While they are no longer believed to be on speaking terms, Prince Harry and Prince William once shared a close bond with one another. From growing up together to carrying out royal engagements, it was not uncommon for Harry and William to be seen as one unit.
The two brothers also seemed to be supportive of one another both throughout childhood and during the days before their rift began, with Harry showing just how much he cared for William and Princess Kate when they welcomed their first child into the world. When Prince George was born in 2013, Harry seemed delighted to become an uncle for the first time, and described the prince with one three-word remark according to his memoir Spare.
Harry said: “He was beautiful”.
Writing about the day George was born in his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry said: “I was an uncle. Willy and Kate had welcomed their first child, George, and he was beautiful.
“I couldn’t wait to teach him about rugby and Rorke’s Drift, flying and corridor cricket. And maybe give him a few pointers about how to survive life in the fishbowl.”
As reported by Hello!, Harry also spoke about his delight at being an uncle when George was just a newborn.
At a Sentebale event around the same time as George’s arrival, Harry said: “When I saw him [Prince George] he was crying as all babies do, but it’s fantastic to have a new member of the family. I hope my brother knows how expensive my babysitting charges will be.”
Harry then said he wanted to use his role as an uncle to make sure George “has fun” and keeps out of “harm’s way”.
While it is likely Harry was a fun uncle to begin with, from 2020 it is believed he has had very little contact with his nephews Prince George and Prince Louis, as well as his niece Princess Charlotte. This is because not only did he quit royal life in 2020, but he also moved to Montecito, California, where he lives with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
It was also believed to be around this time that William and Harry had already begun experiencing some strains in their relationships, with such matters having been made worse when Harry made various claims about the royals during a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and in the Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan the following year.
Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare in 2023 was believed to be the final straw for Prince William, who reportedly has not been on talking terms with his younger brother since.