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Their relationship has been strained for the better part of five years, but it seems Prince William and Prince Harry are ready to bury the hatchet.
The brothers have reportedly been texting back and forth and video-calling once a week as they work on repairing their rift.
William is the one who made the first move, motivated by Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee celebrations this weekend, a source says.
“The brothers needed time for everything to settle down,” the insider told Mirror Online.
“The family, including William, had been disappointed in the way Harry and Meghan chose to leave the royal family.”
But for the sake of his grandmother, William (39) has chosen to move on. Insiders say the queen has made it clear she doesn’t want family tensions to overshadow the national celebration.
Besides their WhatsApp text exchanges, William and Harry (37) also have regular FaceTime calls with each other's children.
Meghan and Kate, however, have kept their distance, giving the brothers the space to first work through their issues.
The wives' relationship went south after Kate (40) reportedly made Meghan cry during a bridesmaid dress fitting for her 2018 wedding.
“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct about flower-girl dresses,” Meghan (40) told Oprah Winfrey during their explosive interview last year.
“And it made me cry and it really hurt my feelings. And I thought in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding, that it didn’t make sense to not be just doing what everyone else was doing, which was try to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.”
Meghan added that was “when everything changed, really” and the two haven’t been on speaking terms since.
It turns out a bit of distance has made William accepting of his sister-in-law.
“William sees that Meghan is a good mother and loyal wife and he is genuinely pleased for his brother,” the source says.
“It seems that the two of them have healed the rift and are very much back on their old buddy terms. Meghan’s distance from Kate has also helped heal the friction between the two men.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their kids, Archie (3) and 11-month-old Lilibet, are set to fly to the UK this week and will stay at their old home, Frogmore Cottage.
Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, moved into the five-bedroom home at Windsor when Harry and Meghan left for the US but the couple have since vacated the property ahead of the Sussexes return.
In an unexpected move, Harry renewed his lease on the cottage, fuelling speculation that the family plan to spend more time in the UK.
“They can now come and go any time they please,” a source says.
“The coming year could be one of the most tumultuous in royal history and the Sussexes are making sure they have a foothold in Windsor.”
Harry and Meghan are expected to attend the Service of Thanksgiving for the queen on Friday and at least one other engagement throughout the jubilee celebrations. They will also throw a small party at Frogmore for Lilibet’s first birthday on Saturday.
“The queen wanted the jubilee to be a fresh start for the brothers,” the source says.
“Harry has been looking forward to coming home and showing his family. It’s home after all, and he’s missed it.”
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, marieclaire.com, mirror.co.uk, elle.com
