Duke of Sussex feels disconnected from royal path as brother steps closer to kingship
Prince Harry is said to be feeling a renewed sense of regret following King Charles's latest gesture toward Prince William, further solidifying the heir’s future role within the monarchy.
According to a royal insider, the Duke of Sussex is privately grappling with mixed emotions after his father officially appointed William as Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath during a grand service at Westminster Abbey on May 16—part of the Order’s 300th anniversary celebration.
“It seems to be a win-and-loss situation,” the source told British media. “While William is taking another step toward his destiny as future king, Harry may be reflecting on what could have been, even as he continues to reject that life.”
The ceremony marked King Charles’s first time leading the service as Sovereign, a role he now passes symbolically to William, reinforcing the heir’s position at the heart of royal tradition.
Harry, meanwhile, has long expressed discomfort with his place in the institution, especially the so-called “heir and spare” dynamic. In his memoir Spare, the Duke wrote candidly about feeling like a backup to his elder brother and quoted their father’s remark after his birth: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare — my work is done.”
The insider added, “Harry doesn’t see titles or honors as validation. He believes he was born into a system that never made space for him to thrive. Watching William take on these prestigious roles may only reinforce that sense of distance.”
Though Prince Harry has carved out a separate life in the U.S., royal watchers note that milestones like this continue to highlight the growing contrast between the brothers—one firmly embedded in royal tradition, the other forging a different path.
