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Prince William’s ongoing rift with his brother, Prince Harry, continues to upset many fans of the royal family. For a long time, the belief was that the two brothers would continue their inseparable relationship well into adulthood. That no longer seems to be the case, which changes not just the personal relationship between brothers but the outlook of the Prince of Wales’s eventual monarchy.
William Allegedly Had Big Plans for Harry’s Involvement
The Prince of Wales will one day be King, with some speculation that that day may sadly be closer than we think after King Charles’ recent cancer announcement. As folks look ahead to what the monarchy will look like under William, they can’t help but notice the absence of Harry, who was once his closest confidant.
Royal correspondent Charles Rae tells The Sun that he believes that had the rift between brothers never happened, Harry would have been one of the future King’s “top advisers.”
They were really, really close. And this is what makes it so sad that they’re now so far apart. When William becomes King, I always believed Harry would be one of his top advisers. I think that’s out the window.
Charles Rae, The Sun
Rae also went on to say that the rift would have upset the brothers’ late mother, Princess Diana, who “wanted the boys to remain as close as possible.”
They had each other, and it was them against the rest of the world but of course now it’s not happening.
Charles Rae, The Sun
Other Experts Point Out the Trouble Between Brothers Pre-Dated Both Their Marriages
Royal biographer Robert Lacey has challenged the idea that Prince William and Prince Harry’s rift is new. He also claims it does not haves to do with either one of their wives. In his book Battle of Brothers, Lacey shared that the two have alternated between periods of closeness and periods of feuding since their teen years.
In January 2005, following the ‘Colonials and Natives’ costume fiasco, we now know that Prince Harry was drawn to reevaluate his elder brother’s involvement and the unfairness of William’s emergence smelling of roses. It made Harry feel alienated. Friends recall ‘no speaks’ and quite a serious rift between the brothers at the time—as there had been after the ‘Drugs Shame’ of 2002, when Harry had first started to realize the price of playing the functional scapegoat.
Robert Lacey, Battle of Brothers
The much-publicized incident mortified Harry, who learned his lesson after doing the work of connecting with the Jewish community amid other acts of contrition for his bad behavior. That was never publicized, however, as much as his shortcomings were. It makes for a contention foundation for a relationship that seems to have grown more tumultuous over the years.