Prince Harry has made it clear that he wants to repair his relationship with Prince William, but his latest public appeal has prompted a rather uncomfortable response from The View co-host Ana Navarro, who believes the Duke of Sussex may be going about reconciliation the wrong way.

While King Charles and Prince William have largely kept their thoughts about the brothers’ strained relationship out of the public eye, Navarro was willing to say what some royal watchers may feel has been left unsaid: if Harry genuinely wants to rebuild trust with his older brother, perhaps it is time to stop discussing the rift in interviews and speak to William directly.

Her advice was remarkably straightforward, and it quickly became the most striking part of the discussion.

“At some point he’s going to need to pick up the phone or go see his brother and have it out,” Navarro said.

It was a pointed message, particularly because Harry had only recently spoken to GQ about how much he wants the relationship with William to improve. The Duke admitted that the estrangement weighs heavily on him and suggested that, with everything happening in the world, making peace with family should matter more than holding on to old grievances.

“I want it to work out. Of course I do,” Harry said.

He also acknowledged that reconciliation may not be entirely within his control, adding that “some people don’t want it to work out.”

For Navarro, however, the problem is not simply that the brothers have been apart for so long. It is that so much of their disagreement has unfolded in front of the world, making it harder for either side to rebuild the trust that has been damaged.

Navarro Questions Harry’s Public Approach

During the passionate discussion on The View, Navarro pushed the argument that the estranged brothers’ problems had become more difficult to resolve because their private disagreements had repeatedly turned into public controversies.

“I think that a lot of the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that it’s been played out in public. So much of the dirty laundry has been aired out in public,” she said.

She went on to suggest that Harry might have achieved more by delivering his latest message directly to William rather than repeating his desire for reconciliation in another interview.

“I just think that if he had delivered that message privately right now, it might go further than continuing to do it publicly, because there’s been a breach of trust, and there’s been a lot of hurt on both sides,” Navarro explained.

She was even more direct when discussing the interviews, books and documentaries that have kept the royal rift in the headlines.

“It needs to be dealt with privately, not with interviews and tell-all books and selling documentaries and things like that,” she said.

It is a criticism that goes to the heart of Harry’s difficult position. He wants the world to understand that he misses his brother and would welcome a reconciliation, but the history between them has been discussed so extensively in public that another appeal risks bringing the same arguments back into the spotlight.

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A Message the Palace Has Kept to Itself?

Navarro’s comments may resonate with those who believe that repairing the relationship requires a different approach, but it is important not to mistake her opinion for the position of King Charles or Prince William. Neither royal has publicly endorsed her advice, and there is no indication that she is speaking on behalf of the Palace.

Still, her intervention raises an interesting question about what reconciliation might actually require. King Charles has his own complicated relationship with Prince Harry, while William has been at the center of many of the disagreements described by his younger brother. Both have largely avoided discussing the matter in detail in public.

Navarro’s advice is therefore less about what the Palace wants and more about what she believes Harry needs to do if he hopes to repair the relationship.

There was also another perspective on the panel. Co-host Sunny Hostin suggested that Harry might be speaking publicly because he wants his family to hear him, perhaps because previous private attempts to reconnect have not produced the response he hoped for.

“I suspect one of the reasons he is publicly saying he wants to reconcile is so that they hear it,” Hostin said.

That is an important distinction. It is easy to tell someone to pick up the phone, but the existence of a private conversation requires both people to be willing to participate. Harry may believe that making his intentions public is a way of showing that he is ready to move forward, while Navarro sees the public approach as another obstacle to rebuilding trust.

The Next Move Is Not as Simple as It Sounds

Ultimately, Navarro has raised a question that cannot be answered through another television appearance: what happens when the cameras are switched off?

Harry has said he wants to let go of the past and repair his relationship with William, but wanting reconciliation and finding a way to achieve it are two very different things. The brothers would have to decide whether they are ready to speak honestly about what happened, acknowledge the hurt on both sides and establish some trust again.

And even if Harry makes the private approach Navarro is recommending, there is no guarantee that William will be ready to respond.

For now, the Duke has made his feelings known, and Navarro has offered her own blunt advice. Whether Harry takes it is another matter. But her central point is difficult to miss: if the brothers are ever going to put their differences behind them, the most important conversation may need to happen away from the cameras, without another interview, headline or public appeal.