Both Prince William and Prince Harry have embarked on major trips this week – one to Brazil and another to Canada – at the same time amid their bitter feud
Prince William asked about ‘changes in his family’ in Brazil
It has been a tale of two brothers as estranged siblings Princes William and Harry both embarked on high-profile trips at the same time. First off heir to the throne William travelled to Brazil, where he took his Earthshot Prize Awards to Rio Janeiro before heading to the COP30 climate change summit in Belem.
And no sooner had William touched down in South America, Harry’s office revealed he too would be travelling to Canada, with the trip overlapping with his older brother. Harry has been in Toronto for a series of events ahead of Remembrance Sunday tomorrow by meeting veterans who served in the Canadian forces.
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Harry and wife Meghan have previously faced accusations of having tried to overshadow their royal relatives by announcing projects or carrying out appearances while they are on major tours. And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes the clash of diaries has been telling. She told the Mirror : “I don’t think Harry’s visit has overshadowed William’s big trip and I don’t know if that was the intention.
“But you do wonder whether there really had to be this clash – especially when the same thing has happened almost every year when the Earthshot prizes are awarded. And in this year, of all years, when it seems Harry has tried to mend some bridges with his family, he surely could have used his clout to move the engagements in Canada by a few days to avoid this clash.
“If the organisers of the dinner and other events wanted him there badly enough, then they could undoubtedly have rearranged things. It’s not as if William’s trip to Brazil and the date of the Earthshot prize and COP 30 have not been known for months.”
When Harry’s trip was announced, sources close to the Duke said the timing of the announcement, at the exact moment Prince William arrived in Rio, was unavoidable due to Harry being stripped of his security when he left his role as a working member of the royal family.
The source claimed the period of time in which Harry and Meghan can release details of their events is much more truncated than it is for the King or William.
And Jennie added: “Harry’s team are reported to be anxious to show Harry tried to mitigate any damage by releasing his essay ahead of William’s big speech, but it still smacks of a sense of rivalry that is perhaps at the heart of the rift between the brothers.”
Meanwhile, William’s trip has also come at the same time it has been revealed that his sister-in-law Meghan has made a return to acting. The former Suits star has been spotted filming scenes for the upcoming Close Personal Friends starring Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
William’s Brazilian adventures has taken him across the sights of Rio from Copacabana Beach to the Christ the Redeemer Statue as well as Belem, the gateway to the Amazon.
And Jennie expalined: “I think William will have been irritated by the clash— and things haven’t been helped by Meghan popping up in headlines about her return to acting — but the prince’s team will have been pleased to see that the majority of coverage has been about his mission to mend this planet from the harm we humans have done.
