Prince William 'Hurt,' Not Angry Over Prince Harry Rift, Source Says

Prince William and Prince Harry's rift has not yet been completely mended after the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals, a new book reveals.

In the Sussex biography "Finding Freedom," royal correspondents Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand touched on the relationship between Prince William and his younger and how palace staffers reacted to their feud. The authors said Prince Harry chose to distance himself from Prince William and leave his royal position for his wife's sake.

An insider revealed in an excerpt from the book obtained by Page Six that the Duke of Cambridge remains upset over Prince Harry's decision. "It’s not anger, it’s hurt," a source said.

The book revealed that palace courtiers are hoping that Prince William and Prince Harry will reconcile soon, with one saying, "We cannot have them at war."

Palace insiders quoted in the book believe that the future of the British monarchy depends on Prince William and Prince Harry ending their feud.

"We need to design a system to protect the monarchy full stop," one source at a palace retreat before Prince Harry and Markle moved out of Kensington Palace and into Windsor said.

"The future of this monarchy relies solely on the four people currently in Kensington Palace," the palace source added. "The public popularity only lies with them. When [Prince Charles] becomes king, the only way it lasts is if the four of them are not at war."

In May, royal biographer Katie Nicholl confirmed that there was a rift between Prince William and Prince Harry. However, at the time, she said the two had already reconnected.

"There have been clearly some quite major rifts in that relationship, but things have got better and I know that William and Harry are in touch on the phone," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "They have done video calls together, they have done a lot of family birthdays and I think with Prince Charles not being well, that really forced the brothers to pick up the phone and get back in touch."

Last month, Nicholl spoke about Scobie and Durand's book when the excerpts of "Finding Freedom" were made available. The "Harry & Meghan" author found the book very detailed but also "damaging" to the royal family.

"This has made the book compelling and fascinating, but for the royal family, this book has been damaging because it has opened up old wounds," Nicholl said.

"I think what's very clear is that Meghan and Harry have wanted to get their side of the story across," she continued. "This is clearly a couple who feel quite aggrieved by the fact that they've never been able to answer their critics. They have never been able to address incorrect reporting."

A rep for Markle and Prince Harry has confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes did not participate in the making of "Finding Freedom."