Not all tea and sympathy. Prince Harry has always been one of the most jovial members of the British royal family, but he hasn’t always gotten along with his own relatives.
The Invictus Games founder is the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. As children, he and his older brother, Prince William, seemed inseparable, but as they got older, cracks began to form in their relationship.
“There’s always been a part of Harry that felt like he was living in his brother’s shadow,” an insider told Us Weekly in November 2019. “He doesn’t envy the responsibility that comes with being the future king of England, but William’s the ‘golden boy’ and Harry feels like he has a lot to live up to.”
The rift between the brothers grew wider in March 2021 when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, opened about their decision to step back from their royal duties in a tell-all interview with CBS. During the TV special, the Sussexes accused unnamed members of the royal family of racist behavior. In particular, they alleged that one person had asked questions about their son Archie‘s skin tone ahead of his May 2019 birth. (They welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet, in June 2021.)
Days after the interview, the Duke of Cambridge responded to the accusations by saying, “We’re very much not a racist family.”
One month later, the brothers reunited at the funeral for their grandfather Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99. Though they were photographed walking together after the ceremony, a source later told Us that the duo still had work to do to mend their relationship.
“Harry did speak to William while he was in the U.K., so in that respect, they made some progress,” the insider said at the time. “But they definitely haven’t reached the stage where all is forgiven, nor have they buried the hatchet.”
Harry’s dynamic with his father has also been strained since he and Meghan decided to step down as full-time working royals in January 2020. When the former military pilot visited the U.K. for Philip’s funeral, he and Charles didn’t manage to fully move past the tension caused by the CBS tell-all.
“They barely communicated,” a source told Us in April 2021. “There definitely continues to be a huge wedge between the two.”
Keep scrolling for a look back at Harry’s ups and downs with the royal family over the years:
Some of the tension between William and Harry dates back to 2016 when the Archewell cofounder started dating Meghan. According to royal reporter Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's book Finding Freedom, William encouraged his brother to take it slow with the Suits alum, but Harry didn't appreciate the advice. “Harry was pissed off … that his brother would ask such a thing," the authors wrote. AP/Shutterstock
When Harry and Meghan tied the knot in May 2018, William served as his brother's best man. "The Duke of Cambridge is honoured to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother," Kensington Palace said in a statement at the time. David Fisher/Shutterstock
After a British newspaper published a letter Meghan sent her father, Thomas Markle, Harry issued an unprecedented statement calling out the "British tabloid press" for "false and malicious" reporting about his wife. "Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people," he said in October 2019. "We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this." That same month, Harry admitted that he and his brother were on "different paths" during an ITV documentary. “William is extremely concerned about Harry and Meghan,” an insider told Us at the time. “Even though the brothers have grown apart, William still cares about Harry and is hoping that he’ll open up to him about his current struggles. William wants to be there for Harry and hates seeing him in such a bad place. Despite their differences, blood is thicker than water.” Victoria Jones/AP/Shutterstock
In January 2020, the Sussexes shocked the world — and Harry's family — by announcing that they planned to step down from their roles as full-time working royals. Charles was "livid" over the decision, an insider told Us at the time, adding that the Prince of Wales felt like Meghan was to blame for the situation. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Things between Harry and his relatives hit a boiling point in March 2021 when he and Meghan sat down for their tell-all interview, which aired on CBS. Among many shocking revelations, the one that stood out the most was the Bench author's allegation that a member of the royal family had asked pointed questions about the color of Archie's skin before his birth. Later in the year, a book alleged that Charles was the person who made the skin color comments, but the prince denied the claims, telling Us in a statement, "This is fiction and not worth further comment.” According to Scobie, the heir to the throne reportedly consulted lawyers as well. Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/CBS
Tensions between Harry and William appeared to ease in April 2021 when the pair briefly reunited for their grandfather's funeral. Two months later, however, royal expert Robert Lacey claimed that the duo "started quarreling" within "minutes" of getting behind closed doors. "The rage and anger between those two has grown so incredibly deep," the Crown consultant wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Mail. "Too many harsh and wounding things have been said." Arthur Edwards/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
The brothers reunited again in July 2021 to unveil a statue in honor of their late mother. “They didn’t mend the bond at the funeral,” an insider told Us ahead of the ceremony, adding that the twosome planned to "make up" at the event. “But since the baby, they want to move forward. Both brothers are ready to move past the rift and have a good relationship again,” the source added. Shutterstock
Later in July 2021, Harry once again threw his family for a loop when he announced he was writing a memoir to be published in 2022. "I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become,” the Me You Can't See producer said in a statement at the time. “I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story — the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned — I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think." His family, however, was less than thrilled about the news. "The royal family is shaken up about the book,” a source told Us at the time, adding that Charles and William were “particularly concerned about what Harry will reveal.” Shutterstock
In December 2021, an insider told Us that Charles and his youngest son were again trying to patch things up, but there was still a lot of work to be done. “Charles and Harry are in communication,” the insider explained, noting that the pair were "not speaking very much” after the tell-all interview. “There [are] still a lot of issues the two of them need to work out and move forward.” Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Shortly after an insider told Us that Charles and Harry were "in communication" with one another, the Prince of Wales made a rare supportive comment about his son's efforts to combat global warming. "As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognized this threat," Charles wrote in a January 2022 issue of Newsweek. "Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivize change and help repair our planet over the next 10 years. ... And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero." Shutterstock (3)
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