News
Prince Harry Says Reconciliation Is ‘Most Important Thing’ For Royal Family
Prince Harry has renewed his call for reconciliation with the British royal family, saying it is the “most important thing” amid ongoing tensions with his father, King Charles III, and brother, Prince William.
In a video interview with GQ, conducted by the magazine’s host Zach Baron in September and released on Tuesday, Harry said he grieved the strained relationships and hoped they could be repaired.
Asked whether he mourned the breakdown in his family relationships, the Duke of Sussex said: “Yes, of course.”
He said the disagreements were relatable to many people dealing with broken relationships between parents and children or among siblings. “Some people maybe look at us and go, ‘How are you gonna work it out? Maybe that will help me work my stuff out. Some people don’t want it to work out, I want it to work out. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile that’s the key point.”
Asked whether the family’s wounds could heal, Harry said the effects of past disagreements might remain but that people could change how they viewed them. “Scars stick around forever. But what your perception is, and what your mindset is to those things that have happened, letting go of the past. That’s something that I would encourage everybody to do.”
Harry said people should try to move beyond family disputes, given the other challenges in their lives.
His comment that “some people don’t want it to work out” prompted speculation that he was referring to William. However, a spokesperson for Harry said the remark was not directed at his brother or any other family member.
“The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way,” the spokesperson said.
Harry’s relationship with the royal family has been strained for years. Reports of a rift between him and William emerged in 2018, after Harry married Meghan Markle, the former Suits actor.
In October 2019, Harry acknowledged the tension in an interview with ITV, saying that although the brothers would always be brothers, they were on different paths and no longer saw each other as often.
Relations deteriorated further after Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in January 2020 and eventually settled in California.
In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple accused the royal institution of failing to support them. They also alleged that an unnamed member of the royal family had made a racist comment.
Harry later spoke publicly about his strained relationship with Charles, saying he felt “really let down” by his father and that Charles had stopped taking his calls as the couple prepared to leave their royal roles.
Despite the rift, Harry said he would always love his father and wanted to make repairing their relationship a priority.
He also said he loved William “to bits”, while reiterating that they were on “different paths.”
The couple’s Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, released in 2022, further detailed the breakdown in their relationship with the royal family. Harry accused the institution of leaking and planting stories about him and his wife.
The publication of his memoir, Spare, in January 2023 deepened the divide. In the book, Harry described private disputes with Charles and William and alleged that his brother physically attacked him during an argument in 2019. Buckingham Palace did not publicly respond to the allegations.
While promoting the memoir, Harry said reconciliation was possible but that he also wanted accountability. “Forgiveness is 100% a possibility because I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back. At the moment, I don’t recognise them, as much as they probably don’t recognise me.”
Harry renewed his call for reconciliation in a interview in May 2025, saying there was no point in continuing the family dispute. “I would love reconciliation with my family,” he said. “There’s no point in continuing to fight any more. Life is precious.”
He also expressed concern about his father’s health. Charles announced in February 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and has continued receiving treatment.
Harry said at the time that he was not in contact with his father, linking the situation to a dispute over his security arrangements in the United Kingdom.
He said he had forgiven his family for some past disagreements but remained troubled by the decision over his security. He also acknowledged that some members of the royal family might never forgive him for writing Spare.
In September 2025, Harry and Charles met privately for the first time in more than a year. The meeting raised hopes of improving relations between father and son.
Harry’s latest remarks suggest that he remains open to repairing the family relationships, even as the wider rift with the royal household continues.
Related
