Prince Harry has laid bare his feud with Prince William in interviews, on TV and in Spare. And it was the younger brother was first revealed a fall-out between the pair
Prince William and Prince Harry’s royal feud is now common knowledge but there was a time when it was thought the two brothers were still as close as can be, and it was only a comment by Harry that revealed the extent of their fractured relationship.
William and Harry were always seen to have a special bond, having supported each other following the untimely death of their mother, Princess Diana. But cracks started to show following the start of Harry’s romance with Meghan Markle, with William among those to voice concerns that the relationship was moving too fast. The couple went ahead and married in May 2018 and welcomed son Archie the following year. But by June 2019, Harry and Meghan announced they were leaving the joint charity they shared with Kate and William – and rumours began to swirl.
In October, everything exploded. Harry was asked about the reported feud during ITV’s documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, and his answer was telling. “Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens,” Harry said. “But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
He continued, “We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.” Of course, three months later, Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down from the royal family. They subsequently gave a tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which they alleged racism within the royal family, and have gone on to make multiple criticisms of the monarchy – be it in their Netflix series or Harry’s book Spare.
His relationship with William has been left in tatters. The future King is said to have decided to ‘cut ties’ completely with his younger sibling. The BBC ‘s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Times Radio : “I think as far as William is concerned, Harry really doesn’t exist. William has enough pressure on his heart and his head, with his wife [ Princess of Wales ] and her ongoing cancer treatment, and his father [King Charles], his job and his kids that I don’t think he’s got any room in his soul to worry about his estranged brother… I think William has disowned Harry.”
Royal author Tom Quinn has also warned that Harry and William’s relationship could be beyond repair. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror US, he said: “Having their own families means the brothers no longer need each other as they did after the death of their mother. Emotional support comes now from their partners, partners untainted by dysfunctional royal childhoods.”
“Yet even while complaining about his position as the spare, Harry won’t take the lead in trying to reconcile with his brother. He still expects William to make the first move in any attempt to reconcile. William is so annoyed with Harry’s complaints and attacks on the royals that he has completely shut down and has no intention of extending the hand of friendship – in case it gets bitten off.”
