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Ouch. After being snubbed by his father, royal experts have been weighing in on Prince Harry’s response to Prince William’s new title…and by the looks of it, the Duke of Sussex is hurting.
On May 8, 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William received the new title of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps. But here’s the kicker: this prestigious title is one that Harry might have expected to receive from his father, King Charles, if he hadn’t decided to step back from his role in the royal family. To add insult to injury, the announcement came right as the palace confirmed King Charles would not be meeting with Harry after he touched down in the UK for a visit to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. Given the timing of it all, royal commentators couldn’t help but note how the royal family seems to be giving Harry the cold shoulder at every turn.
According to royal expert Tom Quinn, the Duke of Sussex was deeply upset his brother’s new title. “King Charles’ announcement… is a real kick in the teeth for the son who always felt marginalized and underrated,” Quinn told The Mirror on May 11, 2024. “He is said to have been in tears when he heard.”
Meanwhile, royal expert Christopher Andersen, author of Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan
, also claimed that William’s new title was a “tremendous insult” to his younger brother in an interview with Us Weekly. While he believes Prince Harry could be “one of the great assets of the royal family,” it’s clear the royal family doesn’t share the same perspective.
“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,” Andersen said. However, the Firm isn’t on board. “They do not want to have anything to do with Harry or Meghan [Markle], and it bothers me to see this because it seems such a missed opportunity for them to use this crisis,” he added.
Anderson believes the situation is dire, explaining, “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.” As for the timing of the announcement, the royal biographer called it a “double whammy” for Harry. “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,” he said.
“I think he could have taken the time to meet with him,” Andersen said of King Charles decision to not meet with Harry during his recent visit. “I think it would’ve been much more important than any other appointment that he had. 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.”
