William 'bans' Harry from returning to Royal Family as Prince of Wales 'calling the shots' behind the scenes
"William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline... He can be scary," the source said
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Prince William is "calling the shots" in the Royal Family and is "refusing" to speak to Prince Harry, an insider has claimed.
As part of the claims, made in response to YouGov polling which has placed the Prince of Wales as the most popular male royal, William is said to rule the family "with a rod of iron".
The source said the prince had taken on the disciplinarian duty over the family yielded by his grandfather Prince Philip upon his death, and even said William could be "scary".
They said: "There is a sense that William has stepped into the Prince Philip role.
"William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline... He can be scary," the source said
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"Philip ruled the family with a rod of iron and you saw when he died that discipline collapsed.
"Now William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline... He can be scary!"
William's discipline allegedly presents itself through an "absolute ban on Harry returning in any way, shape or form to the family fold", the Daily Beast reported.
And while the source said that King Charles would like to spend more time with his youngest son, William has ruled out any such return.
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The source claimed Prince William has taken over his grandfather's role as a disciplinarian
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Apparently, the Prince of Wales refuses to speak to Prince Harry, with the source claiming his ban against the wishes of the head of state "tells you everything you need to know about who is really in charge", the source said.
The bold claims accompanied latest YouGov polling data on Britain's major royals, which ranks the key family members based on fame and popularity.
In a blow for the Royal Family, its most popular member in the first quarter of 2024 is the late Queen Elizabeth II - who outstrips all the living royals by at least six percentage points.
Of the current family set, Princess Kate remains the most popular figure, polling at 71 per cent approval - with Prince William and Princess Anne just behind her, at 67 and 65 per cent approval ratings respectively.
Prince Andrew has been handed a mere nine per cent approval rating
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Only two more members of the family have been handed a positive rating among the British public: The King, at 58 per cent, and Prince Edward, at 57 per cent.
At the base of the table sits Prince Andrew, at just nine per cent approval rating.
Ahead of him sits Meghan Markle at 26 per cent, and his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie - at 27 and 29 per cent.
Prince Harry, despite his apparent ban at the hands of "iron rod" William, also suffers with a net unfavourable score; the Duke of Sussex, according to YouGov, is liked by just 34 per cent of Britons.