3 Ways Prince Harry and Prince William’s Feud Wasn’t About Meghan Markle
Prince Harry revealed in Spare that he and Prince William weren’t as close as the world assumed. The relationship fostered between the brothers by their mother, Princess Diana, appeared to shatter after her death. Therefore, the stage was set for an estrangement only furthered by Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle. However, Harry and William’s feud wasn’t all about the former Suits star. Here are three reasons what went wrong in their relationship.
Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship was always strained
Princes William and Prince Harry were just 15 and 12 when their mother, Princess Diana, died. She hoped they would always stay close.
People Magazine shared a quote from royal biographer Ingrid Seward. She shared, “one thing Diana said was, ‘Please, whatever happens, remember you always have each other. I want you always to stick together.’”
However, according to Harry’s memoir, he and William were never as close as the media portrayed them to be. In the book, Harry shared his version of events that led the brothers on different paths.
Harry believed he and William would stick together when he attended boarding school Eton. However, William reportedly had other ideas. He wrote in Spare, “For the last two years, [William] explained, Eton had been his sanctuary,” Harry said (via Newsweek).
“No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle. He was forging his own life and wasn’t willing to give that up.”
He continued, “For Willy, it was pure agony to wear the same blazer and tight shorts as me. And now, to attend the same school was pure murder. I told him not to worry. ‘I’ll forget I ever knew you.’” Subsequently, Harry called William his “beloved brother and arch nemesis” when describing their relationship.
They’ve always had strong individual personalities
Throughout their childhood and young adulthood, Prince William and Prince Harry have always had strong, individual personalities. Alexander Larman, author of The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication and The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother and a Family Divided, explains his take on Harry and William’s relationship.
He told Time Magazine, “Both of them are strong personalities. They are committed to a variety of causes and initiatives, and inevitably there have been clashes and disagreements along the way.”
This means making amends is difficult. Harry said in an interview with 60 Minutes that the royal family’s relationship to the British press has made it impossible for him to have the private conversations necessary to mend his relationship with his brother and father, King Charles III.
“Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife,” Harry told Anderson Cooper.
Prince Harry says he and Prince William are on ‘different paths’
'As brothers you have good days, you have bad days'
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 20, 2019
Prince Harry says the 'majority of stuff' written about his relationship with his brother William is 'created out of nothing' and adds: 'I love him dearly' #HarryAndMeghan https://t.co/GWs5KfuovM pic.twitter.com/bW7GVALZR6
In a 2019 interview, one year after marrying Meghan Markle, Prince Harry acknowledged he and Prince William were on “different paths” at that moment. At the time, he maintained they will “always be there” for each other.
“We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we are so busy. But, you know, I love him dearly,” he said in the interview clip, posted on Twitter. “You know, the majority of the stuff is probably — well, the majority of the stuff is created out of nothing. But, just as I said, as brothers, you know, you have good days and you have bad days.”
Due to these issues, plus continued conflict including inflammatory statements against the House of Windsor by Harry and Meghan Markle, the prospect of a quick reconciliation between the brothers is highly unlikely. There will likely continue to be a level of future distrust toward the couple due to fear of having informaiton statements leaked to the media.
The Windsors will meet face-to-face for the first time since the publication of Harry’s memoir and the couple’s Netflix series at King Charles III’s coronation. The event is scheduled for May 6, 2023, the same day as Archie Windsor’s birthday, Harry and Meghan’s son.
