Royal news: William ‘does not want Harry at his coronation’, friend claims

An old friend of Prince Harry has shared their disbelief at the duke’s “disloyalty” since moving to California.

Harry and Meghan Markle officially stepped down as working members of the royal family in 2020 before moving to the US.

Since then, the couple have given several bombshell interviews including with Oprah and on a six-part Netflix docuseries. Last year, Harry ruffled more feathers as his autobiography, Spare, shared private conversations and arguments had with his family members.

One of his closest friends told The Times, “I can’t believe he’d stoop so low. It’s outrageously disloyal. Oprah, Netflix and then the book? Three strikes and you’re out.”

Some of Harry’s oldest friends have questioned how happy the prince is in California as they say they “can’t imagine” he wanted to end up in “gilded” Californian exile.

Friends described the Harry they used to know loved a “night out out in the pub and hanging out in the country with friends” but say he is now “isolated from his family and most of his old mates.”

A source who has known Harry since his teenage years told The Times: “Maybe he has grown into a different person, but do I think he’d really suit the Californian lifestyle? No. Now we’ve seen it all play out, what has that left him with? On the surface, an enviable lifestyle — but for the Harry I know, I can’t imagine that gilded exile in California is where he wanted to end up.”

Another friend who says he still gets “the odd WhatsApp” from the duke said: “He’s an angry boy. Things haven’t turned out how he wanted. I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more. Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.”

Members of the royal family worry that private conversations had with Prince Harry will feature in a second autobiography, a friend of the family has said.

Speaking to The Times, a friend of the king revealed: “The problem for the King and other members of the family is the worry that if they have a chat with Harry, it will appear in Spare volume two. How do you regain the trust? I don’t think Harry ever can.

“But from the conversations I’ve had with the King, I would never say their relationship is irreparable. The King’s capacity to forgive his son is undimmed. There are other members of the royal family who are much more weighted against Harry, that’s the problem.”

Friends of Prince William have reportedly said that the he does not want Prince Harry to come to his future coronation.

The heir to the throne has had a strained relationship with his younger brother following the duke’s departure as a working royal in 2020.

Since then, Harry has gone on to do a tell-all interview with Oprah, a Netflix series and written a book revealing private conversations between himself and his family.

A friend of William’s told The Times that, in the aftermath of the King’s coronation last year, The Prince of Wales said he wanted his own coronation to “look and feel different”.

The source revealed that as things stand, he would not want his brother at the crowning and said: “They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad.”

Prince Andrew has been invited back into the royal fold after being disgraced for his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York, 64, is thought to have joined his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, daughters Princess Eugenie and Beatrice and the wider royal family on their summer break at Balmoral.

“Andrew has hardly left Royal Lodge since Christmas so he’s very much looking forward to getting away with the rest of the family at Balmoral,” a source told The Express.

“He’s turned into a bit of a recluse, so the girls are hoping that some nice family time with [his grandchildren] will help cheer him up a bit and bring him out of his shell.”

As reports reveal that the King is axing the Duke of York’s entire security team, rumours are circulating that this could mean the end of Prince Andrew’s stay at the Royal lodge.

Andrew’s private security have been privately funded by Charles after he lost publicly-funded police protection in 2022. According to The Sun on Sunday, members of the security detail have been told their services will not be needed from November.

A palace insider told the newspaper: “Everyone is speculating this means the duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?

Sources added: “It isn’t a secret that the King wants him out.”

Earlier this year, it was reported Andrew refused an offer to move out of Royal Lodge into nearby Frogmore Cottage. The duke was said to have signed a 75-year lease on the mansion in 2003.

In January, reports suggested Andrew would have to fund the multi-million-pound security costs at Royal Lodge himself if he wanted to stay in the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park.

The Duchess of Sussex wore a “big smile” as she and the Duke of Sussex visited a music school during their tour of Colombia.

Harry and Meghan were greeted by the sound of booming drums as they arrived at the Escuela Tambores de Cabildo in Cartagena, the second largest city in the Caribbean coastal region, on the third day of their official tour of the country.

During the visit on Saturday, they participated in a drum lesson led by students alongside Colombia’s vice president Francia Marquez and her husband.

The couple applauded a performance by local drummers and listened to community members, including children, teenagers and parents, speak about the importance of preserving Cartagena’s culture – particularly its Afro-Colombian roots.

The school’s founder, Rafael Ramos, said in Spanish: “I love seeing Meghan’s big, big smile — I can tell she’s excited.”