Prince Harry previously revealed how stepping in to protect Prince William during their childhood left him with mixed feelings of pride and embarrassment.
In his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex reflected on summers spent with Prince William at the countryside home of family friends, Hugh and Emilie.
Describing chaotic wrestling matches with their four sons, Harry recalled leaping to his brother’s defence during the childhood brawls.
Prince Harry recalls defending Prince William
“I’d hear him crying out for help and down would come the red mist, like a blood vessel bursting behind my eyes,” Harry wrote, as reported by HELLO!. “I’d lose all control, all ability to focus on anything but family, country, tribe, and hurl myself at someone, everyone.”
Although he was the younger and smaller of the two, Harry said he often felt compelled to protect his older brother.
Harry said: “When the scrap finally ended for good, when we hobbled away together, I always felt such love for him. I sensed love in return, but also some embarrassment. I was half Willy’s size, half his weight; I was the younger brother. He was supposed to save me, not the other way around.”
The story offered a glimpse into the closeness that once defined the brothers’ relationship. This is a sharp contrast to the current relationship between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex.
Following Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties in 2020, the once-close siblings have drifted apart.
The rift widened further after Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the release of the couple’s Netflix docuseries the following year, and the publication of Spare in 2023, in which Harry made a series of accusations against William and the royal family.
Despite the tension, Harry has expressed a desire to reconcile.
In a BBC interview earlier this year, he said: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
Referencing his father, King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, he added: “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
Does Harry have a relationship with William?
It’s believed that Harry and William no longer speak.
For William, reconciliation may be an even more difficult task.
According to reports, the Prince of Wales remains deeply hurt by the revelations in Spare and the Sussexes’ media appearances.
An unnamed source told The Mirror: “There are no plans to either make contact with or arrange to see the Duke of Sussex in the near future. Regardless of any members of the family seeking reconciliation, that is certainly not on the Prince’s mind.
“Both the Prince and Princess of Wales are entirely focused on their various important duties and their own family.”
Royal commentator Richard Eden echoed this sentiment. “There will be no ‘olive branches’ offered, or meetings at private members’ clubs between aides,” he told MailOnline. “Until William and Catherine receive apologies from the Sussexes. Frankly, that’s the least they deserve.”
