Rift between princes William and Harry 'still as wide as ever' despite potential 'olive branch' in documentary

The rift between Prince William and Prince Harry is "as wide as ever" and their ongoing feud would have "devastated" their mother, a royal author believes.

There have been suggestions of an "olive branch" being extended by the Prince of Wales to his younger brother after William mentioned Harry by name in a new documentary.

It's believed to be the first time Prince William referenced Prince Harry by name in public, since 2018 when the two, alongside the Princess of Wales and Meghan, were interviewed at the Royal Foundation Forum.

READ MORE: King's 'hot equerry' announces his engagement

In the documentary Prince William: We Can End Homelessness the Prince of Wales speaks about visiting the charity, The Passage, with his mother and Prince Harry in 1993.

He said: "My mother took me to The Passage; she took Harry and I both there. I must have been 11 at the time, maybe 10.

READ MORE: Count Nikolai shares photos and memories from his childhood home

"I'd never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious about what to expect.

"My mother went about her usual, making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone."

The documentary will be broadcast in the UK on Wednesday and Thursday and will be available to international audiences on Disney+ from Friday, November 1.

Royal author and journalist Phil Dampier told The Sun he doesn't believe William's comment was an indication of a thawing in the long-running family feud.

"I think the rift between them is still as wide as ever, unfortunately," Dampier said.

READ MORE: Princess could be questioned by police over son's alleged abuse

"It's just a rather sad indication of the fact that something which they could have worked together on, and something which they both experienced at a young age, they're no longer doing.

"It's just left William on his own, and Harry's not joining in, so I don't see this as an olive branch."

He believes the late Diana, Princess of Wales, would have been "obviously devastated to see what's happened between the two brothers".

"She'd obviously be very upset to see that they've drifted apart so much and have fallen out so badly.

"I mean, obviously, if she'd still been alive, you'd like to think that that wouldn't have happened in the first place."

Dampier said Harry "would have some regrets" that he is not involved in Prince William's campaign to end homelessness.

But, "he might see this as something that William's doing on his own to sort of show him up".

View gallery

All the defining photos of the British royal family in 2024

"I don't think William's doing it for that reason, but obviously it's the contrast between them and the things they're getting involved with," Dampier said.

He points to Prince Harry's recent return to the UK for the WellChild Awards, which he remains patron of.

"[Harry's] still very popular with some of these charities he could have done a great deal of good.

"But you know he's got other fish to fry, and he's going to go his own way. Very sadly I can't see this rift healing in the near future, if at all."

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.