In royal families, where appearances are usually carefully maintained, not everything is always harmonious behind palace walls. The relationship between two key figures of the British monarchy has been a source of speculation and concern for years.
Princes William and Harry, sons of the late Diana of Wales and King Charles III, maintain a fractured relationship that has lasted for quite some time. Even though Harry recently expressed an open desire to get closer to his brother, the differences seem too significant.
A few weeks ago, the Duke of Sussex admitted in an interview with the BBC: "There have been many disagreements between my family and me." However, he also made it clear that reconciliation largely depends on the willingness of the other side: "It would be nice to reconcile."
The whole truth about princes William and Harry revealed
The estrangement between them didn't begin with Harry and Meghan Markle's withdrawal from their royal duties. In his book Spare, Harry revealed that the rift between the brothers originated much earlier, during their time at the exclusive Eton College.
According to his account, William couldn't stand anyone thinking "we came as a package deal" and asked him to act as if he didn't know him. To better understand this relationship, Lady Di's biographer Andrew Morton pointed out that the root of the problem lies in their personalities.
In an interview given to Sky News in 2018, he described Harry as "friendly," while he characterized William as "more serious and cautious." Morton added that "Prince Harry is a transformed young man."
"A young man who is proof of how good the army is at changing people's character. In a way, he's become the young man we all wanted him to be. He's always going to have that aura of Diana surrounding him."
"People can see that he has much of his mother's generous character. Prince William, however, has always been different. As Diana would say, he's more Germanic, more solid", he concluded.
Everything suggests there won't be reconciliation
Meetings between the brothers are increasingly rare and formal. The last one took place in August 2024. They attended St. Mary's Church in Snettisham to say goodbye to Lord Robert Fellowes, their uncle and former secretary to Elizabeth II.
More than twelve months had passed without seeing each other since their father's coronation, an event where they weren't seen interacting. Before that, they had met at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, always accompanied by their partners.
The emotional distance and differences in character seem to keep the rift between the brothers intact. Meanwhile, public opinion closely observes any possible sign of rapprochement or reconciliation.