How many snubs are Prince William and Prince Harry capable of? Well, a lot,
actually. But having kids in the mix changes family dynamics — even when you're royalty.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first baby, Archie,
the world naturally celebrated along with them. But their family didn't seem as eager
to jump on the congratulatory bandwagon. Prince William and Princess Catherine waited a whole
week before they met Archie, playing into the narrative that things between the royal
couples were at an all time low. Royal correspondent Victoria Murphy tweeted:
"The visit took place after Harry returned from a day of engagements in Oxford."
Reports said that the delayed meeting was due to conflicting schedules. William and
Catherine were busy with the King's Cup regatta, which was followed by a trip to
North Wales. Harry went to the Netherlands and returned shortly before his brother and
sister-in-law met his son. A representative for the palace told People at the time:
"Harry and Meghan spent the weekend enjoying their first weekend as parents,
celebrating Mother's Day, and had visits from a few friends."
It smoothed things over for a while but tensions between the brothers were bubbling to the surface.
Within the royal family when a new baby is born, it's traditionally understood that a fellow
relative will serve as godfather or godmother. Prince Andrew is Prince Harry's godfather,
and King Constantine II, who was the last king of Greece and Prince Philip's nephew,
was Prince William's godfather. But when it was time for Harry and Meghan to choose a godfather
for Prince Archie, William wasn't on the list. Harry instead looked outside of the family when
it came time to pick godparents. In a statement on behalf of the couple released by Buckingham
Palace, it became clear that no brotherly love would be extended. The statement read:
"The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private."
Six months later, the Sunday Times confirmed the identities of Archie's godparents. They
are Tiggy Pettifer, who was Harry's nanny as a child, and Mark Dyer,
Harry's longtime friend. This choice wasn't random, as Harry is the godfather to Dyer's
son and Pettifer's son. But royal watchers were quick to point out that Harry didn't
choose William, and it gave more ammunition to the already burning fire between the brothers.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still resided in the United Kingdom, it appeared that they did
everything they could to play the part of the happy royal couple. They spearheaded causes,
went on official royal tours on behalf of the monarchy, smiled, waved, did walkabouts — and yet,
there was underlying tension between Harry and Prince William that was difficult to ignore. And
it certainly bled into William's relationships with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. William
and Princess Catherine didn't even make an effort to join Harry, Meghan, and Queen Elizabeth when
the late monarch met baby Lili for the first time. The couple was on a trip to Wales instead.
The timing of the interactions left some questions unanswered. The Queen met Lili during her Platinum
Jubilee celebrations, which marked her 70 years on the throne. Given the important milestone,
Harry and Meghan were back in the U.K. to join the royal family amid the celebrations.
And William's trip to Wales was in fact part of the jubilee schedule. Despite the reports
coming out of the palace that Harry and William were having weekly video calls,
it seemed to be an overlooked opportunity to get the brothers and their children all together.
"'But also relationship that you've got,
you're amazingly close, and yes you–' 'Most of the time.'"
Yet another milestone for Princess Lilibet was missed by her uncle, Prince William,
when she joined her parents in England to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.
The timing of the milestone celebration overlapped with Lili's first birthday, and Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle hosted a birthday party to mark her first full trip around the sun.
Harry and Meghan invited members of the royal family to attend their little girl's big day,
including William, Princess Catherine, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh,
but none attended. They were all in different parts of the UK to continue
commemorating the Queen's Jubilee. A source told Entertainment Tonight at the time that
there was no ill will, despite the poor optics. The source revealed:
"It's simply a coincidence they fell on the same day. There was no intended slight."
But royal watchers were quick to point out that in a joint appearance,
Harry and Meghan were seated by Princess Eugenie and Princess
Beatrice at a Platinum Jubilee event, far away from William and Catherine.
Amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from royal life to their new lives in California,
the two started speaking more candidly about their experiences within the firm. And their
sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey opened the floodgates. The couple shared previously unknown
aspects of their experiences at the hands of the royal family and the relentless British
press. One of the most notable interactions they shared had to do with Prince Archie,
whose skin tone was a point of concern for an unnamed member of the royal family. When Winfrey
asked why the firm refused to give a title and security to Archie, Meghan gave a candid answer.
"And also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
Researcher Aisha Phoenix told The Guardian that the royal family has to address the
situation for what it is — colourism, and the veiled racism that has permeated the
royal family and British aristocracy for centuries. Royal expert Kinsey Schofield
told TMZ that the morals and values of King Charles III, Camilla, and William will further
be questioned the longer they sweep the comments under the rug. Schofield said:
"It has made a lot of people question [William
and Charles]. That is still a really hurtful experience for the Sussexes."
When royal expert Kinsey Schofield told TMZ that the comments about Prince Archie's skin
tone needed to be discussed between Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family,
she may have not envisioned an all-out argument. But according to author Christopher Andersen's
book Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan,
that's exactly what happened. In the immediate aftermath of the Oprah interview, the royals
released an uncharacteristically frank statement about the matter.
But things behind closed doors were said to be far less cordial. According to Andersen's book,
it was King Charles that made the comment about Archie's skin tone. According to Insider,
after Harry confronted his father, both Charles and William retorted that he was being overly
sensitive about the matter. William claimed that the comment on his father's behalf lacked tact,
but was not a sign of racism within the family. The interaction made it clear
that William and Charles were on one side of the issue and Harry was on the other.
Although Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and
Prince Louis have met Prince Archie, they have yet to meet their youngest cousin, Lilibet. Not only
did they miss out on Lili's first birthday party while the Sussexes attended Queen Elizabeth's
Platinum Jubilee celebration, but a source told Page Six that William was paranoid about spending
time with his brother and his kids due to the ongoing tension between them. The source claimed:
"William is still wary of spending any time alone with Harry as you
never quite know what may be reported back afterwards."
But the stress didn't stop King Charles from meeting his granddaughter while the
Sussexes were in the United Kingdom. A royal source told the BBC that their meeting was
an incredibly emotional experience. The source added that Charles was absolutely
thrilled to meet Lili for the first time. And it seemed as though Harry
and his father were making strides in their relationship but he and William were not.
Ahead of Princess Lilibet's arrival, Meghan Markle became incredibly candid about her experiences as
a mother. She revealed her prior miscarriage in a column for The New York Times. Meghan wrote:
"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second. Hours later,
I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and
kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls,
my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal."
But members of the royal family didn't publicly acknowledge Meghan's column and
the tragedy she shared with the world. Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers
shared that the palace declined to comment on the story. He pointed out
that the royal family had turned their back on Meghan completely, saying:
"They should have backed her to the hilt on this. They should have made
public statements on this saying this is a really brave and honest thing to do."
But when the Sussexes welcomed Lili to the world,
Prince William and Princess Catherine posted on Instagram in honor of her birth. They wrote:
"We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili.
Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie."
The christening of a royal baby is a big deal. It's an opportunity for the royal
family to gather and celebrate the newest member of the pack. Princess Lilibet — who
was born in the United States — wasn't granted the same christening experience as her brother,
Prince Archie, thanks to her uncle, Prince William. NBC's royal correspondent Neil
Sean detailed that Lili would not have her christening take
place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle due to William's intervention,
certainly against Meghan Markle's wishes. Sean explained that Meghan wanted Lilibet christened
in the same place where she married Harry and where Archie was also christened. He said:
"According to a very good source, Prince William was the one who basically said, 'No,
we don't think this is going to work,' it wasn't a particularly good idea."
Sean explained that William has been the one who hasn't budged
when it comes to smoothing things over with Harry,
and that other members of the royal family might be more inclined to hear him out.
"There's always been this competition between us, weirdly."
Given that Prince William halted the plans for Princess Lilibet to be christened at St.George's
Chapel, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made plans to have her christening held in California. An
inside source told People at the time that her christening was held at the Episcopal Diocese
of Los Angeles. Her godfather Tyler Perry, who famously helped Meghan and Harry when
they left England, was in attendance along with 20 to 30 guests. Lili's grandmother,
Doria Ragland, attended and so did Lilibet's godmother, who has yet to be publicly announced.
The source shared that Prince William, Princess Catherine,
King Charles, and Camilla Queen Consort, were all invited to the ceremony but declined to
attend. The Sussexes' spokesperson confirmed that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday,
March 3 but didn't comment about the snub extended by the rest of the royal family.
Prince William's relationship with Prince Harry and his children seems
to be non-existent at the moment. Maybe the brothers will resolve
their issues in the near future. But when it comes to the longer future,
William could have an unexpected say in both Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's lives.
Passed in 2013, the Succession to the Crown Act details that the royal family members who make up
the first six in line to the throne have to both request and receive permission to marry someone.
Meaning William had to seek permission from Queen Elizabeth to marry Princess Catherine,
and Harry was allowed to marry Meghan Markle. If William — who is the direct heir to the
throne — is the reigning monarch when Archie and Lilibet are at a point where they would want to
get married themselves, they will likely have to ask their uncle for his consent.
As it's structured in the line of succession, Archie is currently sixth in line to the throne,
and Lili comes right behind him at seventh. But when William takes the crown,
their positions in the line will shift up one,
and they'll have to ask William for his consent to marry the person they want.