Dean Stott, one of Prince Harry's close friends, says the royal bros are staring down a deadline to squash their beef over alleged racism and other issues in the monarchy.
Dean joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us how Harry and Meghan Markle are dealing with the fallout from their Oprah interview, and why it's important for Harry to open a dialogue with his brother.
Remember ... William revealed Thursday morning he has not spoken to Harry since the interview aired -- a sign of just how deep the rift is between the brothers.
Although there's been no movement yet, Dean believes there will be in the next few months because they'll be face-to-face soon. Harry and William are both scheduled to attend events this July to honor their late mother, Princess Diana.
As for the bombshell revelations in the Oprah interview ... Dean says he knew about some of the issues plaguing Harry and Meghan but was totally blindsided when they said someone in the royal family voiced concern about Archie's skin color.
And, while the world's playing the guessing game about who said it -- Dean told us why he's sure Harry will never reveal the person's identity ... publicly, or even to friends like himself.