be in same country to fix rift’

Prince William and Prince Harry are unlikely to properly heal their ‘rift’ until they have the chance to spend time together in the same country, former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter has said.

Mr Arbiter, 80, who was a press spokesman for the Queen from 1988 until 2000, told US Weekly: ‘I hope they settle their rift because there shouldn’t be bad blood amongst brothers, particularly those two brothers who went through such trauma together [with the] death of their mother, [Princess Diana]. 

Rumours of a rift between the Duke of Cambridge, 38, and the Duke of Sussex, 35, began swirling in 2018, following reports William had given Harry’ unwelcome relationship advice, before it emerged Harry and Meghan were moving away from Kensington Palace to live at Windsor Castle.

Harry and Meghan moved to LA at the beginning of the year, after stepping down as senior royals to pursue a life away from the limelight and continue work on various charities. 

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Harry and Meghan moved to LA at the beginning of the year, after stepping down as senior royals to pursue a life away from the limelight and continue work on various charities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seen speaking from their home in LA during a Zoom call

‘Harry being in Los Angeles and William and Catherine being in the United Kingdom, [there’s] a great big ocean, a lot of land between, and it’s not going to be broached until such time they actually get together [and Harry comes] back to the U.K,’ Mr Arbiter said. 

He added that while reports the brothers have been talking on the phone are ‘a step in the right direction’, it would be much better if they could spend time together in person.  

Rumours of a royal rift between the Sussexes and the Cambridges began swirling after news emerged that Meghan and Harry would move away from Kensington Palace to make their home 25 miles away from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Windsor, in 2018. 

Charlotte was a bridesmaid at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, pictured far left with Kate

There were claims that Kate became emotional following Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid’s dress fitting, ahead of Meghan and Harry’s wedding in last May, as well as suggestions the pair had clashed over staff. 

Then sources claimed Meghan was ‘fed-up’ of not being able to ‘stand up for herself’ as the demands of royal protocol dictate she keeps a dignified silence amid rumours of tension between the sisters-in-law.

However, royal insiders insisted at the time that there has been no falling out between the Cambridges and the Sussexes, but admitted the pair are ‘very different people’. 

At the time a source told the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English: ‘While there are some tensions behind the scenes, Kate is pretty unflappable and nothing has become bad enough to make Harry and Meghan want to move out.

‘People are genuinely pleased to see them so happy. The truth is that there simply isn’t enough room at Kensington Palace for them and I know they have been looking at Windsor as a possibility since before the wedding.’

But rumours continued to swirl following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s move to LA earlier this year.

However, it’s since been reported that the brothers’ relationship actually improved due to the distance between them, and that their mutual worry over Prince Charles’ coronavirus diagnosis brought them together.   

The Mail on Sunday previously revealed that former Welsh Guards officer – a long-time friend and mentor to Harry – Mark Dyer has been acting as a pivotal go-between in the sensitive business of building bridges.

A friend said: ‘Long transatlantic chats between Mark and Harry have started to reap healing dividends between the brothers. His advice to the Prince was “talk and listen”.’