Revealed: The similarities between Princes William and Harry despite their rift… from their shared opinion on kilts, their devotion to fatherhood and love displayed for their wives

With only two years between them, Princes William and Harry were once the picture of one another.

Their mother, the late Princess Diana, enjoyed dressing them in matching outfits and even co-ordinated herself with them at times. 

The boys were often seen in bright shorts and the same shirt, with the only marker of difference being William’s brown hair and Harry’s red mop.

Beyond looks, they later bonded over the turmoil of their parents’ divorce in 1996. Then, at just 15 and 12 years old, they lost their mother in 1997.

Harry lives over 5,000 miles away in America and the brothers no longer appear to speak. Yet, despite their ongoing alleged rift, William and Harry still seem to have a lot in common. 

From their opinion on kilts, to their devotion to fatherhood and loved-up appearances with their wives, the princes remain remarkably similar. 

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Princes Harry and William during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in 2021

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The two brothers wearing matching outfits with their mother in 1988

Neither William or Harry have been pictured wearing a kilt in their adult life, and they seem to have no intention to do so in the near future.

In his memoir Spare, Harry wrote: ‘So long as we weren’t wearing kilts, with that worrisome knife in your sock and that breeze up your a***, I was good.’

Similarly, one month before his 21st birthday in 2003, William admitted they felt ‘a bit draughty’.

The Mail reported how the prince said: ‘I have worn a kilt in private and I’m not saying I will never wear one in public. I haven’t got into it yet.’

Another tradition the pair seem to agree on is polo. The sport has been played heavily by the Royal Family since the Queen’s father King George VI, and both William and Harry have enjoyed it from a young age.

Harry played polo at Eton while William was on the water polo team. In their younger years, they played in several charity matches together including a game at Tedworth Polo Club in Wiltshire to raise money in 2002, and they still participate now.

The Duke of Sussex was photographed kissing his wife, Meghan Markle, after being presented with a trophy at the end of a match in Miami in April.

While William participated in a game in July in memory of the late Rugby League legend and MND campaigner Rob Burrow.

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Harry and William taking part in a game at Tedworth Polo Club in Wiltshire to raise money for charity in 2002

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William playing polo in memory of the late Rugby League legend and MND campaigner Rob Burrow in July

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Meghan Markle congratulating her husband with a passionate kiss after he won a charity polo match in Miami back in April

Perhaps unintentionally, William dabbled in his brother’s new culture earlier this year when he played American football.

In October, the Prince of Wales tried his hand at the sport during an NFL event. He was even praised for his ‘cannon of an arm’ on social media after getting involved in a throwing drill. 

It came just months after Harry listed the US as his primary residence for the first time. 

Filings published by Companies House for ‘Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex’ showed that his ‘New Country/State Usually Resident’ is now the USA. It was previously recorded as the UK.

Despite any ongoing disagreements, both William and Harry are still devoted to their mother and openly speak about her.

William recently honoured Diana in a new documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.

During the film, which featured poignant photos of William and his mother at the Passage homeless shelter in Westminster, the prince talked about how Diana first took him there when he was young.

He also mentioned Harry for what was thought to be the first time in six years, saying: ‘My mother took me to the Passage, she took Harry and I both there… I ‘d never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.’

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William showing off his sports skills while at an NFL event in London in October

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Both young boys visit the Passage homeless shelter in 1993 with their mother