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It’s no secret that things have been rocky between Prince Harry and Prince William for some time. Though the royal brothers had been extremely close for the majority of their lives, things took a major turn in 2016, when Prince Harry introduced his now-wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to his family.

Though the duchess is warm and accomplished, Prince William immediately had some reservations about the former actress, and he expressed them to his younger brother. The Duke of Cambridge was concerned Prince Harry was moving too fast, and that the royal family knew very little about the American divorcee. The Duke of Sussex, who had always been by his brother’s side, and who adores Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was immediately offended.

The distance between the brothers has only increased recently. Now, amid Megxit, the brothers’ relationship is worse than ever.

Prince William thought Prince Harry would always be by his side

The princes have always had different personalities. While Prince William was seen as the more “responsible one,” his stern demeanor made it more challenging for him to connect with people. In contrast, though Prince Harry found himself in the middle of a scandal or two in his teens and in his twenties, he was always a beloved people’s prince. This juxtaposition worked well for the two.

“Courtiers imagined in the future that Harry would be shoulder-to-shoulder with William when he was King,” Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son author Penny Junor told People. “He would pick up the bits that William wouldn’t be as good for. They would be complimentary and side-by-side throughout their lives. That was a lovely picture. Harry was the secret weapon, really.”

Now, the royal family is trying to adopt the more approachable, less icy demeanor that the Sussexes so easily displayed.

Prince Harry and Prince William did not speak during the Sussexes’ final royal engagement

On March 9, the Sussexes attended Commonwealth Day. It was their final engagement as working royals, and it was the first time they’d publicly interacted with the British royal family since announcing Megxit.

According to Royal commentator Camilla Tominey, the Daily Telegraph’s lip-reader gave the lowdown on the brothers’ conversation. Prince Harry’s full quote which he is claimed to have said to Meghan was, “He literally said: ‘Hello, Harry’ and that was it and he didn’t say anything more than that.”

The Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge did not interact at all.

Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship is worse than ever

It looks like the bothers are equally upset with one another. Too much has been said and done to go back now.

“Those close to the brothers say things between them are worse than ever,” an insider told Daily Mail.  “[Prince William] is insulted by his brother’s recent comments, including the stream of remarks on Harry and Meghan’s Sussex Royal website, which many have taken as implied criticisms of the Royal Family. He feels as if it’s a direct snub to the queen.”

In turn, “Harry is also profoundly unhappy and feels he has been cut adrift by his own relatives and that Meghan was not made sufficiently welcome…Harry is even said to believe that his infant son Archie has been abandoned by The Firm.”

This is a tough situation.

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