William ‘unlikely’ to make up with Harry following Netflix betrayal, warn friends

The Prince of Wales is unlikely ever to make up with his estranged brother following his Netflix betrayal, friends fear.

William, 40, is said to be angry about the disrespect he feels Harry showed to their grandmother when she was alive during the Megxit saga.

And sources believe the bombshell documentary – which it is understood the heir to the throne has not watched, but is likely to do so at some point – will do little to change his mind.

He is also said to be distrustful of Harry’s motives given that he has a book coming out early next year.

Rift: Harry and William during the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace last year 

The Mail revealed yesterday how royal insiders have been left particularly upset by the Netflix programme’s criticism of Queen Elizabeth and her Commonwealth legacy, which was dismissed as ‘Empire 2.0’

‘All relationships are built on trust but for members of the Royal Family, who live their life in the spotlight, doubly so,’ a friend said.

‘The prince is a very private man and what Harry is doing is the anathema of everything he believes. On that alone, many believe it is unlikely he will ever be able to repair his relationship with them. Too much water has gone under the bridge.’

Last night William revealed that, on the day the Netflix show aired, he lost a close friend in Kenya and had other matters on his mind.

In his first public comments since Harry’s programme, the Prince of Wales tweeted: ‘Yesterday, I lost a friend, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks. Mark Jenkins, and his son Peter, were tragically killed when flying over Tsavo National Park while conducting an aerial patrol.

‘Tonight, I’m thinking about Mark’s wife, family and colleagues who’ve sadly lost a man we all loved and admired.’

The Mail revealed yesterday how royal insiders have been left particularly upset by the Netflix programme’s criticism of Queen Elizabeth and her Commonwealth legacy, which was dismissed as ‘Empire 2.0’.

One source pointed out that Harry and Meghan previously served as president and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which supports youth empowerment in Commonwealth countries, and had been happy to be associated with it ‘until they quit their jobs to make money’. They also feel the Sussexes’ decision to secretly record 15 hours of video diaries, which they handed over to the documentary-makers, was an ‘appalling’ betrayal of trust. They started filming in March 2020 – almost 12 months before they officially stepped down as senior working royals.

Meghan claims she received little support from Buckingham Palace as a new royal bride, saying there were no etiquette classes and she was reduced to googling the national anthem

‘Harry has made a virtue of protecting his grandmother through the whole of this saga –repeatedly making the point about how much respect he had for her and ruling her out of his claims about racism. And yet this is what they were planning the whole time? It’s appalling,’ another source said.

The duke and duchess signed lucrative deals, thought to be worth more than £100 million, with Netflix and Spotify after quitting as working royals.

In the first three episodes of the six-part series, Harry has accused the royals of having a ‘huge level of unconscious bias’ and colluding with a media that wanted to ‘destroy’ Meghan, as well as slighting his father and brother about their choices of bride.

Having digested the first three episodes of the documentary, royal insiders were keen to point out yesterday what they say are the many inconsistencies.

Meghan claims she received little support from Buckingham Palace as a new royal bride, saying there were no etiquette classes and she was reduced to googling the national anthem. She also said she was too scared to wear colourful clothes in case she overshadowed the Queen.

Sources have dismissed this, saying she was guided by the late Queen’s trusted deputy private secretary, Samantha Cohen, as well as her ladies-in-waiting. It is understood Meghan was also offered dozens of meetings with senior officials, but refused to take their advice.

The duchess also claimed to have been told she could not invite her half-niece to her wedding. Insiders say it was her idea not to do so.

They also reject claims that the Palace and the media were working together to smear them as a couple. In fact, relations between the Palace and the Press were at an all-time low because the couple’s team were so aggressively ‘firefighting’ on their behalf.

‘They were trying to stop stories going in the newspapers, not plant them,’ one source insists.