Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, are in the midst of a cold war that can have dire consequences for an institution that is centuries old — the British monarchy.
According to several reliable sources, the famous brothers are barely talking since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to step down from their royal duties. Royal fans have long wondered what caused the rift between the duo.
In his new fascinating book, Battle of Brothers: The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, author Robert Lacey sheds some light on what took place behind the scene that led to one of the biggest divides in the royal family.
According to the royal historian, Harry and William do not have the same priorities in life. William is determined to keep the monarchy alive and strong like his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen and William have bonded over their sense of duty that they have placed above all else. In contrast, Harry is focused on love and happiness.
According to the biographer, when the former actress was introduced to the royal family, Prince William was concerned.
Lacey explained: “The fundamental conflict was between the two males who had known each other all their lives and had never hesitated to tell each other exactly what they thought and felt. William worried that his brother was moving too fast in his courtship—and he did not shrink from saying as much when Harry started talking about getting hitched to Meghan quite soon.”
The brothers had a heated exchange “sometime in late 2016 or early 2017: after William couched his question in terms of apparent concern for Meghan.”
He also shared that the future king was willing to offend his younger brother to avoid the monarchy’s downfall.
The writer elaborated: “’Waity William,’ of course, took so long to commit to Kate Middleton for the sake of the monarchy. He had been auditioning her for a job all those years. So Harry could not help but wonder whether Wills was really concerned about his personal happiness—or whether he was, once again and as per usual, thinking about the makeup and fortunes of ‘the Firm’ whose boss he would become one day? The response from Harry was a brusque and offended pushback.”
Lacey went on to explain how Prince William and Prince Harry view life differently. He shared: “Here we have a couple of brothers who loved each other dearly—most profoundly and genuinely, in fact—but who could give as good as they got when it came to a clash over something that mattered intensely to them. For William, it was the future state of his monarchy—his sacred trust, while for Harry, it was the love of the complex and captivating woman who had finally made sense of his life.”
While fans want them to reconcile, it seems unlikely at the moment.
