Prince Harry said his part of bedroom he shared with Prince William at sprawling estate house Balmoral Castle was “less luxurious” than his older brother’s.
In his tell-all memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex recalled petty sibling spats between himself and the heir to the throne, issues that appear to have begun when they were children.
In one passage, Harry, 39, complained about their shared bedroom at Balmoral, claiming William – as first in line to the throne after their father – was given preference.
He explained that the castle had 50 bedrooms with one of them being divided for him and “Willy”, which the adults referred to as the nursery.
Harry wrote: “Willy had the larger half, with a double bed, a good-sized basin, a cupboard with mirrored doors, a beautiful window looking down on the courtyard, the fountain, the bronze statue of a roe deer buck.
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“My half of the room was far smaller, less luxurious. I never asked why. I didn’t care. But I also didn’t need to ask.
“Two years older than me, Willy was the Heir, whereas I was the Spare.”
Elsewhere in the book, the duke also claimed that when he first started at elite public school Eton College, William had instructed him to pretend like they didn’t know each other.
Harry wrote: “For the last two years, he explained, Eton had been his sanctuary. No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle. He was forging his own life, and he wasn’t willing to give it up.”
However, Harry says he wasn’t surprised by William’s reaction as the Duke of Cambridge apparently “loathed it” when their late mother, Princess Diana, dressed them in the matching outfits or when “anyone made the mistake of thinking us a package deal”.
Now years later, relations between Harry and William are said to be at an all-time low with speculation over whether Harry will ever return to the Royal Family fold.
At the end of last year, rumours were swirling that Harry and wife Meghan Markle were desperate to spend Christmas in the UK with the rest of the royals for the first time since 2018.
A friend of the Sussexes told The Times: “I can’t imagine the Sussexes would decline an invitation to spend time with His Majesty,” adding: “As of yet, there have not been any invitations for the holidays.”
Harry and Meghan instead chose to spend the festive period at Montecito, California home with their two children, Archie and Lillibet.
Royal author Phil Dampier believes the Sussexes, who quit at senior royals in 2020, missed out on the perfect opportunity to repair their relationship with The Firm.
Dampier suggested that bonding over Christmas would have also increased Harry and Meghan’s popularity.
“Harry and Meghan have let it be known that they see 2024 as their year of redemption, to which my reaction is good luck with that,” he said.
“It’s a trite phrase dreamt up by their Hollywood PR people and in reality means very little. Actions speak louder than words.”
