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He might look like he has it all, but who would want to be the Prince of Wales right now?
Not only does Prince William have the ongoing feud with his little brother Harry to contend with, but a new family photo has also revealed a disturbing truth about the future facing him and the Princess of Wales, painting it as one that looks increasingly lonely.
The monarchy was never designed to be carried by one man, yet that’s exactly what William is facing.
“Princess Diana always told me she expected Harry to be William’s wingman,” her esteemed biographer Andrew Morton tells me.
“She knew William would need the support in the onerous task of becoming king that he had coming up and now he doesn’t have that.”
William’s solo era
A rare April 2026 portrait of all 11 working royals, taken for Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday centenary, shows a family still dutiful and smiling but undeniably ageing.
The Prince and Princess of Wales stand front and centre with King Charles and Queen Camilla who are flanked by Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
They are also joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, now 81 and 79, the 90‑year‑old Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra, 89.
Cast your mind back a decade and it would have been impossible to imagine that Prince Harry wouldn’t be in the frame. But of course, a lot has happened since then.
Without the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the only working royals under 60 are the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The photo makes the point more clearly than any palace briefing ever could: the institution is shrinking.
The heir/spare model has always been the monarchy’s quiet insurance policy.
One leads, one supports, and together they absorb the pressure of a role that no single person can realistically shoulder alone.
For decades, that was William and Harry but the new portrait tells a different story. The message is subtle but unmistakable: William and Catherine are the future.
William’s breaking point
Harry’s departure didn’t just remove a working royal from the roster.
It removed the only person who had lived the same childhood, carried the same expectations, and understood the same unspoken rules as William.
But when Harry decided to break those rules — and his grievances spilled into interviews, documentaries and a memoir — the hurt deepened into something far more complex than a family disagreement.
Now, insiders say William has truly reached his limit. The once‑patient older brother is reportedly done trying to fix something he didn’t break.
He’s focused on Kate and their children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — who will likely have to take on royal duties at a much earlier age than their father ever did, simply because their uncle is no longer in the picture.
“William is over all the drama,” says royal biographer Robert Jobson. “He doesn’t need it, and he doesn’t want it. He’s too busy and focused on his own family.”
William, has, written his little brother off. He sees no hope of reconciliation and has accepted the reality of a future without Harry beside him.
The forgiveness question
Still, the question that hovers over William is one he never answers publicly: can he ever forgive Harry?
Forgiving, forgetting and moving on has never been William’s strong suit.
“William is someone who does hold a grudge, he does choose sides,” The Times royal editor Roya Nikkah says.
It’s a task made ever the more difficult while Harry continues to publicly call for reconciliation yet plays with fire by carrying out very royal‑looking work, which some palace sources suggest could see him ultimately lose his title altogether.
However, forgiveness from William doesn’t look like how we might expect. There will never be a warm reunion of the brothers seen with their arms around each other or a photo op of them laughing on the palace balcony.
After years of attacks and leaks, William is well within his rights to keep his brother at arms length and not trust Harry with the secrets of the crown.
Forgiveness is really about whether William can let go of the anger long enough to stop the past from shaping the rest of his life.
Because the Princess of Wales has already proved that a monarchy can survive without a spare — but a brother’s betrayal is far harder to rise above.
Read more expert opinion and analysis in WHO’s The Royal Verdict with Kylie Walters here.
