Prince Harry was left furious after Buckingham Palace issued a joint statement about ‘bullying’ that he reportedly did not agree to, and it left his wife Meghan in tears
After seeing their parents’ marriage break down and the heartbreak of their mother’s tragic death, Princes William and Harry appeared to be close, leaning on each other to cope.
But fast forward to today, and the warring siblings are locked in a sad feud as they carve out separate lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The breaking point in their bond came after Harry married wife Meghan Markle – and their pair struggled to adapt to royal life.
And in the Sussexes’ controversial Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the couple took aim at William and recall a flashpoint that Harry claims left him furious and his wife in floods of tears. The issue arose when Harry did not give his permission for a joint palace statement to be put out dismissing bullying claims – and he says this drove a wedge between the pair. It comes as Harry and Meghan’s latest attempt to “build bridges and move on” has backfired, according to a leading royal expert.
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Speaking over clips of the brothers playing in an old fire truck and newspaper headlines about the acrimony in their relationship in episode five, Harry said in the show: “I mean, the saddest part of it was this wedge created between me and my brother so that he’s now on the institution’s side.
“And I get, part of that I get. I understand right? That’s his inheritance, so to some extent it’s already ingrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survivability and the continuation of this institution.
“That day, a story came out that part of the reason why Meghan and I were leaving was because William had bullied us out. And once I got in the car after the meeting, I was told about a joint statement that had been put out in my name and my brother’s name squashing the story about him bullying us out of the family.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that. And I rang M and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
It comes as King Charles and Harry’s senior aides held a secret peace summit in London last month, said to be the first notable step in in a ‘rapprochement process’ where broken bonds can finally heal.
The Mail on Sunday revealed that Meredith Maines, the Duke of Sussexes’ chief communications officer, sensationally flew in from LA to meet Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the members-only Royal Over-Seas League club just a stone’s throw away from Clarence House, the King’s London residence. The top dog in Prince Harry’s UK PR team, Liam Maguire, was also present.
A source told the publication: “There’s a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in year. There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.”
While Prince William’s team were reportedly not invited to the shock summit, experts have revealed the hidden role he will have likely played behind the scenes as the future of the monarchy.
They claim that while William is far less inclined to reconcile with his estranged brother, whom he’s reportedly not spoken to in years, the meeting would have never happened without his ‘support and understanding’.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Mail Online: “The King would never have made these moves without William’s support and understanding. William and Catherine are the future of the monarchy.
“He has undoubtedly been furious at the way the Sussexes have behaved and undoubtedly regards Harry’s behaviour as treason of a sort. They reportedly have not spoken in over two years.’
And royal author Phil Dampier said: “The King is more anxious to patch things up than William, who I believe will never be close to his brother again.”
Harry is due to head back to the UK in September for the annual WellChild events, an opportunity which could see him reunite with his dad for the first time in 18 months. But William doesn’t appear to have any plans to see his brother, despite the peace talks.