Prince William and Prince Harry smiling at eachother in suit jackets and shirts

Prince Harry speaks 'close bond' with Prince William in unearthed birthday video

The Duke of Sussex was speaking in a video from 2005 to mark his 21st birthday

Content Managing Editor
June 21, 2023

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex may have been drifting further apart over the years, but in an unearthed video, Harry admits that he and his older brother were once "close". 

In the Associated Press interview released to mark Harry's 21st birthday in 2005, the young royal was asked if he and his "ally" William had grown closer over time. "Oh completely," Harry said. "Every year we get closer."

He joked: "We've even resorted to hugging each other now after not seeing each other for long periods of time. And yes, he does ring me when I'm away, and vice versa." 

Prince Harry says he and William are so "close" in 2005 video

When asked whether he took on advice from his big brother, Harry admitted: "I think as the years go on, it's sort of worryingly, it's changed to me giving him advice. Everyone will say, 'Oh whatever.' But unfortunately, it has turned to that.

"Both privately and publicly we talk to each other about everything. If he has problems that he wants to talk about, then he comes to me. And apparently I give him quite good advice." 

© Getty

Princes Harry and William laughing together in happier times

Harry added: "It's amazing how close we've become. Ever since our mother died, obviously we were close. But he is the one person on this Earth who I can actually, really, we can talk about anything. We understand each other, we give each other support, and everything's fine." 

Fast forward nearly two decades and the royal brothers are on different terms, with William recently admitting in an interview with The Times that his ongoing feud with Harry has taken up far more airtime than he would wish.

© Getty

Prince William and Kate attended the Order of the Garter service earlier this week

On Wednesday, the future King celebrated his 41st birthday. While it is not known whether Harry greeted his older brother in private, their father King Charles led the public birthday tributes, sharing a photo on Instagram from rehearsals for the monarch's coronation ceremony. 

The sweet snap showed William and Charles laughing as they rehearsed a key moment in the King's ceremony, where the Prince of Wales assisted his father with his robes. "Wishing the Prince of Wales a very happy birthday today!" the post read.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity and royal news delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more