A former royal equerry has weighed in on the chances of a reconciliation between currently estranged brothers Prince William and Prince Harry.
While tensions have deepened between the Princes, who have had a strained relationship for the last few years while living separate lives in different countries, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton admitted he is an "optimist" when asked whether Harry and William could heal their rift.
"Do you know what? I think I’d better steer clear of that Harry issue," Jamie, who was an aide to both William and Harry, told The Times in a new interview.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesHe added: "What I would say is that I was and am very fond of him. He has huge redeeming features and I’m a perennial optimist."
Jamie, a former SAS soldier and the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, became a member of the royal family's inner circle. Along with being a long-time family friend to the Prince and Princess of Wales, he also happens to be Prince George's godfather. "I always saw him as the Lion King," he said of William.
Speaking of both William and Harry, Jamie added: "I loved them both."
Harry previously described the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk as "deeply calm, slightly stiff" in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
Estranged relationship status
© Photo: Getty ImagesRoyal author Russell Myers revealed the relationship between William and Harry "couldn't be worse" in an exclusive discussion on the A Right Royal Podcast back in March.
"Everything I'm told about that relationship is that it couldn't be worse," The Mirror's Royal editor told our hosts, adding that "it's done".
"Maybe there is a time in the future," he added on a hopeful note. "There is an awful lot going on. I mean, William and Catherine have got three young children. George is going to start secondary school. They are absolutely worried about the king's future health, I mean he's doing absolutely great now, is still having treatment, and Catherine's just come out of her own treatment."
He continued: "So when you're looking at the checklist of things that are important to them, that's way down the list."
Harry's UK visit?
Harry has been living across the pond in California since March 2020. While the Duke of Sussex has been raising his two children – Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five – out of the limelight with his wife Meghan Markle in Montecito, William has continued his royal duties with regular public appearances alongside his wife and their three children.
According to recent reports, Harry and Meghan are set to bring their children with them for an upcoming visit to the UK next month.
Details of the trip have remained under wraps, but Harry is reportedly returning to the UK for the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
