The dust from recent shakeups is allegedly settling, allowing room for healing. Harry and Meghan's decision to step down from their roles as senior royals and move to the States stirred up a lot of feelings. We've looked at allegations of strained royal relationships for years now, and there's finally an upside to report. Entertainment Tonight reveals that Harry and William are back on speaking terms.
A lot has happened since Harry and Meghan said their final farewell to the UK. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Louis, and Archie have all celebrated birthdays. Prince Charles was diagnosed with and later beat the virus that is still impacting the world. The drama around Prince Andrew continues, and poor Princess Beatrice's wedding has been pushed back.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl says all these events have brought Harry and William back to a more civil place. The two are keeping in touch, as is the rest of the family, via video chat.
Reports are indicating that Harry and William are back in touch after a number of tumultuous months. The royal family has been through a lot in the last few months. Prince Charles was diagnosed with the virus. Prince Andrew's inaction in cooperating with Jeffrey Epstein investigators continues to draw criticism.
There have been upsides, of course. Queen Elizabeth is healthy and happily ruling at 94 years old. Prince Louis celebrated his second birthday. Days later, Archie celebrated his first birthday. All of the ups and downs have apparently brought the two brothers back into each other's orbit.
"There have been clearly some quite major rifts in that relationship, but things have got better and I know that William and Harry are in touch on the phone," royal expert Katie Nicholl tells Entertainment Tonight.
"They have done video calls together, they have done a lot of family birthdays and I think with Prince Charles not being well, that really forced the brothers to pick up the phone and get back in touch."
The first indications that the brothers were trying to patch things up came in February.
"The separate households that were created improved the relationship so they weren’t having to talk about business," a source said.
"The brothers have different futures with very important institutional roles and that created a complicated relationship. Once the households separated, things improved."
The alleged tension between Kate and Meghan has also had time to subside. "I think there is a sense of relief on both sides that this high drama is now a thing of the past," she said.
"The Sussexes are free to get on with their new lives [and] the Cambridges can get back to their old lives without all the upset and drama that was clearly a big deal behind the scenes. I think Kate and William miss Harry and Meghan to a degree, but certainly, they miss Harry [being] around and part of their lives."
Katie also reveals that she believes the entire family got on a video call for Archie's first birthday. "I am quite sure there would have been communication between the Cambridges and the Prince of Wales and I am told Harry picks up the phone regularly to his grandmother, the queen," she said.
"They had that same call on her birthday. I'm sure there was a Zoom birthday call for Archie, too."
This time of lockdown has given Harry and Meghan an excellent opportunity to ease into their new way of life. "They've settled into their lives in L.A. and this is the pathway for the future," Katie said.
"I'm told they feel a great sense of freedom and they’re really enjoying their new lives and [doing] things a bit more on their terms."
So far, the couple has upheld their promise to stick with their UK charities. Harry recently recorded a surprise video message for a livestreaming event for OnSide Youth Zones. He also recorded a message for Invictus Games participants on what would have been the starting day of this year's event.
Harry also appeared on BBC's The One Show to help reunite two sets of veterans and their families as part of their VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) special. Harry chose to highlight the Guinea Pig Club and its modern-day equivalent, the CASEVAC Club, both of which have helped veterans overcome injuries. He seemed to be in incredible spirits.
"The idea that they would just go over to America and forget about these charities and organizations — particularly in Harry’s case [when] they've been a part of his life for so long — that's absolutely not the case," Katie said.
"Harry keeps in touch with them regularly. He probably misses some of the people that he works with. He's been patron of charities like WellChild for many, many years [so] he's forged close friendships there, so yes — he's missing his friends and picking up the phone for them."
With so many people utilizing technology to stay in touch, it takes away from the feeling that Harry and Meghan are as far as they are. "[For] Meghan and Harry, this will be the way of the future," she noted.
"They will not be jumping on a plane all the time to come to Britain. [The virus] has given them the opportunity to road test a way of working. "
"These conference calls [are] a way for them to communicate and touch base with people back at home. I think [the virus] has fast-tracked what was always going to be a future way of working for them, being so far away from many of their charities," Katie added.
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and in Harry and Meghan's case, it might be enough to ease the pain of all the difficult times they've had.
There only stands to be more change in the royal family as Queen Elizabeth steps back to spend time with Prince Philip, who turns 99 in June, and Charles and William step forward. "That doesn't mean we're not going to see the queen carrying out duties that we’re used to at some point in the future," Katie pointed out.
"It's certainly her intention to continue working as much as she possibly can, but of course, no one knows how this pandemic is going to play out."
The whole family is in a state of flux right now. "We're seeing them letting their guard down and that is a result of what we are going through," Katie notes.
"We are a nation in the middle of a crisis and it's times like this we turn to the royal family for support, comfort and hope. And, I think the Cambridges have really stepped up to the plate providing a nice dose of entertainment for us, and of course [it’s] a real treat for royal fans seeing so much of the Cambridge children."
With William and Kate's little family up front, Britons can feel good about the future of the monarchy. "It’s uplifting for Britain, particularly for royalists, to see what the future of the royal family is going to look like," Katie adds.
"The royal family has gone to great lengths not to be seen to be aloof or distant or unrelatable. The queen is very aware that the role of the royal family during a national crisis like this is to be seen, to be able to support her people, and she's having to do this through a digital platform and it's quite incredible that at the age of 94, she's embracing that."
