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Will Maule & Abbie Meehan

Prince Harry and William's feud could have been sparked over sausages, ex-royal butler claims

Princess Diana's former butler has claimed that the feud between Prince Harry and William could have started with the fact that William was fed more sausages than the younger brother.

The ex-royal butler, Paul Burrell, claimed that this food battle gave an early insight into the dynamic between the two brothers, reports the Mirror. The 64-year-old recalled that Harry would complain: "How come he gets three?" when older brother William was served more sausages than him at the dinner table.

The nanny then would allegedly reply: “William needs filling up more than you. He’s going to be king one day.”

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The ex-butler believes that these types of remarks had sparked early competitive tension between the pair. Paul said: "When I look back now, I think maybe I was glimpsing the dynamic at play.

“One time I saw the nanny give William three sausages at breakfast and Harry had two. And Harry would look at his plate and say, how come he gets three? And I only get two?”

And when the nanny would make a remark about William becoming King first, Harry "would fall quiet and suck it up". Paul added: "But that’s what he had to contend with, even in his own home".

The ex-worker states that much of Harry's recent behaviour has stemmed from growing up in an environment where he continually had to play second fiddle to his older brother.

He also added that Diana pleaded with Charles to not send Harry to Eton, out of concern that he would be constantly compared to his older brother - but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Paul Burrell worked as Diana's butler for a decade. (Rex Features)

Paul also claimed that Harry tackled the problem of competing with William by becoming more loud and mischievous. He added: "William would be measured and stoic, and sort of take everything in. But not Harry. He would have to be the clown, he had to be noticed."

The ex-butler noted that Harry was often told to quieten down due to his behaviour as a child. Paul told The Sun that this is now happening all over again as the Prince goes public with his memoir.

"Often I’d hear the princess shout across the room, ‘Shhhh, Harry, be quiet,'" he said.

“And I’ve heard those words in the last few days. Harry needs to be quiet, he needs to pipe down.”

The butler also recalled an incident when Prince William had an outburst and said he didn't want to King.

Paul said: "Harry piped up to say he would do it instead. Diana laughed and said, ‘That’d be funny. You’d be Good King Harry'."

While he sympathised with Harry, given his difficult experiences as a child, Burrell believed that he went too far in his criticisms of his family, saying he didn't recognise him anymore.

Paul added: "He’s clearly hurt and angry at being ‘the spare’ and so he’s lashing out from that place."

Prince Harry's memoir Spare sold over 1.4 million copies on its first day of release, becoming the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.

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