On Monday, News24 reported that Prince Harry had been blindsided by a shock act from his brother. I wanted to treat this with the seriousness it asks for, so I read the article carefully. Then I read it again, in case I had missed the act.
I had not. The act, as far as I can tell, is that Prince William is continuing not to speak to Prince Harry. The article’s own background section explains that this has been the case since at least 2023, and it is now late 2026. What we are being told, then, is that an arrangement of some years’ standing remains in place. I don’t wish to diminish the Duke’s feelings. But it is unusual to be blindsided by something that has been standing in the same spot for three years.
The information comes from a single person, whose title shifts as the article goes on:
The headline credits an expert. There is no expert. There is an anonymous insider speaking to RadarOnline, an American gossip site, which this masthead has then repackaged for Australian readers. It’s a game of telephone played across three continents, with the volume turned up at every stop.
This insider, whoever they are, has remarkable access. They know William’s private thoughts, which apparently involve regarding the whole business as a “wretchedly unpleasant situation.” That phrase also neatly describes the experience of reading about it. They also know Harry’s feelings, which are infuriated, shocked and impulsive in roughly equal measure. That’s quite a reach for one person. Either they’re seated between the brothers at every family dinner the brothers aren’t having, or they’re guessing. I’ll let readers decide which.
Then comes the warning. William had better watch himself, we’re told, because the more wound up Harry gets, the likelier he is to follow through on threats to make his brother regret it. What threats? Never specified. Regret what, exactly? Also unclear. As far as I can tell, the plan consists of being annoyed. If that counts as a plan, every Australian with a sibling has one heading into Christmas.
The best part comes at the end, when the article finally lets Harry speak for himself, via his interview with GQ. What does this impulsive menace say?
- He wants it to work out.
- He grieves the relationship.
- Reconciliation is the most important thing.
Truly chilling. The article itself tells us he insists he’s tried every possible way to say sorry. So the dreaded revenge is, presumably, more apologising. Somewhere in Windsor, the Prince of Wales is barricading the door against a man threatening to make amends.
For anyone trying to keep track of where the Sussexes actually live, the page is no help. The article tells us they returned to the UK in September. The related coverage beneath it, on the same site, reports that they’ve left the UK with the kids amid a Thomas Markle scandal. Another headline says William has beaten Harry at his own petty game, which is puzzling, since according to this article William’s winning move is doing nothing at all. On a single page, then, Harry has:
- moved home
- moved away
- been ignored
- lost a contest of pettiness
- begun plotting revenge
It’s been a busy fortnight for him, at least in print.
Readers may also notice a video on the same page in which the reporter blasts Harry’s GQ interview. That may help them calibrate how neutral to expect the “news” report beside it to be.
So here is the story, with the insider removed. Two brothers fell out. One would like to make up. The other wouldn’t. Nothing has changed. That isn’t a scoop; it’s a Christmas card list. Perhaps next time News24 could wait until something actually happens, though I accept that would leave an awful lot of the Lifestyle section blank.
