Prince Harry has experienced some rifts with his relatives since quitting his royal duties in 2020 and moving to America, with the biggest rift believed to be with his older brother. It has been widely reported that Harry, 40, and Prince William, 43, have not been on talking terms for some time, with their relationship having reportedly completely ceased in 2023 after Harry’s memoir Spare.
While unconfirmed, it is believed Harry’s claim of a physical fight with William, and other negative portrayals of the future King in the memoir, is what resulted in the brothers becoming estranged. However, one insider believes it didn’t have to be this way.
As reported by The Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah, a friend of Princess Anne – Prince Harry and Prince William’s aunt – thinks that Harry should have reached out to Anne, 74, more.
The friend told The Times that rather than call his therapist after an argument with William, Harry should have confided in his aunt, who also understands what it is like to be a “spare” with an older sibling who is heir to the throne.
Anne’s friend reportedly told The Times: “He (Prince Harry) really ought to talk to Princess Anne. She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently from Charles.
“She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path.
“In her twenties she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that. He should talk to her about her experiences. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”
Harry addressed the idea that he was a “spare” multiple times in his memoir, even saying that his role was to be there in case his older brother needed anything.
The duke wrote: “Two years older than me, Willy was the Heir, whereas I was the Spare. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B.”
He continued: “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy [William]. I was summoned to provide back-up, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part.
“Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter.”
It is not known when the brothers last spoke to one another.
