Prince Harry says he wants to reconcile with the Royal Family. It may not be so easy

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As far as open appeals go, it couldn’t be much clearer: Prince Harry wants a rapprochement with the Royal Family.

After several years of estrangement — particularly from elder brother Prince William — the Duke of Sussex has taken to sending public signals of a desire to overcome the discord.

The most recent came in an interview with GQ magazine, where he was asked about the "complicated relationship" he has with William and their father, King Charles.

"With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That's the key point," Harry said.

As much as Harry may signal the desire to reconcile, making it happen could be a challenge.

"I think on a personal level, King Charles III will want to spend time with his grandchildren, so I can see a personal reconciliation happening on that level," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview.

Harry arrives to visit the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham, central England, on Oct. 15. (Joe Giddens/AFP/Getty Images)

"In the wider Royal Family, it seems very unlikely that a reconciliation will take place, because of all the events that have unfolded over the past six years."

Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as working members of the Royal Family in 2020 and moved to California. 

During their time in the U.S., a Netflix docuseries, an interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry's memoir Spare offered a panoply of their views, including pointed criticism of the Royal Family. Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. with their two children in August.

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Buckingham Palace and the King have made it clear they remain non-working royals, but Harry and Meghan have been at public engagements that for the average passerby would look very similar to regular royal events.

"You're hearing things like what was in the Sunday Times the other week that they don't like the term 'working royal' and that they consider themselves to be royals who work," said Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway.

"So it's all … quite confusing in some way, because if you wanted to seek reconciliation with the broader Royal Family, don't let it come out that you don't like the term that defines them rather than you."

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, centre, and Harry, right, visit Himmah Hub, a food poverty charity, during their time in Nottingham, England, on Oct. 15. (Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images)

Making the latest overture in public could also have an impact on its effectiveness.

"The more that Prince Harry speaks to the press, the less likely it is that a reconciliation … will take place, as there are likely concerns among his wider family that if they do meet with Prince Harry, he will speak of it in future interviews," Harris said.

In a way, Prescott suggested, Harry and Meghan are trying to achieve private things by going public.

"Generally, that's not how the monarchy works."

"The monarchy has always tried to keep a … distinction [between the private and public roles], and William, I think, is very keen on that distinction," Prescott said.

William, Prescott noted, "talks about going to work."

"And so the whole way Harry has gone about this is almost an anathema to how William wants to do this."

Harry, left, Prince William, centre, their father the then-Prince of Wales Charles, and David Attenborough attend the global premiere for Our Planet at the Natural History Museum in London on April 4, 2019. (John Sibley/Getty Images)

Rifts among royals are nothing new. Sometimes, rapprochement has indeed followed.

"During the medieval period, there was a kind of formal ceremony of reconciliation," said Harris.

"There were so many conflicts between royal fathers and sons, royal brothers, that there would be a big show of forgiveness … often facilitated by royal women who were seen as peacemakers."

More recently, one of the more notable rifts came between King Edward VIII and the Royal Family after his abdication in 1936.

"He was very much out and stayed out for the rest of his life," said Prescott.

Of course, there are differences, given that Edward was a former King.

King Edward VIII, left, followed by Albert, the Duke of York, during a visit to Scotland in 1936. Edward abdicated on Dec. 10, 1936. He was succeeded by the duke, who became King George VI. (Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

"You had a very young Queen [Elizabeth] and you had a middle-aged [former] King, and there was always perhaps a concern in the early days of there being a rival court that never really materialized," said Prescott.

"But with Harry, it's of course a little bit different. He's only the son of the King, not a former King. But you can still see that, in a sense, if you're in, you're in, if you're out, you're out."

Harry's situation has also spawned its own rarity in the royal annals, one that comes with its own bit of irony — it appears to have bolstered the relationship between two other members of the family.

The conflict with Harry has brought William and the King closer together, Harris said.

"Prince Harry's admitted royal history is not something he's particularly interested in," she said, "but when we do look at the sweep of royal history, it's rare for a monarch and an adult heir to be on the same page in this manner."

An acknowledgment of 'suffering' but no apology — yet

Charles, centre, joins a Junkanoo parade in Parliament Square in Nassau on Wednesday during his visit to the Bahamas. (Ben Stansall/Getty Images)

As the King set off for his Caribbean visit this past week, much attention focused on how he would address the devastating impacts of the transatlantic slave trade and calls for an apology and reparations from the British government.

On his first stop in the Bahamas, he acknowledged "the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond."

Buckingham Palace called the first stop of his three-country visit a "diplomatic success," but others felt Charles didn't go far enough.

"Acknowledgement is like when somebody hits your car and says, 'Oh, I'm sorry.' But the apology is when they hit your car, and say, 'I am sorry, and here's my insurance.' It's the difference between recognizing that something bad has happened and holding yourself accountable for it," Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. 

"We need accountability. We don't just need statements of regret. Because we know that slavery was a bad thing. Everybody knows that slavery is a bad thing."

King Charles, right, walks on a wooden boardwalk through the mangrove ecosystem at Bonefish Pond National Park in New Providence, during his visit to the Bahamas on Wednesday. (Isabel Infantes/AFP/Getty Images)

Anything Charles says as the visit continues, particularly at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting [CHOGM] in Antigua and Barbuda this coming week, will be under continued scrutiny, especially in light of a shift in the British government's position on the issue on Friday.

Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is open to calls for a formal apology for Britain's historical role in slavery. He rejected calls for financial reparations, but said he wanted to "launch a new drive on debt," including by helping more vulnerable countries "repay over a longer time period and with better ⁠rates."

Burnham's statement "is clearly a big development," Prescott said, "and signifies a clear softening in the U.K. government’s stance."

For Charles, Prescott said, this "very much takes the heat off him."

"Up to now, the calls had been on the King to make an apology, which he would not do however loud those demands became, because ... it's not the government's position and ... of the possibility of opening the door to financial reparations."

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Burnham's statement has, Prescott said, shown there is room for some movement — he's opened the door to an apology, but ultimately on the condition that calls for financial reparations are dropped and the focus shifts to other avenues, such as debt forbearance or extending repayments.

"He has opened the door for political discussion and so that takes the focus away from the King to the politicians to potentially reach an agreement," he said.

"This is likely to dominate the CHOGM, and the King will refer to this, and perhaps support those efforts to reach an agreement, but the focus is taken away from him."

In the Bahamas, Charles appeared to receive a warm welcome, and garnered headlines for dancing in a street parade. 

"King Charles has been well-received in the Bahamas and in Guyana and has shown a strong interest in engaging with both public figures at official events and the enthusiastic crowds who have gathered to greet him," Harris said.

"The King clearly enjoyed joining in the festivities in the Bahamas."

Charles, right, speaks with a local artisan who makes baskets in Parliament Square in Nassau on Wednesday. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

He also met with local boxers, and as is usual for his visits, spent some time focusing on local environmental issues.

From the Bahamas, Charles travelled to Guyana, where on Friday he undertook numerous engagements, including a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves. He also visited Independence Park, which marks the place where public executions occurred after the Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823.

King Charles, second from left, visits Independence Park, which marks the site of public executions following the 1823 Demerara Slave Rebellion, in Georgetown, Guyana, on Friday. (Isabel Infantes/Getty Images)

He attended a biodiversity conference, met Indigenous leaders, attended a business reception and visited the Kingston Seawall. At the beach, he heard about efforts to restore mangrove ecosystems along the coastline.

Charles arrived in Antigua and Barbuda on Friday night, and will deliver the opening address at CHOGM on Tuesday.

A talk show and a tenant controversy

Prince William visits Lower Blakemere Farm, a Duchy Focus Farm, in Hereford, England, earlier this year. Plans by William's Duchy of Cornwall to sell land to raise money for other projects, including ones that focus on homelessness and climate change, have sparked controversy in Devon, in southern England. (Jacob King/Getty Images)

The headlines focused on Prince William in the past few days were a study in contrast, from the rousing welcome he received for a talk show appearance to controversy swirling around his Duchy of Cornwall's plans to sell land, leaving tenant farmers feeling betrayed.

"Once Harry and Meghan returned to the United Kingdom, there was speculation that the headlines would be all about Harry and Meghan, but as heir to the throne, Prince William is attracting headlines as well," Harris said.

William’s appearance on The Graham Norton Show came as a surprise to the audience as he promoted his Earthshot Prize environmental initiative. While on Norton's red couch, he offered up some chat show banter, with mentions of everything from his family's love of the TV show The Celebrity Traitors to how as a child he thought it was "quite cool" to be a police officer.

"He showed himself to be really relaxed," Prescott said, although he noted that he's not the first royal to do a talk show, with Princess Anne going on with BBC host Terry Wogan in the 1980s. 

"It's not unheard of, but it is more unusual today."

WATCH | Prince William on The Graham Norton Show:

The Duchy story struck a markedly different tone, with the headline in the Observer being: "'Charles was fantastic. William can go to hell': Duchy tenants face eviction as prince sells historic land."

That report focused on plans by the Duchy of Cornwall to sell land to raise money for other projects, including ones that focus on homelessness and climate change, two priorities for William.

"There has been some controversy surrounding his determination to sell off parts of the Duchy of Cornwall," said Harris, "as a sale of this kind can only be done once, and the Duchy of Cornwall was intended by King Edward III to provide an income for the heir to the throne. So the question arises: What if Prince George, when he comes of age, has different views?"

Prince William, left, meets Harry Davies, centre, the incoming tenant of the Duchy of Cornwall's first regenerative Farm Business Tenancy, during a visit to examine the role of regenerative farming in climate resilience on Oct. 1 in Hereford, England. The Prince of Wales visited to region to meet with those tackling the threat of flooding caused by extreme weather conditions. (Mathieu Willcocks/Getty Images)

Prescott said the land sale situation is a difficult one, particularly given the nature of the relationship between landlords and tenants.

"The landlord has the power and the tenant doesn't," he said. 

"Intuitively, your sympathies are with the farmers, but this is where it just rubs up against the law and someone being a landlord."

Royally quotable

"Hearts, far from this valley, will ache with yours. Tears, from those who remember and those who at the time were not yet born, will be shed with yours."

— King Charles, in a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, when slurry from a collapsed colliery spoil tip slid down a mountain slope and engulfed a school and houses in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan, killing 116 children and 26 adults.

Queen Camilla, third from left, lays flowers at Aberfan Memorial Garden as King Charles, second from left, and Mair Morgan, left, the last surviving teacher from Pantglas Junior School, look on during a commemoration event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster on Oct. 21 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. On Oct. 21, 1966, a mountain of liquefied coal waste slid into a valley, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and several surrounding houses. (Aaron Chown/Getty Images)

Royal reads

Detectives in Scotland are investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's stay at Balmoral castle as reported guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor amid allegations that women were trafficked from the royal estate. [The Guardian]

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says she was "deeply distressed" by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father's former home. She also revealed that a letter containing "troubling allegations" about him had been sent to London police in 2018. The Metropolitan Police has since voluntarily referred itself to the police watchdog because it failed to pass on the letter to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies. [CBC, ITV]

The Royal Family welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor for a state visit. [The Independent]

The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, left, speaks with King Charles, right, at a state banquet on Oct. 20 at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. (Jordan Pettitt/Getty Images)

A teenager with a rare muscle disorder sang an Ed Sheeran song for the Princess of Wales during a visit to a children's hospice. [Ipswich Star]

When she was seven years old, Bayo Randle's great-great-grandmother Sarah Forbes Bonetta was presented to Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle as a "diplomatic gift" from an African king. Victoria would go on to pay for Bonetta's education, approve her marriage to one of west Africa's wealthiest men and become godmother to her eldest daughter. Now, as a biography is published, Randle has spoken of his family history. [The Guardian]

Catherine, Princess of Wales, centre, meets Charlotte Freegard, left, during a music therapy session at The Treehouse children's hospice in Ipswich, England, on Oct. 22. (Chris Radburn/Reuters)