Sykes: Prince William’s silence towards Prince Harry ‘is itself the response’

In the wake of Prince Harry’s GQ video interview, there’s a renewed focus on Prince William and how he feels about Harry’s pointed statements. While Harry publicly backtracked, he absolutely called out William without saying his name – Harry told GQ that “Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out. Of course I do. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.” The thing is, William has, for better and for worse, stood on business when it comes to Harry. William does not f–k with Harry. William has not spoken to him since QEII’s funeral over four years ago. William’s people have briefed the media for years that Harry is effectively dead to him. Being called out publicly by Harry in yet another interview? It will not move William whatsoever. That’s what William’s mouthpiece says as well:

Prince William won’t be reaching out to Prince Harry anytime soon — despite the Duke of Sussex’s recent public plea for a reconciliation.

“Will William respond? I would be astonished if he responded publicly,” Tom Sykes, European Editor at Large of The Daily Beast and author of The Royalist Substack, exclusively told Page Six Tuesday. “He never does, and his silence is itself the response.”

The royal journalist noted that Harry and William have not spoken since 2022 and Harry’s recent interview with GQ won’t “change that.”

“Will it have frustrated him? I’m sure it will,” Sykes continued. “Being lectured in public about reconciliation by the person who has caused the problem is exactly what William finds so hard to forgive. Putting the onus on him through the pages of a magazine is not how you repair a relationship.”

Harry admitted that he wants to make amends with his estranged older brother in an on-camera interview with GQ published Tuesday. However, he also claimed that “some people don’t want it to work out…I want it to work out. Of course I do,” he continued. “With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.”

While his words seemed to suggest that their royal family members were against the brothers burying the hatchet, Harry’s rep denied that claim. “It was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family,” his spokesperson told us, adding, “The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way.”

[From Page Six]

While I absolutely believe William is jealous, illiterate, petty and fixated on the Sussexes, I also sort of feel sorry for him in a narrow way. Let me explain – William has made his choice and it feels like no one around him respects that choice. King Charles is clearly trying to manipulate some kind of face-saving reconciliation between his sons before Charles kicks the royal bucket, and William must bristle every single time some palace lackey brings up a potential reconciliation. Then there’s Harry, publicly putting the onus on William to talk to him or reconcile. All this time, William’s position has calcified – he has no desire to speak to Harry whatsoever, and every effort, every push, every manipulation must feel like William’s position is not being respected at all. Like, at least everyone knows where William stands, you know? That’s what I sort of hate-respect. William hates his brother’s guts and he’s never going to stop hating his brother’s guts.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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14 Responses to “Sykes: Prince William’s silence towards Prince Harry ‘is itself the response’”

  1. Lala11_7 says:

    Since Harry stated AD NASEUM in “Spare” that he & his Brother were NEVA close…that all their lives William ignored him…how he & Kate’s relationship was performative for public consumption…notice I’ve not included post Meghan 🤬…I’ve NEVA thought Harry’s reconciliation had ANYTHING to do with William😒

  2. Tessa says:

    Harry should not talk about reconciliation except regarding his own father. Scooter also apparently has ill feelings about meghan and even the sussex children. The children are alluded to in articles about scooter taking titles. Children should not grow up around a relative that shows bad feelings. Kate ignored the children. Harry needs to go back to the word space and remember the surprise attack by scooter. Even though harry said it’s not about scooter it gives scooter an opening to indicate he dislikes his brother

    • Graphinya Heather says:

      Scoots doesn’t need an opening.
      Harry and Meghan spotted getting coffee: breaking news, Scoots hates Harry
      Harry is giving a speech in another country: breaking news, Scoots hates Harry
      Rugby Mike talks about rugby on a podcast: breaking news, Scoots hates Harry
      Harry is somewhere peaceful under a tree, calmly converting oxygen to carbon dioxide: breaking news, Scoots hates Harry (and btw Harold, air is MINE)

  3. Shiela Kerr says:

    William’s silence speakers to his need for professional counseling. He is an unwell man who surrounds himself with unwell supporters.

  4. Becks1 says:

    Well, as I said in the other post, I think its clear when you listen to that entire clip that its not aimed at William – they’re talking in generalities at that point, but the interviewer seized on that comment.

    Regardless, let’s say it was 100% aimed at William. to me, that just makes William look WORSE. you’re so petty, so mean spirited, so….angry….that you can’t hold out even half an olive branch to your younger brother? You won’t even allow his name to be spoken in your presence? how is that healthy? how is that mature or global statesman-like? You can hang out with MBS in Saudi Arabia but can’t take a phone call from Harry? It’s a bad look for the future king.

    As we discussed somewhat yesterday, “reconciliation” between the brothers doesn’t mean they give Harry and Meghan a wing at forest lodge or that William and kate visit Portugal or whatever. It means people feel they can mention Harry’s name in front of William without him going into a rage. It means they can be in the same room without William throwing a tantrum.

    But that takes work, and William doesn’t want to put in the work. So if we want to take Harry’s comments as absolutely aimed at William – I mean, it doesn’t put William in a good light, at all.

    • MrsCope says:

      Thank you, @becks! There is an emotional intelligence and political savviness that Harry is exhibiting here that William completely lacks in all his briefings. “I hate him, I hate him, I hate him” is just not a great look for a future king. There are so many other tactics he could deploy that still give off “Harry, who?” William could “recognize” the importance of Harry’s impact in the community and then pivot to talking about his “much more important” work. Pretending your brother is dead, forbidding his name be uttered in your presence and treating his mere existence like it’s a constant slap in the face is weird, man.

    • Bings says:

      I agreed with you on the other post and here as well.

      Harry spoke in generalities terms. It was not directed at William. I do find it troubling that William is surrounded completely by people who feed his ego, that every word Harry says is about him.

      William is unprepared for his role in manner and overall. And his hatred of Harry is because he believed he would have Harry at his beck and call. His identity seems to be built around this. So Harry’s autonomy is frightening and unacceptable. This is a dangerous personality if what I am saying is even slightly true.

      Because it means William will try to destroy anything Harry has built for himself. And this is why I believe Harry and Meghan are in England.

    • Cindy says:

      I agree with you that it does take work however I don’t think William wants to do the work. I understand this as I have family members who I have left behind. And have not spoken to now for several years. And the truth is, I don’t wanna do the work. I believe I’m healthy. I just feel that for me emotionally. My relationship with them is not worth the work. But I feel like if I do the work and open myself up again, it will just be the same cycle over again. So some people are worth doing the work for. I’m not saying this is the case William and Harry, but I don’t think it’s unhealthy to leave people behind in your life whether that be siblings or parents Sometimes it’s the healthiest thing to do.. Personally, I think that Harry and William are both better off just to leave each other behind. I think they both would benefit.

  5. MrsCope says:

    While it’s William’s right to hate his brother and rot from within because of that hate. The lies, the media manipulation and attempts to take everything and endanger Harry and his family are NOT his right. That’s one of the many issues with the family/firm model. It’s not that I’m mad at you, I’m mad and you need to be punished severely, broken, broke and to bend the knee. Do I think Harry wants to be reunited with his brother? I don’t know, maybe. But if I were him and concerned withy legacy, history and the official record, I would be the one saying what he is saying with my full chest. It undermines a lot of the Palace narratives about him being a perpetual victim, self exile etc. It makes him look more magnanimous, too. We can disagree as a family and still have the perspective to forgive. It also is more representative of the Firm’s “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Again, is Harry looking steps ahead and seeing what he can force, and how he can undercut his brother in the court of public opinion? Potentially. I just know, I’m not going to let anyone speak for me. He doesn’t hate his country, he doesn’t hate his family, and I think there’s a healthy middle ground that we as a society don’t embrace very often. Forgiveness without reconciliation. Harry is speaking the party line of the people we heard during the Nottingham visit mm

  6. YankeeDoodles says:

    Those are all brilliant points, @MrsCope, you don’t have to have a weepy wondrous reconciliation, if you don’t want one, and you don’t want to fake one, you can just live and let live, really. In fact, you don’t really have a choice. But William has doubled down on punishing his brother and his sister in law and by extension their children for *so* long now, in his vindictive fixation, I’m guessing at this point he’s pretty much spent. People must roll their eyes at the lengths to which he will go to keep his rage up. What a loser.

  7. Amy Bee says:

    Why feel sorry for William? If he didn’t smear Meghan and try to break up her marriage, none of this would be happening. As I said before William can be “silent” because he has the press to speak for him.

  8. bisynaptic says:

    I didn’t watch the interview, but I doubt that it would reveal that Harry wants to reconcile with William.

  9. Jais says:

    Ah yes, poor William. If only Harry had let him and his wife leak and lie about Meghan to their heart’s content. Instead, the Sussexes moved away, called them out for it and then moved back. If only the Wales could keep leaking and lying against them without being called out for it. What’s left for William to do really? Rage out, which he now seems to be aware is a bad look, especially after that absolutely skewering SNL episode, don’t think that didn’t leave a mark, or stay silent. For now, it’s silence. Okay, sure.

  10. bisynaptic says:

    LOL “Silent”.

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