The Surprising Reason Why Prince Harry Turned Down Reconciliation Efforts By Prince William Years Ago

William and Harry fight

However, according to an excerpt from Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition, and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor by royal correspondent Valentine Low, which first appeared in The Times, the new Prince and Princess of Wales – who at the time were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – "saw it as a deliberate attempt to knock the Cambridges out of the headlines," who were on their tour of Pakistan at the time.

Despite the comment Prince Harry made to the press, Low said that Prince William allegedly set up a meeting with his brother via WhatsApp the very next day to discuss and hopefully mend their rift, as he could sense that he was "in crisis," but Prince Harry refused because of his "fears of it being leaked to the press."

"William explained that he'd have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary," Low wrote. "At that point, Harry told him: 'Don't come.' He was so concerned that William's team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers. To everyone who knew what was going on, this was heartbreaking."

Since the allegations in Low's book have come out, royal insiders have confirmed that "any chance of building reconciliation has fallen by the wayside," while also revealing that Prince Harry was "furious" that the text encounter was leaked to the press, as per his fear.