Prince Harry says he wants to reconcile with the Royal Family.
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he → say → Family
It may not be so easy
Duke of Sussex sending public signals he wants to overcome rift
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he → send → rift
Hello, royal watchers and those intrigued by what's going on inside the House of Windsor.
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what → intrigue → Windsor
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this → sign → inbox
As far as open appeals go, it couldn’t be much clearer: Prince Harry wants a rapprochement with the Royal Family.
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Harry → go → Family
After several years of estrangement — particularly from elder brother Prince William — the Duke of Sussex has taken to sending public signals of a desire to overcome the discord.
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Duke → take → discord
The most recent came in an interview with GQ magazine, where he was asked about the "complicated relationship" he has with William and their father, King Charles.
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he → come → William
"With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile.
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thing → go → world
That's the key point," Harry said.
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Harry → say → ?
As much as Harry may signal the desire to reconcile, making it happen could be a challenge.
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it → signal → desire
"I think on a personal level, King Charles III will want to spend time with his grandchildren, so I can see a personal reconciliation happening on that level," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview.
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Harris → think → interview
Harry arrives to visit the Community Recording Studio in Nottingham, central England, on Oct. 15.
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Harry → arrive → Oct.
"In the wider Royal Family, it seems very unlikely that a reconciliation will take place, because of all the events that have unfolded over the past six years."
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that → seem → years
Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as working members of the Royal Family in 2020 and moved to California.
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Harry → step → California
During their time in the U.S., a Netflix docuseries, an interview with Oprah Winfrey and Harry's memoir Spare offered a panoply of their views, including pointed criticism of the Royal Family.
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docuseries → offer → Family
Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. with their two children in August.
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Harry → return → August
- Royal Fascinator
Prince Harry told his story in his own words.
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Harry → tell → words
But what happens now?
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what → happen → ?
What we learned from Netflix's docuseries about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Buckingham Palace and the King have made it clear they remain non-working royals, but Harry and Meghan have been at public engagements that for the average passerby would look very similar to regular royal events.
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that → learn → events
"You're hearing things like what was in the Sunday Times the other week that they don't like the term 'working royal' and that they consider themselves to be royals who work," said Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway.
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Prescott → hear → Holloway
"So it's all … quite confusing in some way, because if you wanted to seek reconciliation with the broader Royal Family, don't let it come out that you don't like the term that defines them rather than you.
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that → want → them
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, centre, and Harry, right, visit Himmah Hub, a food poverty charity, during their time in Nottingham, England, on Oct. 15.
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Meghan → visit → Oct.
Making the latest overture in public could also have an impact on its effectiveness.
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Making → make → effectiveness
"The more that Prince Harry speaks to the press, the less likely it is that a reconciliation … will take place, as there are likely concerns among his wider family that if they do meet with Prince Harry, he will speak of it in future interviews," Harris said.
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Harris → speak → interviews
In a way, Prescott suggested, Harry and Meghan are trying to achieve private things by going public.
"
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Harry → suggest → things
Generally, that's not how the monarchy works."
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monarchy → work → ?
"The monarchy has always tried to keep a … distinction [between the private and public roles], and William, I think, is very keen on that distinction," Prescott said.
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Prescott → try → distinction
William, Prescott noted, "talks about going to work."
"And so the whole way Harry has gone about this is almost an anathema to how William wants to do this."
Harry, left, Prince William, centre, their father the then-Prince of Wales Charles, and David Attenborough attend the global premiere for Our Planet at the Natural History Museum in London on April 4, 2019.
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Harry → note → April
Sometimes, rapprochement has indeed followed.
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rapprochement → follow → ?
"During the medieval period, there was a kind of formal ceremony of reconciliation," said Harris.
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Harris → be → reconciliation
"There were so many conflicts between royal fathers and sons, royal brothers, that there would be a big show of forgiveness … often facilitated by royal women who were seen as peacemakers."
More recently, one of the more notable rifts came between King Edward VIII and the Royal Family after his abdication in 1936.
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one → be → 1936
"He was very much out and stayed out for the rest of his life," said Prescott.
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Prescott → stay → life
Of course, there are differences, given that Edward was a former King.
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Edward → be → ?
Edward abdicated on Dec. 10, 1936.
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Edward → abdicate → Dec.
He was succeeded by the duke, who became King George VI.
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who → succeed → duke
"You had a very young Queen [Elizabeth] and you had a middle-aged [former] King, and there was always perhaps a concern in the early days of there being a rival court that never really materialized," said Prescott.
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Prescott → have → days
But you can still see that, in a sense, if you're in, you're in, if you're out, you're out.
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you → see → sense
"
Harry's situation has also spawned its own rarity in the royal annals, one that comes with its own bit of irony — it appears to have bolstered the relationship between two other members of the family.
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it → spawn → family
The conflict with Harry has brought William and the King closer together, Harris said.
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Harris → bring → William
"Prince Harry's admitted royal history is not something he's particularly interested in," she said, "but when we do look at the sweep of royal history, it's rare for a monarch and an adult heir to be on the same page in this manner.
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monarch → admit → manner
…and 60 more, not listed.
The Aporia
