Prince Harry's respectful gesture to Kate Middleton hints it's not just Prince William he wants to 'make it work' with
The Duke of Sussex once described her as the sister he never had and 'always wanted' but their relationship isn't what it was
We often overlook Prince Harry's relationship with his sister-in-law Princess of Wales next to the more talked-about tension with Prince William, but their once-close bond has also been strained since his royal exit. The Princess of Wales hasn't been seen publicly with the Duke of Sussex since the coronation and even now he's back in the UK, nothing has obviously changed.
Kate has been quietly and calmly going about her duties amid the scrutiny surrounding the Sussexes and now Harry is reportedly committed to working around that. Ten days after the interview where he proclaimed he wants to "make it work" with his family, a source claimed the Prince is "mindful" of his sister-in-law's potential plans.
"Obviously with the King going to CHOGM [Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting] and the Prince and Princess of Wales going to India, he knows about those things and he is obviously mindful of that as he's planning his own activities as well," they claimed to The Times.
King Charles is currently away on his nine day autumn tour in the Caribbean which will end with the CHOGM and the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony takes place in Mumbai in November. So far, only William is confirmed to be going to the event.
However, the source's comment seems to suggest Prince Harry believes Kate is accompanying her husband to India - or at least that she might. If he's already factoring that possible trip into his own schedule, I think that shows a lot of consideration for her as much as for his brother.
In recent weeks several of the Duke's projects have ended up overlapping with big moments for the working royals. Most prominent among them was his GQ interview going out the same day as the ceremonial welcome and State Banquet for the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
A Sussex spokesperson has stated it was GQ's decision to publish then, though the timing still sparked murmurs about overshadowing. If the Princess of Wales goes to India then this would be her first Earthshot appearance since 2022 and that would attract a lot of attention - probably more than if it was just Prince William.
Harry holding off from any public appearances during this time would ensure that focus remains on the Waleses and the awards themselves. It's a mark of respect and perhaps a subtle olive branch to both his sister-in-law and brother.
Kate and Harry used to be very close and for a long time she's understood to have done her best to keep the peace. In William & Catherine royal expert Russell Myers alleges, "Whether counselling William or having a quiet word in Harry's ear, she saw it as her duty to keep the two brothers on the same team, as did their senior aides."
If the Duke of Sussex is ever going to build bridges, surely the Princess of Wales will need to be involved in some way. In woman&home's December issue a source close to Harry claimed to Royal Editor Emily Andrews that a reunion might happen "if the wives could facilitate it. If Kate could broker some kind of rapprochement then maybe."
They "can't see it happening soon", but perhaps Prince Harry's focus on not scheduling appearances around major events will help start things off.
