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Inside Prince Harry and Prince William's sad relationship: shouting spats and the 'wedge' between them

The royal brothers have drifted apart

Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
December 15, 2022
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Prince Harry has made further revelations in the latest three episodes of his docuseries, Harry & Meghan. He has blamed the press for his wife Meghan Markle's miscarriage and he's spoken out about troubles within the royal family. Despite once being close to his brother Prince William, it appears their relationship is more strained than ever.

In episode five of the series, the Duke of Sussex made a shocking revelation about a behind-the-scenes moment between himeself and his brother during Megxit negotiations. "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and have my father say things that just simply weren't true," recounted the Prince.

WATCH: Prince Harry details tense encounter with his brother Prince William 

"The saddest part of it was this wedge created between myself and my brother," said Harry as footage of the brothers playing together as children appeared on screen. "He's now on the institution's side, and part of that I get, I understand, that's his inheritance."

LATEST: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle reveal Archie's adorable American accent in new clip – watch here

prince harry and prince william in uniforms

The brothers have fallen out 

Harry then made another jaw-dropping revelation that a joint statement put out in his name to squash rumours of a rift was not signed off by him. "No one had asked my permission to put my name to a statement like that," said the Duke when speaking in his documentary. "In four hours, they were willing to lie to protect him but in three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us," a forlorn Harry said to the camera.

What has Prince William said about the royal rift?

As the late Queen Elizabeth's apparent motto once was, "Never complain, never explain," we have not heard the Prince of Wales' side of the story. However, after his younger brother's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, Prince William spoke to reporters to simply say: "We are very much not a racist family."

In 2018, during an interview for a mental health project called #BestManProject, William made a rare comment about Harry. "When you're like minded, you go through similar things. It's a bond and it's something that, you know, you've tackled it together and come out the other side better for it," he said.

Prince Harry has had good words to say about his brother before, and in the documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, aired in 2019, 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."

FAMILY: Meghan Markle's father's family: who are they and who features in the documentary?

He added: "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."

In his now infamous Oprah interview, Harry also said: "As I've said before, I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been to hell together. But we're on different paths."

harry and william as children at film premiere

Growing up the boys were close

When the brothers recently reunited for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Harry admitted to being nervous about seeing the family.

Harry recalled: "We were nervous about seeing the family because of all the TV cameras, and everybody watching at home, and everybody watching in the audience… And it’s like living through a soap opera, where everybody else uses you as entertainment."

SEE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry surprise with never-before-seen ultrasound photo

He added: "I felt very distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting, because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like rather than what it feels like. And it looked cold, but it also felt cold."

Elsewhere in the documentary, the Duke of Sussex was seen holding up his phone to his wife Meghan to show her a text from his brother William and her reaction was "wow" as she looked down at the message. 

prince harry meghan posing in kensington palace for engagement photoshoot

Prince Harry commented on being compared to William 

Prince Harry on Prince William's wedding 

Harry also touched upon his public wedding:"There was an expectation. [I am] Diana's boy. There was an expectation to have a public wedding."

Speaking on Prince William's 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton, Harry commented: "Mission complete with William. Now let's see if this goes the distance with Harry," before miming dusting his hands, and saying: "Then it's job done."

 LOOK: Princess Diana compares Prince Harry to Prince William in unearthed video

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