Prince Harry has expressed his hopes for reconciliation with the royal family and his wish for his children, Archie and Lilibet to form their own meaningful relationships with his family members. However, it will take time before relationships can be renewed, insiders and those close to the royal family say.
At the crux of the issue is what British interviewer Tom Bradby highlighted in his interview with the Duke of Sussex for his groundbreaking memoir, Spare. “They’ll be sitting here reeling at this,” Bradby told Harry as he asked what his family’s reaction might be to his tell-all book, which includes private conversations and intimate details about his relationships with his brother, Prince William, and his father, King Charles.
Harry replied, "I've done everything I can in private not to get to this stage."
"They've shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile up until this point," he continued. "And I'm not sure how honesty is burning a bridge. Silence only allows the abuser to abuse, right? So I don't know how staying silent is ever gonna make things better."
A royal insider says, "The King and Prince of Wales will be feeling betrayed. Things that have happened to them, really personal things, are now played out in the public arena." The insider adds that some of the stories about the family are "not [Harry's] to tell."
The depth of the division has made some of those close to the family pessimistic about any way back into the fold. One family friend, who is "disappointed" that Harry has gone into "such depth," says, "There are so many things that he didn't need to say."
Representatives for King Charles and Prince William have not commented on Harry’s memoir.
"They are quite resilient and have good people around them," a source who knows the monarch and Prince of Wales tells PEOPLE. "They are upset and sad, but they are soldiering on. Responding publicly would not be the smart thing to do."
Adds a palace insider, "They have been remarkably calm. But they have to be detached."
In one of his interviews to promote Spare, Harry held out the prospect of one day working for his father on behalf of the Commonwealth. The palace insider suggests that if there was to be any progress on such an initiative, "I would imagine that would have to be in four to five years. Certainly not in the next year."
Another source close to the royal household says, "Exposing private family matters is not good," adding that it has lessened "the impact of [Harry's] argument for privacy as he lays family matters out for all to see."
The book has not given his family "reason to have him back" and rebuild relationships, one friend tells PEOPLE. But those closest to Harry and his family will not give up on the prince or his hope of a reconciliation.
To read Prince Harry‘s interview with PEOPLE about Spare, pick up the latest issue on newsstands on Friday.
Mediators among those close to both brothers have tried in the past to find a way through the estrangement, but that was some time ago. "You need someone who cares about all of them and feel confident to break in and say 'this is wrong, let's sort it out,'" a source close to the royal household says. "Maybe they have tried."
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The coronation of King Charles, coming up in May, might provide an opportunity for reconciliation, one close source suggests. Harry has questioned whether he will be there, telling Bradby, “The door is always open. The ball is in their court.” There would have to be conversations between the parties before he and Meghan Markle potentially head across the Atlantic for the historic occasion.
"There's a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they're willing to sit down and talk about it," Harry told ITV.
The palace, guided by opinion polls, might also take into consideration how ordinary people will take the prospect of seeing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex among the royals in the congregation.
To close observers, the impasse certainly hasn't gotten any easier. "Harry has made it harder, but it needs a passage of time between the Netflix and the book and any rapprochement," says the source who knows the King and his sons. "The problem is that they want a capitulation and apology by the palace, but when recollections vary, that's quite difficult."
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