People: Prince William ‘is the one who is most upset & needs time to calm down’

Where did it all go wrong? One could make the argument that it went wrong in 2018, when the palace-approved smear campaign against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex began in earnest. One could argue that it went wrong in early 2020, when the terms of the Sussexit were negotiated and the palace courtiers got away with lying to Harry and shoving him out completely, and in essence leaving the Sussexes to die and/or come crawling back. But really, the point of no return was when the Sussexes were told to sink or swim and they ended up being massively successful, financially independent and open about how they were abused and mistreated by a racist, dogmatic, right-wing institution. Now, following the success of Harry’s memoir, the Windsors are on the back foot yet again, as they have been since 2020. Thus, this week’s People Magazine cover story. Some highlights:

Spare has overshadowed the Chubbly: “This is all so ghastly,” a royal insider tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “Although there is sorrow because the Queen has died, the coronation should be a joyful moment, too, because Charles will be crowned. But this is a massive shadow.”

The Windsors’ “silence” on Spare: “They didn’t want to fan the flames of the rift and the dispute,” says royal correspondent Valentine Low, author of Courtiers. “They know that anything said in a statement or a briefing would prolong it. They wanted it to calm down as soon as possible. The longer it goes on, the less hope there is for reconciliation.”

Incandescent with rage: Behind the scenes, “William is the one who is most upset and needs time to calm down,” says a source close to the royal household.

Reconciliation: Despite public silence, discussions are underway on how to work out a reconciliation between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the royal family. There’s “fatigue” at the consequences of the brothers’ estrangement, as one insider puts it, and recognition that something — or someone — must bridge the divide.

The Sussexes & the Chubbly: All eyes are on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s May 6 coronation — and if Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, will attend. A source close to the Sussexes says there has been no movement toward reconciliation and that Harry’s initial position on the matter also hasn’t changed….The way things stand now, there is still a long way to go. “The problem is that [the Sussexes] want a capitulation and apology by the palace, but when ‘recollections vary,’ that’s quite difficult,” a close source tells PEOPLE.

Charles only wants Harry, not Meghan: Says the source close to the royal household, “It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it. He would like to have Harry back in the family. If they don’t sort it out, it will always be part of the King’s reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue.”

Royal historian Robert Lacey speaks: “It is almost insulting to ask, ‘When are they going to kiss and make up?’ There have been some very grave disagreements between them. But the Platinum Jubilee and the funerals of the Queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause. And that is what the coronation will be all about.”

[From People]

Harry and Meghan were able to attend QEII’s funeral because they were already in the country and the Windsors basically kept them hostage for a week and a half. The Sussexes attended the Jubbly because QEII invited them personally and she made special arrangements for their security, same with Harry’s attendance at Philip’s funeral. The reason why the Chubbly is hanging around as an unsolveable issue is because Charles is incapable of picking up the phone and speaking to his son. Charles is also incapable of standing up to his heir, and incapable of admitting publicly that Harry and Meghan were abused and treated badly. So here we are. The same as it ever was – Charles, the distant father who only cares about optics and himself, William, the abusive and violent psycho who is burning with rage, and Harry, the man who successfully boxed in an entire British institution and has no desire to perform any kindness for his father.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.