Prince Charles and Prince William are ‘more united than ever’ in their vision for the future of the Royal Family following the death of Prince Philip, a royal expert has claimed.
Katie Nicholl told this week’s episode of True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat that the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing marked ‘the end of an era’ and has ‘opened up a conversation that would tiptoe around the big future issues about where the monarchy is going and that inevitable handing over of power’.
She said Charles, 72, and the Duke of Cambridge, 38, are leading this discussion and are ‘more united in their vision for the future of the monarchy than they ever have been’.
‘The sources I speak to say that the notion of “sovereign” is what has reunited them in the wake of Andrew and “Megxit” – that they are stronger now than ever and more focused,’ she told host Kate Thornton.
Prince Charles and Prince William are ‘more united than ever’ in their vision for the future of the Royal Family following the death of Prince Philip, a royal expert has claimed.
Discussing how unified the Royal Family is, Nicholl went on: ‘It’s not a case of waving a magic wand and everything is okay. There is a lot of work to do.
‘There are a lot of bridges that need to be built and trust that needs to be regained. It’s not going to happen in a quick walk around Windsor Castle.
‘Credit to the Prince of Wales, who instigated that meeting as an initial icebreaker, because no-one realises and appreciates more than Prince Charles that a divided Royal Family is not the unified monarchy that people want to see.’
She added that Prince Andrew’s future role remains an unresolved issue, as is the continued lack of trust between Prince William and Prince Harry, 36, despite their conversation following Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17.
Katie says no-one ‘realises and appreciates more than Prince Charles (pictured at his father’s funeral) that a divided Royal Family is not the unified monarchy that people want to see’
Nicholl said Charles and William both see ‘potential for disaster’ should they bring the Duke of York, 61, back into the royal fold.
Andrew stepped back from public life in 2019 ‘for the foreseeable future’ as a result of his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In May last year, The Sunday Times reported the Duke will not resume official duties.
MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton told the Royal Beat that Charles and William think it’s ‘absolutely ridiculous’ to consider letting Andrew resume his royal duties.
He added: ‘But remember while the Queen remains alive, she is incredibly close to Prince Andrew, and he is there as part of her life.
Nicholl said Charles and William both see ‘potential for disaster’ should they bring the Duke of York, 61, pictured at Prince Philip’s funeral, back into the royal fold
‘He is at Windsor and he visits her many days. The Queen is also close to Fergie and incredibly close to Eugenie and Beatrice so it’s not complete harmony because that’s a huge issue… while the Queen is alive, Andrew remains an issue, but he wants to come back.’
Royal photographer, another guest on the episode, Arthur Edwards also observed that Her Majesty and her second son are ‘quite close’.
‘I’ve seen him [Prince Andrew] go to church with the Queen up at Sandringham,’ he told the programme.
‘They’re quite close, and the Queen knows he’s suffering. I think she will make every effort to get him back and I think it can happen.’
Arthur also shared his feeling that the Royal Family hope Prince Harry might one day return, ‘in their heart of hearts’.
‘He was a vital member, but he’s chosen another life now and if he wants to talk to news and Netflix and all these different people for money, well let him, but you can’t keep trashing the Royal Family Harry. He’s trashing his own flesh and blood and he’s got to stop it,’ he added.
Wootton added that he believes it was ‘very telling’ that there was no further meeting between Charles, William and Harry following their conversation at the funeral.
Wootton added that he believes it was ‘very telling’ that there was no further meeting between Charles, William and Harry following their conversation at the funeral (pictured: the brothers, separated by Peter Phillips)
‘Unfortunately nothing was significantly resolved,’ he claimed. ‘There was an opportunity on the Sunday and the Monday for Harry to come together with his relatives.
‘We believe that he did see Eugenie, for example, and probably caught up with other relatives and the Queen too. Significantly to me, he didn’t see – as far as we’re aware – William, Charles or Kate and that is telling.’
He went on: ‘As a result of that Oprah interview, and the leaks to Gayle King, William and Charles no longer trust that what they say to Harry will necessarily stay confidential, and that their words won’t be twisted.
‘So the idea is as long as we’re there together there’s another witness essentially, so if Harry or Meghan were to leak something to Gayle King it could be corrected.’
The Royal Beat is available on True Royalty TV.
