Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, once shared a deep bond, supporting each other through their parents’ turbulent divorce and the heartbreaking loss of their mother, Princess Diana.
Now, the two princes are locked in a bitter feud, with their relationship now nonexistent as they pursue separate lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
The brothers’ relationship deteriorated after the Duke of Sussex married Meghan Markle, as the couple struggled to adjust to royal life. They ultimately stepped back from their royal duties in 2022 and relocated to the US.
Since their exit from the monarchy four years ago, Harry and Meghan have publicly targeted the royals on multiple occasions. Making some serious allegations against them.
Netflix released a documentary titled Harry and Meghan at the end of 2022, following the life of pair. Navigating their relationship, their troubles with the royal family and their move to the US.
At one point in the documentary the couple recount an incident involving William that Harry claims to have left him furious and his wife in tears.
This occurred when the duke stated that he did not approve a joint palace statement dismissing the bullying allegations and claimed it created a rift between him and his brother.
While clips of the two siblings playing in an old fire truck and newspaper headlines about their feud are shown in episode five, Harry remarked: “I mean, the saddest part of it was this wedge created between me and my brother so that he’s now on the institution’s side.”
“And I get, part of that I get. I understand right? That’s his inheritance, so to some extent it’s already ingrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survivability and the continuation of this institution.
“That day, a story came out that part of the reason why Meghan and I were leaving was because William had bullied us out.
“And once I got in the car after the meeting, I was told about a joint statement that had been put out in my name and my brother’s name squashing the story about him bullying us out of the family.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that.
“And I rang M and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
A royal historian and expert warned that Harry and Meghan’s decision to “air their dirty laundry in public” has caused damage to the idea of a family monarchy.
Since stepping down from their positions as senior working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have launched multiple high-profile criticisms of their royal relatives, particularly targeting King Charles and Prince William.
The couple are also believed to be no longer in touch with the Princess of Wales or Queen Camilla, who they also made public allegations about.
However, this has not only strained their personal relationships with Harry’s immediate family but has also greatly undermined the royals’ reputation as the “best of British family life,” according to historian Dr. Ed Owens.
During an appearance on the Mirror’s Pod Save The King podcast, Dr. Owens, author of the new book After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself? , suggested that the monarchy should reconsider its family image.
He explained: “The story is a slightly tragic one as it has damaged this idea of a family monarchy. This idea that this is a united group who embody, if you like, the best of British family life.
“Originally King Charles III’s reign was going to be based around him being supported by his two trusty lieutenants – William and Harry.
“But when that went so disastrously wrong in early 2020 because of Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave Britain, it really put paid to that vision of the family monarchy.
“And then of course we’ve had the Sussexes airing their dirty laundry in public for the best part of three years – and again it has done much damage to that narrative of happy family life.”
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