This A-Lister Is Struggling to ‘Stay Neutral’ Amid Royal Tensions Between Prince William and Harry

Navigating friendships in Hollywood is no easy feat, and it gets even trickier when you add the British Royal Family and good causes to the mix. Although there are hints that the tension between Prince William and Prince Harry might be easing — Prince William did wish his brother a happy 40th birthday, although even that was apparently a reluctant move — there is still some obvious tension between the two, and now, Matt Damon feels caught in the middle of the ongoing royal feud.

Damon, who has also been caught in the middle of the Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck divorce fallout, first met the royal siblings at a 2014 charity polo event, quickly forged connections with both brothers through their shared passion for humanitarian efforts. On September 23, Damon spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York, where Prince Harry also made an appearance, talking about the impact of phones of younger generations. The actor discussed his $1 billion plan to provide water and sanitation access to millions, a cause also near and dear to Prince Harry’s heart.

The next day, Damon was at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit. The prize aims to discover and scale groundbreaking solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Damon’s water humanitarian organizations, Water.org and WaterEquity, have been a part of these summits since Prince William first created them in 2020. He made an appearance at the New York City event, while Prince William joined in via a video message.

Despite Damon’s active involvement in both brothers’ causes, the “Bourne Identity” star finds himself in a precarious situation. “Matt doesn’t want to be seen to be taking sides or favoring one over the other and he’s essentially being wooed by both of them right now, which puts him in a very difficult position, especially because William is talking about bringing him to London for events and having him come to Buckingham Palace,” an insider told InTouch Weekly.

Damon’s dilemma is compounded by his genuine friendship with Harry. “That certainly appeals to him, but he’s also got a relationship with Harry and he’s not going to just toss him to the side because William’s holding out these shiny offers.” Ultimately, Damon is “intending to stay neutral and not take sides, but it’s very clear to anyone who knows these two you can’t be friends with both of them at the moment, there’s just too much bad blood.”

For now, it seems like Damon is trying to keep his focus on what is important — their philanthropic work — and staying as neutral as possible as the two brothers continue to work it out.

Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.