Timeline of Harry and William's feud as brothers prepare for 'joint appearance'
Prince Harry and Prince William's "joint" appearance tonight at the Diana Legacy Awards has given fans a look into the depth of the brothers' ongoing feud. But when did the fighting begin?
Tonight the once-close brothers will make a rare joint appearance at the Diana Legacy Award event at the Science Museum in London. But the brothers will not be in the room together, with Prince Harry not even in the same building, which seemingly hints at how deeply rooted the feud is.
The Duke of Sussex departed the British Royal Family in 2020 when he and his wife Meghan Markle announced they were stepping down from their roles as senior working royals. The couple then moved across the pond and forged lives for themselves in Montecito, California, with them often speaking out about their time in the famous family.
But when did Harry and William begin feuding? And what are the reasons behind their long-running row?
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The brothers have been at loggerheads in recent years (Getty Images)November 2017 — May 2018
In November 2017, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement was announced. The pair announced their engagement with a photoshoot and interview with the press.
They then tied the knot the following May at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, England before welcoming their son, Archie, in May 2019, the same month they celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary.
Rumours of a royal rift began around the time that the couple tied the knot, with Princess Kate said to have been upset with how Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress fit her. She is alleged to have texted Meghan about it, and the two had a tense conversation which led to Meghan crying - despite reports saying it was the other way around at the time.
November 2018
Then, in November 2018, rumours were rife over a rift between Kate and Meghan when royal reporter Katie Nicholl claimed that it was actually Harry and William who hadn’t been getting along. According to Katie’s sources, the brothers fell out around Christmas 2018, which came when Harry told his older brother he wasn’t doing enough to include Meghan in the royal family.
"Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so. They had a bit of a fallout, which was only resolved when Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort. That’s when the Cambridges invited the Sussexes to spend Christmas with them," the source said at the time.
February 2019
Mere weeks later in February 2019, the Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War? documentary came out where the aforementioned Katie Nicholl said: “William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly. And being close to Harry, probably the only person close enough to say to Harry, This seems to be moving quickly, are you sure?’
"I think what was meant as well-intended brotherly advice just riled Harry. Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don’t think things have been quite right ever since."
Meanwhile, The Sun’s royal correspondent Emily Andrews said that Harry "went ballistic and said, ‘You’re trying to wreck this relationship before it’s even started.’"
June 2019 — December 2019
Following months of speculation that the "Fab Four", as they were known, were actually at loggerheads, Meghan and Harry officially split from the joint charity they shared with Kate and William. The Waleses, as they are now known, then attended Archie's christening that summer before it was reported in August that William and Harry planned to put their differences aside to remember their mother Princess Diana on the anniversary of her death.
They were once referred to as the 'Fab Four' (PA)But then, in October 2019, things got all the more interesting when Harry admitted there was a rift. Speaking in TV’s documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Harry candidly said: "Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens. But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
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He continued: "We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days." Then, later that year the Palace revealed that Meghan and Harry would be spending Christmas with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, instead of at Sandringham with the Royal Family.
January 2020
2020 then rolled around, which is now famously known as the year that Meghan and Harry decided to step back from royal duties and move to America. At the time, they issued a statement that read: "We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
It was then reported that William was "blindsided" by the Sussexes' decision, with claims of a rift still rife. But to calm things down, the brothers united to release a joint statement which read: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful."
September 2020
Following the couple moving to America in the summer of 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a deal with Netflix in September. And according to reports at the time a source spilled to The Sun: "William and other senior royals are incredibly uncomfortable about this drama and livid Harry is now in partnership with the company that’s airing it."
March 2021
Things then really heated up in March 2020 when the Sussexes sat down for a bombshell chat with US talkshow icon Oprah Winfrey - who happens to reside near where Harry and Meghan live. In the chat, the couple spoke about their time in the Royal Family, with William even touching on his brother. He told Oprah at the time: "As I’ve said before, I love William to bits. He’s my brother. We’ve been to hell together. But we’re on different paths.
The Sussexes sat down for a tell-all chat with Oprah in 2021 (Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese v)"The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment,” he continued. “And time heals all things, hopefully." And according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, following the chat, William was "devastated".
April 2021 — July 2021
Shortly after the Sussexes sat down with Oprah, Prince Philip died and was laid to rest. Harry attended the funeral and was seen with his family at the service. At the time it was reported that the dynamic between the brothers was "extremely frosty".
And then months later in July, the brothers reunited for Princess Diana’s statue unveiling, where the siblings put their differences aside for the day.
December 2022
In December 2022, the Sussexes released their Netflix docuseries - Harry & Meghan - which of course, turned heads and got the world talking. When the first part aired on December 8, the Sussexes spoke about their love story.
Harry even addressed his family and their romances, when he said: "For so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold as opposed to somebody who you are perhaps destined to be with. The difference between making decisions with your head or your heart. My mum certainly made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart, and I am my mother’s son."
The Sussexes' docuseries came out in 2022 (Netflix)Elsewhere, Meghan spoke about meeting her sister-in-law Kate for the first time. It was here that Meghan alluded to Kate feeling "jarred" by Meghan being a "hugger", with her also touching on how things remained official and serious behind closed doors.
January 2023
Fast-forward to 2023, after months of more speculation of a feud, and Harry’s memoir, Spare, hit bookshelves. In the tome, the Duke of Sussex accused his older brother William of physically attacking him during a fight about Meghan.
In his book, Harry recalled: "He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.",
A source at the time told Us Weekly: "At this point, [William’s] got no plans to speak to Harry. He’s come to terms with the fact [that] he’s lost his little brother and quite possibly for life."
March 2023 — December 2023
Meghan and Harry were then "evicted" from Frogmore Cottage in the spring of 2023, despite having lived in Montecito, California since 2020. At the time a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed that they had "been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage".
And then in December 2023, speculation was rife that the Sussexes could spend Christmas in England, but Omid Scobie said that "nothing has changed" between the brothers, which came around weeks the author dropped his latest book, Endgame.
Spare came out in January 2023 (Penguin Random House)
Endgame rocked the world at the end of 2023Omid's book about the current monarch, King Charles, was embroiled in drama after a Dutch translation was found to have named the King and the Princess of Wales as those alleged to have questioned the skin tone of Harry and Meghan’s son Prince Archie before he was born.
February 2024
In February it was revealed that the King had been diagnosed with cancer, with Prince Harry quick to jump on a plane and fly back to England to support his father. Spending around 30 minutes with his dad, there were allegedly "no plans" for him to see his estranged brother Prince William.
Harry then flew back to the States after his brief UK trip and it emerged that he was eyeing up taking on royal duties to help his dad should he need to. Although, at the time, a source told us that there was "no chance" that William would let Harry back into the royal fold.
March 2024
And now, the brothers will reunite tonight, albeit virtually, for the Diana Legacy Award event. The event will take place this evening (March 14) at the Science Museum in London. But the brothers will not be in the room together, with Prince Harry not even in the same building.
And all of this comes after we reported that a recent report claimed that Prince William is alleged to have been "envious" of his younger brother Prince Harry throughout their "happy" childhood, according to a royal expert who once worked for the family.
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