Prince Harry Reached Out to Prince William Ahead of U.K. Visit: ‘It’s Terribly Sad,’ Source Says (Exclusive)

The lack of interaction between Prince Harry and Prince William during the Duke of Sussex’s recent trip to the UK to see King Charles amid news of his cancer diagnosis underscores the pain between the brothers.

Prince Harry, 39, has made no secret of his desire for reconciliation and is understood to have reached out to Prince William, 41, but there were “no plans” to meet, a palace source said at the time of the visit. A former courtier suggests the Prince of Wales’ “main concern is his wife” Kate Middleton amid her recovery from abdominal surgery, yet Harry only spent 24 hours in his homeland to see his father briefly without visiting his brother’s family.

“It would be normal to go see my sister-in-law who had major surgery and also see my niece and nephews. But it’s not normal. It’s terribly sad,” a source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story.

“Family suffering is an open wound. There is such a deep wound,” adds Catherine Mayer, the author of the biography Charles: Heart of a King.

Prince William at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London on May 6, 2023; Prince Harry at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London on May 6, 2023. ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty, Andy Stenning – WPA Pool/Getty Royal family in turmoil as demands for more transparency grow: ‘There is too much uncertainty’ (Exclusive)

Trust remains a concern after the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, and the revealing Netflix docuseries with his wife, Meghan Markle. During Harry’s visit to his father, which lasted about 30 minutes, Queen Camilla made a deliberate effort to be in the room.

Prince Harry and Prince William at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Princess Diana in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday.

DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty

“This is all due to William’s desire to protect the institution of the monarchy, which he feels Harry cannot be trusted. I don’t think William will ever agree to readmit Harry into the family unless he makes a clear apology and moves forward,” royal author Robert Lacey told PEOPLE.

Prince Harry may have another chance to reconnect with his family in May when he is expected to visit the UK for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. But a reconciliation with his brother is unlikely, and it is even more doubtful that King Charles will broker any healing between his sons.

Kate Middleton’s condition shrouded in ‘radio silence’, Palace Insider says (exclusive)

LJUDI magazine, March 18.

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“Of course he would love for Harry to be the prodigal son and come back and he would be much happier if William and Harry were friends again. But he realizes that’s just not going to happen,” says royal biographer Ingrid Seward, author of the book My mother and me.

The palace insider adds: “Families are complicated. They may be a respectable family, but they still have a lot of the same problems as everyone else.”

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Source: HIS Education