Prince Harry’s plea for reconciliation, again, is lacking in one key thing that could make all the difference: remorse

Opinion: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are yet to admit they made many mistakes since their exit as working royals six years ago.

But that has not stopped Prince Harry from telling the world, once again, that he is intent on reconciliation with his family, including his estranged brother the Prince of Wales who, reading between the lines, wants none of it.

“Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out,” Prince Harry told GQ in 45-minute filmed podcast released this week.

“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.”

His comments closely echo those he made to the BBC in May last year when he said “some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book”.

“Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things,” he said. “But, you know … I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”

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Since that BBC interview, Prince Harry and his wife have returned to live in the UK after years abroad in California.

Asked by GQ why they decided to come back now, Harry answered: “Opportunities for the family. Being able to put the kids in a British school has meant a lot to me … Now they’ve been in school for two weeks, they’re loving it and it’s giving them a whole different experience.”

The duke added: “To be back closer to my family and to be back on UK soil longer than a few days or a week here or there.”

King Charles hosted Prince Harry and his family on July 10 at Highgrove before their move back and since their return, the monarch has kept in phone contact with his son.

Prince William and Prince Harry, however, have not spoken since their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

Their relationship had been strained years before Harry and Meghan walked away from royal life, something which Prince Harry detailed at length in his 2023 book Spare.

He made accusations about William and the Princess of Wales, including sharing personal details about their alleged squabbles including the infamous fight which broke a dog’s bowl and Catherine’s apprehension about letting Meghan borrow her lip gloss before their first joint engagement as the so-called ‘Fab Four’.

Harry’s book reopened old wounds by claiming Catherine demanded an apology from Meghan after she suggested the Princess of Wales had “baby brain”, leading Catherine to tell her sister-in-law during a heated tea at Kensington Palace: “We are not close enough for you to talk about my hormones”. 

His re-telling of that episode echoed Meghan’s insistence to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that it was Catherine who made her cry, and not the other way around, over a fitting for bridesmaids dresses before the royal wedding.

In his interview released on Tuesday, Prince Harry was asked whether he thought it possible that his relationship with Prince William could be fixed after so long.

Harry said: “Of course. Scars stick around for ever. But what your perception is, and what your mindset is to those things that have happened, certainly letting go of the past − that’s something that I would encourage everybody to do.”

He was pressed on whether the reasons behind his and Meghan’s departure from the UK had changed.

Harry replied: “I think that, certainly, our attitude has changed. What happened back then was then. What’s happened over the last six years has been a continuation of that. Some battles that had been fought − and necessarily so − but hopefully we can all draw a line under that.”

He added: “I am optimistic, I’m hopeful. I’m not naive, I have been naive in the past. But I think it’s important to remain optimistic. A large part of this is about respect as well.”

And in what felt like a parting shot directed squarely at the Prince and Princess of Wales, Harry added: “I can respect them if they respect me and our position − our position is really quite clear now. And hopefully we can get on with life.”

As the interview with GQ was published, King Charles was hosting the Sultan of Oman during the start of his four-day state visit to the UK, with the Prince and Princess of Wales by his side.

The royals later hosted a glittering state banquet inside Windsor Castle, marking the most formal occasion hosted by the king and his family since the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in late August.

Eight working members of the royal family were there but Prince Harry and Meghan, who are private citizens, were not invited.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes were quick to point out that Prince Harry’s comments on those “people” not wanting to work things out were “absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family”.

The spokesman said: “The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way.”

The timing of the interview’s release, the spokesperson added, was GQ’s decision and not Harry’s.

Prince Harry’s plea for peace and his hopes for a closer relationship with his family appears to have been done, this time, with a more reflective tone rather than the combative approach he’s taken in the past.

But, dear Harry, repeatedly saying you want to reconcile while not acknowledging how you’ve contributed to the long-running rift, just comes across as all talk and no action.

Prince Harry’s desire for reconciliation is lacking in one key thing that could make all the difference: remorse.

Despite the GQ interview running for around 45 minutes, there was no apology or admission of Harry and his wife doing anything wrong in the years since they left the UK in 2020.

There was no mention of their inflammatory Oprah interview − in which they alleged the royal family was racist − nor their six-part Netflix series Harry and Meghan done weeks after the queen’s death in which Meghan mocked the appropriate way to curtsy.

Nor was there any reference to Harry’s memoir or the countless interviews and podcasts they’ve done where both made clear just how much being working royals made their lives miserable.

In one podcast from 2021, Harry appeared to criticise the way he had been raised by his father, revealing he had deliberately adopted a different parenting method with his children to “break the cycle” of pain and suffering. 

The Sussexes have made a small fortune off their royal connections.

Harry now claims he’s finally “letting go of the past” adding “that’s something that I would encourage everybody to do”.

But Harry, letting go of the past and moving forward with real healing is that much easier, and arguably can only be done, when both parties have admitted their wrongdoing and their own part in contributing to the situation.

A proper apology involves showing remorse and asking what can be done to repair the damage.

Talking about how much you want reconciliation is very different from doing the steps that will make you that much closer with your family, Harry.

While we, as the public, are not privy to any action Harry and Meghan might have made behind the scenes when it comes to Prince William and Catherine, or even King Charles, Harry choosing to go public with his plea for peace again smacks of desperation.

Prince Harry insists he doesn’t “want any sympathy”, not that he would be getting much from the Windsors, or the public, at this point.

Asked why, he replied: “Because I’m a prince. I’ve got a support network around me, I’ve done different forms of therapy, and I put in the work.”

Harry may think he has “put in the work” but what he appears to be saying is that he’s now wiped his hands of the situation, leaving the next move up to his brother.

Yes, you may have “put in the work” Harry, but it’s not enough. “The work”, many would argue, would be admitting your own part in why relations broke down in the first place, how you’ve contributed to the situation worsening in the years since and asking what can be done now to move forward.

Prince Harry’s call for reconciliation is hypocritical, and he needs to show some just a hint of remorse before anyone should listen.