Royal expert Christopher Andersen thinks that Prince William’s new title is a “tremendous insult” to Prince Harry.
Andersen called Harry, 39, “one of the great assets of the royal family” during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, discussing the Duke of Sussex’s ongoing rift with King Charles III and William.
“All he wants to do is have some sort of part-time role, take up some of the slack here now that both the King and the Princess of Wales are battling cancer,” Anderson said, referencing Harry’s recent trip home to the U.K. “They do not want to have anything to do with Harry or Meghan, and it bothers me to see this because it seems such a missed opportunity for them to use this crisis.”
Andersen said Charles, 74, and Princess Kate Middleton’s ongoing heath battles would be “the perfect opportunity to build the bridges and make amends” with Harry. Instead, the royal family is focused on giving William, 41, a title saved for his younger brother.
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“The royal family is very good at exiling people and saying, you’re dead to me and I’m afraid that’s what’s happening,” Andersen added.
Prince William and Prince Harry Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Buckingham Palace announced earlier this week that William would be appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a role that was expected to go to Harry had he not stepped down from his royal duties in 2020. (Buckingham Palace made the announcement the same day they confirmed that Charles would not meet up with Harry while his youngest son was in the U.K.)
“This was a double whammy,” Anderson added. “Not only did the King refuse to meet Harry, but he took the opportunity to say, ‘By the way, William, I’m giving you one of the titles.’ The Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Air Corps that had belonged to Harry, and we’re going to make a big deal out of it.”
Anderson told Us that Harry is “the one guy in the royal family who has seen combat,” and he is “entitled” to various military ranks.
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“The one true army hero in the family is Harry,” he added. “It’s really quite sad.”
Andersen also reflected on why the King might have skipped out on meeting up with Harry.
“I think he could have taken the time to meet with him. I think it would’ve been much more important than any other appointment that he had,” the author explained, noting that Buckingham Palace’s Garden Party did overlap with Harry’s trip. “They could have made a big deal out of a brief meeting and it would’ve looked like things were getting better in the royal family.”
