Prince William and his brother Prince Harry’s relationship lies in tatters, and the question remains as to whether they will ever make amends. By all accounts, the brothers have barely spoken since the Sussexes made their exit from royal life, and after the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare, the idea of catching up on a short phone call shifted from the realm of unlikely, to the realm of inconceivable.

William and Harry last encountered one another at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, when they walked side-by-side with their respective wives. A few weeks ago they attended another funeral, but this time didn’t even make eye contact.

Of late there have been rumors about Harry possibly desiring a return to the royal fold, but his relationship with his brother remains tenuous at best. It’s said that Harry wants an apology, which William won’t give him, while one royal expert now claims that William has one main reason why he won’t meet with Harry – and it doesn’t even have to do with his brother.

The feud between the Sussexes and the Royal Family peaked when Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare, last year. The Duke lashed out at almost every senior Royal Family member within the book’s pages, including his brother, and since then, the two haven’t spoken at all.

Princess Diana’s sons, who once were extremely close, don’t even engage in short phone calls these days. The only “contact” in recent times was when William and Kate’s social media account posted to congratulate Harry on his 40th birthday.

Prince William & Prince Harry

The debacle involving William and Harry, whose feud has been branded “The Battle of the Brothers,” has been ongoing for years and, in fact, started even before Harry decided to leave royal life behind. The last time the brothers saw each other was at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, where they walked side-by-side behind the late monarch’s coffin.

Prior to that, William, Harry, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle had put on a united front to meet grieving royal fans at Windsor. It’s now said, however, that gesture would never have happened if William had his way.

According to royal expert and author Omid Scobie, William was stubborn at the time, telling his father, King Charles, that he was against the idea. But the now-king stood his ground, insisting that his eldest son would perform the walkabout.

“Essentially, he told William to swallow his pride and invite his brother and sister-in-law to join them when they greeted mourners and well-wishers in Windsor that day. William wasn’t keen,” Scobie wrote in his book Endgame. “This was his moment with the public, but the King put pressure on [him].”

Moreover, the author claimed that a source close to the royals “said it was all led by their father, that he was the one that made the suggestion.”

“It showed that all four are capable of switching it on and doing what’s right in the moment,” Scobie continued. “I thought potentially that could open doors to other moments of seeing what matters and putting certain things to one side, just to coexist or to find some sort of common ground.

“But I think the thing that surprised me the most was that afterward everyone just went their own ways and nothing happened beyond that.”

Prince William & Prince William attended funeral of late maternal uncle

Prince Harry has been back in the UK on several occasions since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Shortly after his father had been diagnosed with cancer, Harry paid a fleeting visit to show his support. He also attended a special ceremony for the Invictus Games earlier this year, though on that occasion he didn’t meet any of his family.

He reportedly declined an invite from Charles to stay at a royal household during his visit, and one can only assume that a possible dinner or organized sit-down with William wasn’t even on the table.

Though William and Harry haven’t officially met one another of late, they did actually spend time at the same place in late August. Both brothers attended the memorial service for their late maternal uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, in Norfolk. He was married to Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Spencer.

Harry traveled to the UK to pay his respects at the service, but when he arrived at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, he and his brother avoided each other. They sat with different groups of their maternal cousins, and sources say they kept their distance and never spoke.

“Most people were astounded that Harry came,” one of the reported 300 guests told People. “He was on remarkably good form — and you could tell he was very pleased to see everybody. And he was very pleased that he had come over.”

“We never saw them speak to each other”

A church warden told the BBC: “It was wonderful that both princes were able to attend their uncle’s memorial service yesterday at St. Mary’s Church.”

“The service was a lovely family occasion celebrating the life of such a special man. Many friends were also present and also many members of the St. Mary’s Church family.”

A local resident told People: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”

Prince Harry has previously made it clear that he wants an apology from his family about how he and his wife were treated while still working members of the Royal Family. The couple have lodged many allegations against the royals over the years, and that may well lie behind why they’re unlikely to ever get said apology, irrespective of how strongly they feel that they deserve one.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton have all reportedly been left incensed with what the Sussexes have accused them of. Not only that, but the fact Harry and Meghan decided to go public with their grumblings made things even worse.