Prince Harry and Prince William Plan to Exchange Christmas Gifts for Their Children

Mar. 15, 2025

Despite the distance between them,Prince HarryandPrince Williamwill exchange gifts for their children this Christmas.A royal insider tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that theholiday traditionwill continue for the Wales children —Prince George, 9,Princess Charlotte, 7, andPrince Louis, 4 — and Sussex kids — Archie Harrison, 3, and Lilibet Diana, 1. The gesture is a glimmer of goodwill this holiday season amid the release ofHarry & Meghanon Netflix.Prince Harry’s relationships with his fatherKing Charles IIIand his brother Prince William remain strained. Harry said during the couple’s2021 interview with Oprah Winfreythat his familyfinancially cut him offin the first quarter of 2020, after they announced their intention to step back as working members of the royal family. Prince Harry also mentioned his father had stopped “taking his calls” for a while.During the same interview,Prince Harrysaid his relationship withPrince William"is space at the moment" but added that he “loves William to bits — we’ve been through hell together.“For more on the Royals, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.“And you know, time heals all things, hopefully,“he said, adding that he’d “always be there” for his family.Chris Jackson/Getty"It will take a long time before there is harmony between the brothers. There is a lot of anger there,” a source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE. A palace source confides that William and his wifeKate Middletonare avoiding the series and having aides watch instead.NetflixFor two brothers who shared the unimaginable grief of losing their mother Princess Diana in 1997, their estrangement now is especially heartbreaking. “Their mother would have pulled them together and sorted it out,” says the source close to the royal household. But it was Diana who, arguably, laid the path for Harry to this moment when she shared what he calls “the truth of her experience” in a controversial 1995 interview that was at the time unprecedented for any royal.“I am my mother’s son,” Harry says in the documentary, while alsodrawing parallelsbetween Meghan and his mom: “She has the same compassion.“Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/GettyCan’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!The publication of Harry’s memoirSparein January promises yet more to concern his family back in London. “In order for us to move to the next chapter, you gotta finish the first chapter,” Harry said.In spite of the rift between the Sussexes and their family in the U.K., royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE, “There is always a way for reconciliation if both sides want it.”

Despite the distance between them,Prince HarryandPrince Williamwill exchange gifts for their children this Christmas.

A royal insider tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that theholiday traditionwill continue for the Wales children —Prince George, 9,Princess Charlotte, 7, andPrince Louis, 4 — and Sussex kids — Archie Harrison, 3, and Lilibet Diana, 1. The gesture is a glimmer of goodwill this holiday season amid the release ofHarry & Meghanon Netflix.

Prince Harry’s relationships with his fatherKing Charles IIIand his brother Prince William remain strained. Harry said during the couple’s2021 interview with Oprah Winfreythat his familyfinancially cut him offin the first quarter of 2020, after they announced their intention to step back as working members of the royal family. Prince Harry also mentioned his father had stopped “taking his calls” for a while.

During the same interview,Prince Harrysaid his relationship withPrince William"is space at the moment” but added that he “loves William to bits — we’ve been through hell together.”

For more on the Royals, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

“And you know, time heals all things, hopefully,“he said, adding that he’d “always be there” for his family.

Chris Jackson/Getty

“It will take a long time before there is harmony between the brothers. There is a lot of anger there,” a source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE. A palace source confides that William and his wifeKate Middletonare avoiding the series and having aides watch instead.

Netflix

For two brothers who shared the unimaginable grief of losing their mother Princess Diana in 1997, their estrangement now is especially heartbreaking. “Their mother would have pulled them together and sorted it out,” says the source close to the royal household. But it was Diana who, arguably, laid the path for Harry to this moment when she shared what he calls “the truth of her experience” in a controversial 1995 interview that was at the time unprecedented for any royal.

“I am my mother’s son,” Harry says in the documentary, while alsodrawing parallelsbetween Meghan and his mom: “She has the same compassion.”

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty

Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!

The publication of Harry’s memoirSparein January promises yet more to concern his family back in London. “In order for us to move to the next chapter, you gotta finish the first chapter,” Harry said.

In spite of the rift between the Sussexes and their family in the U.K., royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE, “There is always a way for reconciliation if both sides want it.”

source: people.com