Prince William is said to be quietly ‘devastated’ over his ongoing feud with Prince Harry, with his younger brother’s repeated claims about their sibling rivalry having taken a toll
Prince Harry has repeatedly spoken out about his complicated relationship with Prince William – who he has previously referred to as his ‘beloved brother and arch nemesis’.
However, royal watchers have heard less on the subject from heir William, who has largely kept quiet about his ongoing sibling feud. Behind palace doors, however, the father of three is said to be ‘devastated’ by Harry’s swipes at The Firm.
The younger prince, who will this month celebrate his 40th birthday, has opened up on various occasions about some of the more negative aspects of royal life – and he’s not held back when it comes to ‘Willy’.
In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry painted a vivid picture of two brothers united but divided, with jealousies at times allegedly spilling over into full-blown fights. In one particularly emotive passage, Harry recalls a ‘piping hot’ William shoving him to the floor at Nottingham Cottage, breaking his beloved necklace.
In another instance, while taking a walk after the funeral of Prince Philip, their father King Charles was forced to step in and beg them to stop rowing, pleading with his ‘boys’ to not make ‘his final years a misery’.
Although William, 42, has yet to give his own public perspective on the matter, those close to him have reportedly seen the toll the rift has taken on the prince, who is understood to be estranged from California-based Harry.
Speaking with Omid Scobie following the release of Spare via Harper’s Bazaar, a source shared that the Prince of Wales feels ‘devastated’ by claims made by his brother.
The source said: “He’s not ignoring the things his brother has shared. The dust needs to settle, but … this has been food for thought.”
It’s understood the warring brothers haven’t spoken since the funeral of their late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth back in September 2022. During his and Meghan Markle’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry confessed he and William were ‘on different paths’, and in the years since it’s clear to see they’ve yet to find common ground.
In another piece published in The Times, sources suggested that William is unlikely to make peace with Harry anytime soon on account of his portrayal of his wife Kate in Spare. Friends have even remarked that Harry rarely comes up in conversation nowadays, with William’s focus directed elsewhere. A friend told the publication: “This year his focus has very much been on his wife, his children and his father. His brother isn’t really something that’s discussed.”
This comes after it emerged that both princes attended the recent funeral of their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in Norfolk, apparently without communicating. One source told The Sun that although the brothers ‘were only five yards from each other’, they were seated on opposite sides of St Mary’s Church, and didn’t appear to converse after the service, despite their shared grief.