Reports Claim Prince William and Prince Harry ‘Weren’t Very Close’ Until Princess Diana’s Death

While the public may have long assumed Prince William and Prince Harry shared a close brotherly bond from childhood, the reality seems to be much more complex. Royal experts now suggest that the relationship between the brothers was strained long before the publication of Harry’s explosive memoir Spare. According to Ingrid Seward, a royal expert and biographer, "I remember after William went on his gap year, way back on operation Raleigh, Harry said 'he’s much nicer now,' so this myth that Harry and William were very close, is a myth." 

As per OK Magazine, their connection only deepened following their shared grief over the loss of their mother. Seward noted, "They were only really close after their mother died. Of course, they unified and they were the only two people that knew what it felt like. But they weren’t very close as youngsters." Despite being born into royalty, William ad Harry’s childhood was not devoid of its own challenges. Diana had voiced her concerns about the difference in how her two sons were treated.

Seward revealed that Diana was upset when Harry was ignored while William received attention. Seward revealed, "We talked about it quite a lot. She said, ‘I worry for Harry and I’m really, really careful that he’s not treated differently than William,' when they used to go and see the Queen Mother, she would pat the chair and say, ‘Come and sit here William’ and completely ignore Harry, and that really upset Diana. I think she [Diana] worried much more for Harry because she just wasn’t sure which way he was going to go."

As per Radar Online, the loss of Princess Diana in 1997 was a turning point for the brothers. United in their grief, William and Harry found solace in one another, sharing the weight of an unimaginable loss. However, their relationship began to fray in more recent years. The strain in their bond became public when Harry’s memoir Spare was released. According to insiders, “The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan. He regards what Harry said in his book as unforgivable and, understandably given Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, just wants to focus on his wife and family first and his job second. There isn’t space for a complicated reconciliation process with Harry. It’s not a priority.”

In a symbolic gesture, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, publicly wished Harry a happy 40th birthday. However, royal commentators quickly noted that the birthday post should not be seen as an olive branch for reconciliation. According to sources, "The big surprise of today is that the Prince and Princess of Wales added their birthday good wishes to those of Buckingham Palace. Now there's been none of that for at least two years. So what should we read into that? Well I would say it is definitely not an olive branch."