Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, were close growing up. The two men were forced into the royal spotlight from birth, and they went through some serious difficulties as young kids. It created a strong bond between the two men, but that bond dwindled into adulthood.

Harry and William realized they wanted different things, and it led to a major feud between the brothers that’s gone on for the last five years. While it seems there is no end in sight to their distaste for one another, Kate Middleton reportedly still thinks she can get them to reconcile if William would just “soften his heart.”

Kate Middleton wants Prince William to ‘soften his heart’ for Prince Harry

William and Harry’s disagreements reportedly started when Harry met his now-wife, Meghan Markle. Harry realized that, with Meghan, he could pursue the freedoms he’d always longed for, and William reportedly didn’t agree with that. Over time, tensions between the two grew, eventually leading to alleged tensions between their wives, too. In 2020, Harry and Meghan moved to the United States, and Harry and William have hardly spoken since.

But Kate still thinks she can fix things, according to sources who spoke to Heat Magazine (GB News). “She’s not pushing hard, but she is quietly encouraging William to soften his heart towards his brother and to keep an open mind,” a source said. However, William is “very reluctant to trust Harry and Meghan,” the source added, which makes it difficult for the brothers to make any progress.

Kate supposedly has her own kids in mind; she wants William to fix things with his brother to ensure their children see good sibling relationships. “Kate feels they ought to set a good example for their own kids,” the source added. “It breaks her heart to imagine something like this happening to them, so she wants to show them that family is worth fighting for.”

Prince William and Prince Harry might never reconcile

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but that hasn’t proven to be the case for William and Harry. The US move has actually caused them to speak even less. Plus, the royal family has gone through some extremely difficult moments in the last year, with both King Charles and Kate undergoing cancer treatment. And while Harry did fly home to visit his dad, he seemingly hasn’t seen William and Kate at all.

If neither of those situations were enough to make the brothers put their differences aside, then it’s hard to imagine a world where they ever return to being as close as they once were.