Prince William and Prince Harry's tumultuous relationship has been a
perennial topic in the news, but when did the rift begin? Harry's memoir,
Spare, has the details of the royal snub that started it all.
In the memoir, Harry refers to William as his, quote, "beloved brother and
archnemesis," emphasizing the extreme dichotomy of love and conflict in their relationship.
In an appearance on Good Morning America, Harry explained this word choice, saying,
"Again I think it really plays into or was
played by the heir-spare and the British press's part in that."
Judi James, a body language expert, noted this
competitiveness between the brothers in a 2009 interview clip, telling Express,
These tensions only escalated over the years as William and Harry grew older
and had different life experiences. Now, as Harry has revealed in Spare,
there was one particular royal wedding that caused a break in the brothers' bond.
Prince Harry wrote of his conflicting feelings during the 2011 wedding of
Prince William and Kate Middleton. On one hand, Harry wrote of his affection for Kate,
calling her, quote, "the sister I'd never had and always wanted,
and I was pleased that she'd be standing by Willy's side forever."
He went on,
"Till death us do part."
On the flip side, Harry said he also experienced darker emotions during the ceremony, writing,
However, rather than blaming Kate,
Harry accuses "life" itself of severing their sibling connection.
As the ceremony ended, the Duke of Sussex felt left behind. He wrote,
It was a life-changing experience, and, indeed, William wasn't the same after marrying Kate. In
2013, after Prince George was born, the brothers lived very close to each other,
and Harry was eager to embrace his role as an uncle. He wrote in Spare,
While he appreciated they were busy new parents,
he felt like an outsider and possibly a third wheel.
He also set the record straight about his role in William and Kate's wedding. In Spare,
he noted that, although he was officially deemed best man, this wasn't his actual role, writing,
"I don't think we can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there."
William was concerned about Harry giving a best-man speech, he wrote, adding,
Instead, James Meade and Thomas van Straubenzee, two friends of William,
jointly served as best man. Harry claims that the palace kept this
detail quiet to prevent the media from intruding on their privacy.
However, one guest at William and Kate's wedding is convinced that
Harry was truly best man, despite the book's assertions, telling The U.S. Sun,
Despite William's concerns about Harry's speech,
this guest believes his remarks were comedic gold. He told the Sun,
A 2011 Daily Mail article also praised Harry's reception speech, including his references to
William as simply "dude" and a comedic impression of William and Kate talking on the phone.