A royal rift: How did William and Harry's relationship break down? – Sky News

The Prince of Wales said he and his brother were “uniquely bonded” by what they’d been through after the death of their mother in 1997. However, more than 25 years later Harry has claimed William attacked him in a row over his marriage to Meghan Markle.
Thursday 5 January 2023 17:10, UK
They are perhaps the most famous brothers in the world.
And, like many brothers, they have had their ups and downs over the years – with Prince Harry claiming Prince William attacked him at Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, in 2019.
Days before the release of Harry’s much anticipated memoir, Spare, is due to hit the shelves, we take a look at key moments in the relationship between the royal brothers.
September 1997 – Princess Diana’s funeral
William and Harry’s mother died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 a year after her divorce from Prince Charles.
The brothers walked behind their mother’s coffin during the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997.
William later described the experience as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done”, and Harry said no child “should be asked to do” what they did.
Throughout the years that followed the brothers appear to have had a good relationship, with William saying they were “uniquely bonded because of what we’ve been through”.
April 2002 Queen Mother’s funeral
In April 2002 the brothers were part of the funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Princes William and Harry later paid tribute to their “inspirational” great-grandmother.
April 2011 – William and Kate’s wedding
Harry was stood by William’s side at his wedding in April 2011 and the brothers were seen smiling and chatting as Kate walked up the aisle.
The Duke of Sussex is said to have whispered to his brother “wait until you see her” before Kate made it to the altar.
Harry is said to have gushed about the couple during his best man speech, calling William “the perfect brother” and saying he loved Kate “like a sister”.
May 2016 – William and Harry launch mental health initiative
William and Harry were joined by Kate in launching the Heads Together campaign to tackle stigma around mental health in May 2016.
The campaign works with charities to “change the national conversation on mental wellbeing”.
William ‘expresses concerns about Harry’s relationship with Meghan’
Several reports claim Harry and William’s rift began in 2016 when the older brother expressed concerns about how quickly his relationship with Meghan was moving.
Robert Lacey, historical consultant to the Netflix drama The Crown, claimed in his 2020 book Battle Of Brothers that William asked Diana’s brother Charles Spencer to speak to Harry.
Lacey writes: “The result of the Spencer intervention was an even more bitter explosion. Once again Harry refused to slow down. He didn’t blame his uncle. He understood why Diana’s brother should want to help. Yet he was furious with his elder brother for dragging other family members into the row.”
November 2018 – Harry ‘felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan’
Prince Harry married Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018.
The brothers fell out over Christmas 2018 when the younger brother said William, the Duke of Cambridge, wasn’t doing enough to include Meghan in the Royal Family, according to veteran royal reporter Katie Nicholl.
A source reportedly told Nicholl: “Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so. They had a bit of a fallout, which was only resolved when Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort. That’s when the Cambridges invited the Sussexes to spend Christmas with them.”
October 2019 – Harry says he and William are on ‘different paths’
The Duke of Sussex appeared to confirm for the first time that relations with his brother were not perfect in the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
He said: “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.”
Harry continued: “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.”
January 2020 – Harry and Meghan step back from senior royal duties
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to step back from their roles as senior royals in January 2020.
The brothers later released a joint statement following reports William had bullied Harry out of the family.
The statement read: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potential harmful.”
March 2021 – Oprah Winfrey interview
The Duchess of Sussex said “concerns” were raised about baby Archie’s skin colour before he was born and she had suicidal thoughts during her time in the Royal Family.
When asked about the racism allegation by Sky News, Prince William said the royals were “not a racist family”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

September 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
King Charles and his two sons reunited to walk behind the Queen’s coffin as she left Buckingham Palace for the last time on the day of her funeral.
Harry and William were also together when the Queen’s eight grandchildren held a 15-minute vigil around her coffin in Westminster Hall – with Prince Harry wearing military uniform at the King’s request.
December 2022 – Harry and Meghan release Netflix documentary
Harry and William didn’t meet up when the Prince and Princess of Wales flew to the United States to visit Boston in December 2022.
Later in the month Harry and Meghan’s documentary series aired on Netflix.
Harry spoke about the breakdown of his relationship with brother William and blamed the media for Meghan suffering a miscarriage in the final episodes of the series.
The Duke of Sussex accused William of screaming and shouting at him at a summit meeting over Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back as senior royals.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

January 2023 – Harry ‘landed on a dog bowl after being attacked by William’
Prince Harry claims he was physically attacked by his brother William during a row in 2019 over his marriage to Meghan Markle.
Sky News has obtained a copy of Spare – the Duke of Sussex’s highly anticipated book – days before it was due to hit the shelves.
It is alleged that the Prince of Wales grabbed his brother and ripped his necklace before knocking him to the floor.
“It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me,” Harry wrote in the book.
Sky.com Homepage © 2023 Sky UK

source

Leave a Comment