Prince William 'grieved' after losing brother Harry in 'secret summit' decision

Edinburgh Live

2 days ago

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When Prince Harry and Meghan declared their intention to step back from Royal duties, the nation was taken aback. The couple found life under Royal scrutiny too much to bear, issuing a bombshell statement about their desire to relinquish their roles as full-time royals.
Initially, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had wished to serve the monarchy in a part-time capacity, forgoing the public funds associated with their full-time Royal status, while gaining the freedom to earn independently.
A swift response led to an emergency meeting, famously known as the 'Sandringham Summit', convened by the late Queen Elizabeth II. This pivotal gathering brought together King Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, the late Queen, and her private secretary to deliberate on the future path of the Sussexes within the Royal family.
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Channel 5's new documentary, 'Megxit: Inside The Sandringham Summit', delves into the details of what transpired during this crucial meeting. Featuring insights from experts and commentators, the programme explores the negotiations that ultimately led to Harry and Meghan's complete departure from the monarchy.
The documentary discloses that following the summit's conclusion, Prince William felt "completely broken", deeply affected by the separation from his brother, reports the Mirror.
Royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths shed light on the personal toll the Royal split took on Prince William, saying, "William must have felt such a sense of relief, but also great sadness because he was really, officially losing his brother."
She further shared intimate details heard at the time: "What I heard at the time was that William started grieving for his brother at that point, really grieving, like he'd lost, not only his mother, years ago, but his brother as well and I think he was just genuinely quite sad, and completely broken".
While key discussions unfolded at the Sandringham Summit, Meghan was noticeably absent, stationed back in Canada without the possibility of remote participation – leaving Harry to negotiate with his family alone.
Following the intense meeting which led to an unprecedented parting of ways, reports suggest Harry also forfeited his police protection—an issue he profoundly addressed in his memoir 'Spare', expressing a continued, unsuccessful struggle to regain this security for UK visits.
Post-summit, Royal insiders reveal that the brothers sought refuge in the privacy of Sandringham's gardens. The event was portrayed differently by various Royal specialists in a documentary.
"Harry expected to be treated by a harangue from his brother," claimed Royal biographer Andrew Morton. Yet another perspective was provided by Royal journalist Jack Royston from Newsweek, who disclosed, "Harry got the chance to do what he wanted to do, which was explain himself to his brother," adding insight into Harry's eagerness to clarify his actions to William.
"William didn't argue back, he listened," the expert continued, "I think it was important for Harry to feel like he had a chance to say his piece, and it was important for William to come away from it feeling like he didn't turn it into a big argument or shut it down."
The frosty relationship between Princes William and Harry is no secret, with the brothers having become virtually estranged in recent years.
Although William may have initially felt sorrow over Harry's departure from Royal duties in 2020, the situation deteriorated further following Meghan and Harry's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, where they explained their reasons for leaving the UK.
In the Netflix documentary series titled after themselves, Harry and Meghan included a scene showing Harry receiving a text from William post-interview. While the contents of the message were not disclosed, Harry appeared visibly moved to the brink of tears upon reading it.
The Sussexes have been quite vocal about their issues with the Royal Family, with Harry even admitting in a BBC interview after losing a security appeal that King Charles "won't speak" to him and expressing uncertainty about how much time the monarch has left.
Despite Harry's hopes for mending ties with his family, Royal commentator Jennie Bond expressed her doubts on Sky News, stating she "doesn't know where he goes from here".
"He's bristling with anger and resentment and mistrust of the royal household, and despair over his father's attitude, I suppose. It's just such a sad and sorry saga. I would hope there might be some kind of reconciliation but although Harry says he wants reconciliation, he doesn't think he can do that now."