Prince William hints at family drama in first appearance since Megxit, says everybody needs to move forward
Apart from a joint statement that Princes William and Harry released together, the former has mostly stayed mum on his younger brother's decision to step down as a "senior" member of the royal family, along with his wife.
In his first public appearance since 'Megxit,' the Duke of Cambridge met with leaders from different faith and community groups at the Khidmat Centre in Bradford, Yorkshire. During his royal engagement, 37-year-old William made a statement that sounded like an ominous jab at his brother's decision to break away from the family, People magazine reported.
“It’s sometimes trying to get people to understand that’s it’s okay to have these challenges. We just need to deal with them and we need to move forward rather than just be stuck in paralysis," he said.
Members of the royal family are discouraged from taking sides or making impromptu statements that would stir up controversies or create a constitutional crisis. Although he did not mention the Duke of Sussex by name, his statement was taken by many as a subtle jab at his brother.
The public appearance came just days after William convened at the Buckingham Palace to meet with Harry and the Queen and his father, Prince Charles at their Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, to work out the details following the Sussexes' announcement that they wish to become financially independent, which also included splitting their time between the UK and North America. At the summit, the Queen reluctantly agreed to let Harry follow the path that he had chosen for himself.
Hours before the summit was scheduled to take place, Princess Diana's sons issued a joint statement as the palace scrambled to decry rumors that claimed that Harry and Meghan had been pushed away by the “bullying attitude" from William.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful,” the statement said.