Prince William is said to have been “furious” with his brother, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they responded to Queen Elizabeth II‘s limits on using the word “royal” in their businesses in a “disrespectful” manner.
According to a source who was speaking about the high-profile fallout between Prince William and Prince Harry over recent years, Prince William thought the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s response was insulting and disrespectful to the Queen.
A source close to William explained: “That was it for William. He felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way.”
Before stepping down as senior members of the royal family in early 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had already been building their own brand, Sussex Royal.
The website for the brand put out a statement last year, after orders from the Queen to her grandson and his wife, that they were not to use the word “royal” in the future for their brands.
The statement said that: “While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy … over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’… or … ‘Royal’…”
It suggested that Queen Elizabeth would have no say in the matter once the Sussexes left the UK.
It was another step in the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry, which has continued throughout the coronavirus pandemic despite reports that the families had exchanged gifts at Christmas last year.
In their final public engagement together, the royal brothers were pictured attending the Commonwealth Day service last year at Westminster Abbey, with many onlookers commenting on the palpable tension between the two.
A friend Of Prince William explained that he was visibly upset because the Sussex Royal’s disrespectful statement “was still at the front of William’s mind.”
The person familiar with the situation said this about Harry and Meghan’s words: “The content and that it is still online is staggering.”
William’s allies also shared that while the brothers “did not part shores as friends,” the duo took a long last walk together after the Sandringham summit, during which Prince Harry agreed he would no longer take part in royal duties.
The source claimed that Princess Diana‘s sons came to the realization that the friendship they had was over at the end of the walk and conversation.
Just last week, following the bombshell interview by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who sat down with TV legend Oprah Winfrey for a two-hour special, TV anchor Gayle King said Harry had “unproductive” conversations with his brother over the weekend.
Despite the ongoing rift in the family, sources have reported that Prince William has grown closer to his father, Prince Charles, who is next in line to the throne.
