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Prince William’s decision to spend Prince Harry’s birthday carrying out royal duties in Dartmoor has prompted renewed discussion about the strained relationship between the two brothers.
According to a royal source quoted by New Idea, the timing could be interpreted as a sign that William is not currently prioritising a reunion with Harry. The insider claimed: “William is definitely sending Harry a message, loud and clear, that he’s not interested in reuniting or making nice right now.”
Harry celebrated his 42nd birthday on September 15, only a short time after returning to Britain with Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
While Harry marked the occasion with his family, William’s schedule took him to Princetown on Dartmoor, where the Prince of Wales was carrying out an official engagement connected to his work as Duke of Cornwall.
Kensington Palace explained that William’s visit centred on the launch of a new community-led initiative developed with the Duchy of Cornwall.
The Princetown Community Fund will make £250,000 available for locally proposed projects intended to improve social conditions, support economic development and deliver environmental benefits for residents.
The scheme forms part of a much larger £1.5 million commitment announced earlier this year. The wider initiative will reinvest rental income generated from the former prison site back into Princetown itself.
The coincidence of William’s engagement with Harry’s birthday has nevertheless attracted attention amid continued uncertainty over whether the brothers will attempt to repair their relationship following the Sussex family’s return to Britain.
Harry, meanwhile, was reportedly expected to spend his birthday privately with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet at the family’s new home in the Cotswolds.
Meghan also publicly celebrated her husband’s birthday, describing Harry as “simply the best” in a message accompanied by a family video that also featured Archie and Lilibet.
READ MORE: Prince William Puts £1.5m Prison Income Back Into Dartmoor Community as New Fund Launches
Any suggestion that Prince Harry’s birthday might provide an opportunity for the brothers to reconnect appears to have faded, according to the report.
Harry may have viewed his first birthday back in Britain in several years as a possible opening for renewed contact with William. However, a source claimed communication between the two has remained virtually nonexistent since the Sussex family returned to the UK.
“There’s been near zero contact between the brothers since the Sussexes returned to the UK, and that’s almost certainly the way it’s going to stay for the foreseeable future, birthdays or no birthdays,” the insider said.
The source suggested that whatever hopes Harry might have had of using the occasion to take a small step towards repairing their relationship were effectively dashed once William’s Princetown engagement was confirmed.
“So any hope Harry may have had of playing nice and using this personal milestone as a pathway [towards peace] has totally evaporated now he’s committed to this event.”
However, William’s appearance in Dartmoor was reportedly arranged well before Harry and Meghan revealed that they were moving back to Britain. That makes the timing of the engagement itself less significant than some of the speculation surrounding it might suggest.
Even so, the insider argued that William’s schedule would not necessarily have prevented a private meeting between the brothers had either side arranged one.
“To be fair to William, this event was apparently pencilled in some time ago and before the Sussexes made their return to the UK. But he could easily have factored in a way to see his brother beforehand, or he could meet up with him later in the day or early evening,” the source continued.
According to the same account, no such meeting was expected. The insider alleged that William had not seriously considered using the birthday as an opportunity to reconnect.
“By all accounts that’s not going to happen and William didn’t even consider the possibility. It’s given him a convenient excuse to put his head down and avoid what would certainly have been an extremely awkward encounter.”
Catherine has also been drawn into speculation surrounding the brothers’ fractured relationship. Reports have suggested that the Princess of Wales would like to see tensions gradually ease now that Harry and Meghan are once again living in Britain.
William, however, is alleged to remain reluctant to reopen that relationship for the time being.
One source characterised his current approach by saying: “But instead he’s doubled down and totally ignored him, it’s as though his brother doesn’t exist.”
Despite reportedly hoping that the two brothers might eventually move beyond their differences, Catherine is not expected to intervene behind her husband’s back. The report also claims that she has not forgotten her own difficult experiences during the years of public conflict involving the Sussexes.
