Revealed: Just 4% of Brits believe William should make the first move in peace talks with Harry – as Palace sources reveal bid by one of the King’s most trusted aides to reunite the warring princes
A poll for The Mail on Sunday has found that only 4% of Britons believe Prince William should be the one to make the first move in reconciling with Prince Harry, ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's expected return to the UK. The survey comes amid reports that a senior aide to King Charles has made repairing the brothers' relationship a priority, though sources close to both the King and William have dismissed the claims as baseless. The rift matters because William and Harry have not spoken since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, and any thaw would have significant implications for the monarchy as the Sussexes prepare to move back to Britain after six years in the US.
The Find Out Now poll of 2,000 people found 31% think Harry should make the first move, 27% believe the brothers should reconcile equally, 11% said neither should, and 28% were unsure. Separately, 43% of respondents said the Sussexes should apologise for past comments, including claims from Harry's memoir Spare and allegations made during their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, while just over a quarter disagreed. Former diplomat Theo Rycroft, the King's deputy private secretary since February, is reportedly working to encourage a public acknowledgement between the brothers, though this has been denied by palace sources.
- Only 4% of Britons think William should initiate peace talks with Harry
- Poll comes as Harry and Meghan prepare to return to the UK
- Reports of a Palace aide's reconciliation bid have been denied by sources
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Prince William and Prince Harry have not spoken to each other since their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, following years of tension that spilled into public view through Harry's memoir Spare and interviews he and his wife Meghan gave, including their 2021 sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. The two brothers, once close, have taken very different paths since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, and their falling-out has become one of the most closely watched rifts in the modern monarchy.
The story matters now because Harry and Meghan are reportedly expected to move back to the UK after six years abroad, raising questions about whether the brothers might reconcile. It also touches on the wider royal household, since King Charles's aides are said to play a role in managing family relationships and public image, and any suggestion that officials are working behind the scenes to broker peace carries weight given the King's own health concerns and his position at the head of the family.
New polling has now put a number on public opinion about how any reconciliation should happen, asking whether William, Harry, both, or neither should make the first move, and whether the Sussexes owe the family an apology. This adds a public-opinion dimension to a story that has largely been driven until now by palace briefings, book extracts and television interviews rather than by data on how ordinary Britons view the dispute.