Prince William slaps Harry with 'absolute ban' and is 'calling the shots when it comes to family discipline'
Prince William has reportedly put an "absolute ban" on Prince Harry being welcomed back into the royal family four years after the younger brother stepped back from royal duties and moved to California.
The Prince of Wales, 42, is said to have ruled out a thawing of relations, and has recently taken on the role of disciplinarian - a role previously adopted by his late grandad Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
According to a source, those around the royal family sense that William has "stepped into the Prince Philip role", and is ruling with a "rod of iron".
"Philip ruled the family with a rod of iron and you saw when he died that discipline collapsed," the source told the Daily Beast. "Now William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline."
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue
Speaking in response to a new YouGov poll about the most popular male in the royal family, the source also claimed that William is standing firm in his decision about Harry not returning "in any way, shape, or form" to the family fold, and is unlikely to change his mind.
The brothers' relationship has become increasingly strained in recent years, with Harry and Meghan Markle living in Montecito, California, with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and William and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales living at Windsor, in the UK.
Their family relations also took a hit at the weekend when Meghan's dad Thomas Markle gave an incredibly candid interview about his relationship with his daughter and grandchildren, expressing his sadness at the fact he'd never met Archie or Lilibet.
He also compared himself to the youngsters' other grandfather, King Charles, saying neither of them deserved “the treatment we’ve received” from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with kids Archie and Lilibet and, right, Meghan's dad Thomas Markle
Earlier this week, a source claimed to OK! that Thomas's words had left Meghan feeling "under attack", but said she had a strong group of friends around for support her.
They said: "It’s been a hard week for Meghan and she feels like she’s constantly under attack. The revelations about her and her dad’s private talks have been hard as she thought she had moved on from that.
"They were always so close and although she had cut him out from her life after everything, it still understandably devastates her that they no longer speak. Before she met Harry, she had a very good relationship with her dad but all that has changed."
They added: "Meghan has lots of other friends she can count on as well as Doria, and she feels very blessed with that."