Prince Harry’s relationship with his royal family—and especially his brother, Prince William—is still in tatters, but William’s wife, Kate Middleton, has been trying to keep relations between the brothers alive, offering her support to Harry during late-night phone calls.

The Princess of Wales, who reportedly still remains on good terms with Harry, has been attempting to maintain communication with him and offer support during his recent difficult times, with the hopes that he and the Prince of Wales will patch things up in the long run.

“Kate has been in touch with Harry to tell him to keep his chin up and not worry too much about these temporary setbacks,” a source said, first reported in Closer. The source also claims the calls mean “an awful lot to Harry” as he copes with the continued estrangement from the British royal family, as well as a series of personal setbacks and court appearances.

“She feels very sorry for him right now,” the source said. “Seeing him go through all these setbacks is very difficult to witness, and it tugs at her heartstrings—especially as his court trial is taking place so close to their home.”

The source continued: “She doesn’t want to meddle with Harry’s life but she wants him to know that there are a lot of people, herself included, who care about him and are rooting for him to be happy.”

William has been furious with his brother over a series of perceived attacks against the royal family since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, quit as active royals in 2020. That includes Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.

Among the book’s bombshells was Harry’s claim that William knocked him “to the floor” during a fight about Markle, leaving Harry with “scrapes and bruises.” Harry claimed William described Meghan as “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive.”

William was “absolutely horrified” by Harry’s claims in the book, according to Us Weekly, which quoted a royal source as saying William “doesn’t even recognize his own brother anymore.”

Kate didn’t entirely escape criticism in Spare, as Harry wrote that the princess made Markle cry just days before her wedding. Nevertheless, Harry called Kate the “sister I never had” in the memoir.

Prince Harry sat a few rows behind Prince William, Princess Kate, and two of their children during King Charles’ coronation in May.

The last time Harry was with the royal family was during his father’s coronation in May, but he didn’t interact with his brother and sister-in-law, nor with King Charles or Queen Camilla. Harry and Meghan weren’t invited to an upcoming royal family gathering at Balmoral to mark a year since the death of Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

During a January interview, Harry expressed hope at “being able to find peace” with William some day, adding: “My brother and I love each other. I love him deeply. There has been a lot of pain between the two of us, especially the last six years.”

Despite Kate’s continued contact with Harry, William has expressed that he isn’t prepared for a reconciliation with Harry just yet, according to Closer. “It’s obviously an extremely sensitive and delicate situation between many of the other senior royals and especially William, who has made it very clear that he is not yet ready to sit down with Harry for peace talks or any type of open dialogue for that matter,” the source told Closer.

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Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.