King’s new aide aims to heal rift between William and Harry ‘to spare Charles further pain’

Aide Theo Rycroft is said to be gaining prominence within the King’s inner circle – a source said the he has made it his mission to heal the rift between Princes William and Harry

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The feud between the brothers causes the King ‘great pain’, a source said

An aide to King Charles III has vowed to heal the rift between Princes William and Harry, according to reports.

Theo Rycroft, a former diplomat, is reported to have ambitions to reunite the estranged brothers in his role as private secretary to the King, which he was first appointed to in December 2024. The feuding brothers have not spoken since the death of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

Mr Rycroft believes the situation has become f*****g ridiculous”, according to reports in the Mail. “He thinks it’s time to knock their heads together,” a source said. “The mood is, ‘He’s not wrong’.”

 

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Theo Rycroft is reported to be a calm operator within the Palace(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for NMACC)

 

The source added that Mr Rycroft understands the feud causes “great pain” to the King and “sees his job as helping the King resolve it”.

Mr Rycroft previously worked as a diplomat in the Foreign Office, most notably in the position of minister and deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Paris form 2021 to 2025.

He is married to Flora Astor, a member of the prominent Astor family and is the half-sister of former PM David Cameron’s wife, Samantha Cameron.

Further reports say Mr Ryctoft is known to be a calm and shrewd operator gaining prominence within the King’s inner circle. It is hoped he could be able to use this tact to bring Harry and William together. He is also reported to be crucially close to William and they worked together on a number of high-profile engagements, including meeting Donald Trump during the re-opening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

 

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The warring princes are said not to have spoken since 2022(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)

 

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace are said to have been pleased with the way Mr Rycroft handled the diplomatic difficulties brought about by a challenging situation, as well as his judgement of the King and Queen’s state visit to the US last month.

“Theo believes that Harry and William need to be forced to shake hands and allow Charles to repair his relationship with Harry,” the source said.

Whether Mr Rycroft can persuade the feuding brothers is unclear. There are suggestions the King may meet with Harry when he visits the UK next year for the Invictus Games in Birmingham.

The source said that Mr Rycroft would not be on of a number of aides wishing to block such a meeting, adding that he “may be outnumbered” but “after the US visit he is the most respected man in the building right now”.

William, meanwhile, is alleged to have banned any mention of Harry in ront of him following his brother’s fiery memoir Spare and the fallout that arose from the Sussexes departure from daily royal life. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle accused an unnamed royal of racism.