Prince William and Prince Harry are not on speaking terms right now. They used to be very close, especially after their mother, Princess Diana, died. But things have changed since Harry and Meghan left their royal duties.
Harry has always felt like a “spare” in the royal family, not as important as William, who is being trained to be king. It’s unclear if they will fix their relationship, but their father, King Charles, really wants them to.
Harry wrote a lot about his childhood in his book “Spare,” but what their mother thought about their relationship is not well-known. Recently found letters from Princess Diana give us a glimpse into Harry and William’s relationship and show a sad side of what might have been.
William and Harry had a happy childhood. Princess Diana didn’t always follow royal rules but tried to give her sons a normal life, just like William and Kate are doing with their children now.
Their relationship wasn’t always this bad. They were very close and supported each other after their mother’s death, which only they truly understand.
In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death, the brothers talked about her and shared fond memories.
Harry remembered her laughter and how she would sneak candy to them during football matches.
William said they felt very loved by her and felt it was a good time to remember her in a different way.
Harry added that they could always feel her love, even from across the room.
Growing up in the royal family must be a unique experience. There’s always plenty of money, but life is full of duties and responsibilities.
It’s hard to say how “normal” William and Harry’s childhood was with their mother, Princess Diana. A recently discovered letter she wrote gives a lovely glimpse into their childhood and the special bond they shared.
The letter from Diana was written in March 1985, six months after Harry was born. She wrote that “William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry,” as reported by GB News.
In other letters, Diana revealed that as he got older, Harry was often “in trouble” at school. She also wrote about the joy of being a mother and the “difficult period” she went through.
Princess Diana often took William and Harry to theme parks and other fun places. She understood the demands of royal life, including always having meals served to them.
Knowing the importance of them having a normal childhood, she would occasionally sneak them out of the palace to get fast food.
Princess Diana’s former personal chef, Darren McGrady, shared a memory with Marie Claire: “I remember the princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s.’ I offered to make burgers for them, but she said, ‘No, it’s the toy they want.’”
Princess Diana tragically died in a car accident in Paris in August 1997. Her death shocked the entire nation, and her sons, William and Harry, were left without their mother.
Millions mourned Princess Diana, but her family felt the deepest pain. In his book “Spare,” Harry recalled the moment he found out about his mother’s passing. His father, Prince Charles, sat beside his bed and gently told him, “Darling boy, Mummy’s been in a car crash. There were complications. Mummy was quite badly injured and taken to hospital.”
Harry remembered his father’s voice being soft and in shock, saying, “With a head injury. They tried, darling boy. I’m afraid she didn’t make it.” Charles put his hand on Harry’s knee and said, “It’s going to be OK,” but he didn’t hug him.
“Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing the night my mother died,” Harry stated.
Harry shared that he only cried once, at Princess Diana’s burial. He talked about how strange it felt and how he and William felt guilty walking around Kensington Palace, shaking hands and smiling while surrounded by 50,000 bouquets of flowers for their mother. They didn’t understand why people’s hands were wet until they realized it was from wiping away tears.
Harry and William had to walk behind Diana’s coffin to Westminster Abbey, a decision Harry later criticized. He said that no child should have to walk a long way behind their mother’s coffin with the world watching, as he and William did when they were just 12 and 15.
The tunnel where Diana’s car crashed, the Pont de l’Alma, became a place for people to mourn and remember her. In 2007, Harry visited Paris for the Rugby World Cup semi-final and asked his driver to take him to the tunnel. He found it to be just a short, simple tunnel, not the dangerous place he had imagined.
Prince William and Prince Harry no longer have a mother, and if Diana were still here, perhaps their feud would not be as bad as it is.
The fact that Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left the royals didn’t go well with William. However, the feud between the royals and the Sussexes peaked when Harry released his book, Spare.
Harry lashed out at almost every senior royal family member, even giving detailed insight into one of the biggest fights of his life—with William.
It happened in 2019 at his London home, where Harry wrote that he and William had a physical confrontation. The Duke claimed William had called his wife, Meghan, “abrasive,” “rude,” and “difficult,” something Harry called “parrot the press narrative.”
It escalated, and Harry described how William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor.”
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. 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. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry wrote.
The Duke then described how William urged him to hit back, describing their fights as children. When Harry refused, the future king left before returning later “looking regretful, and apologized.” Harry said he sustained visible injuries on his back. It remains to be seen whether Harry and William will make amends in the future. But for now, it’s clear that the “Battle of the Brothers” is still very much active.
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