In his best-selling memoir Spare, Prince Harry offered a candid and revealing account of his tumultuous relationship with his older brother, Prince William.
As a father, Harry now reflects on the dynamics that once defined their sibling bond, shedding new light on complex sibling dynamics.
The relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William
The relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William has long been the subject of intense public scrutiny.
Lately, the close but complicated bond between the brothers has frequently made headlines.
However, it was the publication of Harry’s memoir “Spare” in 2023 that really shed light on the nuances of their relationship.
The book offered a raw, unfiltered portrait of their shared experiences.
One of the more surprising revelations in the book was Harry’s claim that he and William had never been as close in childhood or adulthood as the palace and media had portrayed.
Harry described their relationship at Eton College, where they both studied, as one of “love but also separation,” recounting how William had told him to act as though they didn’t know one another.
“I talk about the relationship between William and myself at Eton and the fact that he didn’t really want to know me,” Harry said in an interview. “You know, as the younger brother that sucks. It’s like: ‘Come on, like you left me at Ludgrove [School] and now I’m here at Eton, like hey, now we’re at the same school, let’s go.’ He didn’t want anything to do with me. And that hurt at the time.”
Now, as a father of two young children, Prince Harry says he has come to understand the dynamic better, though it still remains a painful memory.
“The gap between me and William is very similar to Archie and Lili,” he told interviewer Tom Bradby, referring to his own children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. And to see Lili obsessed with Archie and Archie like ‘no, no Lili, I need my space, I need my space,’ now I get it.
“I get how irritating the younger sibling can be to the older sibling. But in the moment, at the time, I didn’t. I didn’t really grasp that, I didn’t really realize it.”
Despite the critical portrayal of his brother in his memoir, Harry has maintained that his book was not written with the intention to hurt his family members and that he has “always loved my brother.”
The brothers’ relationship remains a complex and delicate one, with tensions still reportedly in place between them.
However, Harry’s perspective as a father has provided him with a deeper understanding of the dynamics that once defined their fraternal bond.
Prince Harry return to the UK
The Duke of Sussex will return to the UK in May for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Harry is expected to give a speech at a special service for the Invictus Games, which will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral on May 8.
According to royal expert Tom Quinn, Prince William and Kate Middleton had asked Harry and Meghan to bring their children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK to end the royal rift.
The possibility of a reunion between the brothers and sisters-in-law, in the midst of the health problems that afflict the family has fans of the royal family in expectation.
However, so far it is unknown if Meghan will travel to the UK with her husband and children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently made a gesture of goodwill in the wake of Kate’s cancer diagnosis.
Some experts believe Kate’s cancer diagnosis could pave the way for the resolution of the long-standing feud between the two couples.
“We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement shared with Express.
Sources close to the Sussexes suggest that Harry approached the princess privately before issuing a public message of condolence.
Harry himself has been candid about his intentions to visit the UK and reconnect with his family.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, he expressed his eagerness to “stop in and see [his] family as much as [he] can.”