First reference to estranged brother in six years

Is this icy relationship finally thawing?

Prince William has mentioned his estranged brother, Prince Harry, by name for the first time in six years – and insiders believe the “calculated” move could be the first step on the royal family’s path to reconciliation.

Princess Diana, Richard Kay, shared that the Prince of Wales recent mention of his younger brother could mean the royal family is starting to listen to the Duke of Sussex.

The new documentary ‘Prince William: We Can End Homelessness’, which aired in Britain this week, referenced 40-year-old Harry as he recalled Princess Diana taking them to a homeless shelter.

Princess Diana’s friend, writer Richard Kay, told the story Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential that William’s naming of Harry was cause for hope.

“Well, you could easily take that last stand that he can’t ignore (Harry’s name). How could he separate Harry and him from something his mother took them both to,” the editor, who also co-wrote Princess Diana’s biography, explained.

“But I think there was a calculation and I think it’s an olive branch,” Kay continued. ‘A few months ago we had a story – unfortunately it turned out not to be entirely correct that William had made a gesture to Harry. And they pushed back on this very strongly and they didn’t want the newspaper to cover the story, which we didn’t. But this time I think there is something in the wind.”

But while the writer can’t say for sure what the future will hold for the estranged royals, he does sense that Harry wants reconciliation.

“Now, if we can’t guess too much what this means for the future, but we know from all the mood music from California that Harry is desperately trying to build some bridges with his family here again and perhaps this is a sign that the family is listening. ”

In a preview clip of the documentary, Prince William stated: “My mother took me to The Passage; She took Harry and me both there. I must have been 11 at the time, maybe 10. I had never been to anything like this before, and I was a little worried about what to expect.”

A photo also showed the two boys dressed casually at the homeless charity, smiling at the camera as Harry sat on his mother’s lap.

William said Princess Diana made everyone there feel “relaxed and laughing and joking with everyone” in her usual way when they arrived at the centre.

“I remember thinking at the time, ‘Well, whoever doesn’t have a house, they’re all going to be very sad,’ but it was unbelievable how happy the environment was,” he added in the clip.

William and Harry have had a tense relationship since the Duke of Sussex marriage to Meghan Markleand William’s comments in the documentary are believed to be the first public mention of his brother in years.

The two drifted further apart after Sussex left England in 2020 for Montecito, California.

Harry and the ‘Suits’ actress, 43, went all out sit down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, making accusations of racism against an unnamed member of the royal family and lashing out at the institution in the Netflix docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’ in 2022.

Last year Harry published the memoir ‘Spare’, in which he, among other things, accused William of physically assaulting him during an argument about Meghan at his London home in 2019, after he and Meghan were married.

Recently, William and Harry also seemed to be avoiding each other the memorial service for their mother’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes, in August.