Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to the UK next month has left many asking if the pair will meet up with Prince William and his wife Kate.
Brothers William and Harry once had an extremely close-knit bond and nobody can forget the images of them united in grief walking behind their late mother Princess Diana's coffin 25 years ago. But now there is a growing rift between them and their once close relationship is said to have soured - especially in the wake of the bombshell chat with Oprah Winfrey where Harry claimed his brother was "trapped" within the royal system.
The Sussexes quit the UK in early 2020 - and since then William and Harry have only been pictured together in public twice - at the funeral of Prince Philip and at an unveiling of a statue of Diana.
Earlier this year, Harry dodged a question about whether he missed his brother and the pair were not seen together during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer.
So how did they reach this point, what's their relationship like now and are they likely to be reunited next month? Here we take a look...
First signs of rift
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The early signals that something was not quite right between the brothers came shortly after Harry started dating Meghan, according to the book Finding Freedom.
“Don’t feel you need to rush this,” the older brother reportedly told the younger, adding: “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
The book's authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that the phrase "this girl” immediately bothered Harry.
They said: "Harry was p***ed off… that his brother would ask such a thing.”
Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary Kate v Meghan: Princesses at War?, royal author Katie Nicholl said: "I think what was meant as well intended brotherly advice just riled Harry.
"Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don’t think things have been quite right ever since.”
Feud goes public
The first the public became aware of frostiness between the brothers came when the Sussexes announced they were moving out of Kensington Palace, the royal residence they shared with the Cambridges, in November 2018.
Meghan and Harry said they would be leaving their central London home and relocating to Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle - ahead of the birth of their son Archie.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, a source said: "Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so.
"They had a bit of a fall-out which was only resolved when Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort. That’s when the Cambridges invited the Sussexes to spend Christmas with them."
In 2019, Harry confirmed the long-suspected rift on the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
"Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens," he said.
"But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
Just months after this interview, Harry and Meghan made the bombshell statement that they were quitting as senior royals and leaving the UK to carve out a new life in America.
Explosive Oprah chat
The next main flashpoint in the brother's relationship came during Harry and Meghan's bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Harry told Oprah that he and William are on "different paths" and there is "space" between them, while Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a racist comment about Archie and the institution didn't help her through her mental health struggles.
Speaking about his father and brother's future roles as kings, the prince said: "I am part of the system with them, I always have been, but I guess—and I'm very aware of this—my brother can't leave that system, but I have. My father and my brother are trapped."
According to friends, William was "very upset" and "reeling" over the claims, with his head "all over the place".
A former palace aide told the Sunday Times: "Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother.
"They shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it forever.”
Weeks later they were reunited at the funeral of Prince Philip, which Harry returned to the UK for - but they weren't able to reconcile properly.
However, just weeks later, William and Harry were brought together again - this time it was to unveil a statue of their late mother Princess Diana at her former home of Kensington Palace.
After the ceremony ended, champagne was reportedly laid on for guests on the terrace of Kensington Palace Pavilion. Harry stayed for a drink but was seen been driven through the palace gates around just 20 minutes later.
Another bombshell chat
In April, Harry and Meghan made a surprise trip to the UK to see the Queen on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands - but it did not involve a meeting with William or wife Kate.
William was believed to be on a skiing holiday in the French Alps with this family – although was aware of Harry and Meghan’s visit.
According to royal expert Robert Jobson, it was "significant" Harry's brother and sister-in-law were not involved in the meeting.
However, Oprah wasn't the end of Harry's tell-all interviews - later than week he sat down for another chat with NBC's Today show host Hoda Kotb.
In the interview, filmed during the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, Harry talked about the competition as well as about his secret meeting with his grandmother the Queen and life with Meghan and their children in California.
During the chat, Hoda asked Harry if he misses his family, who are all in the UK.
He told her: "Yes I think especially over the last two years, everybody has missed their family and that ability to get home and see them, of course.."
However, when she followed up by asking if he specifically missed his brother Prince William and dad Prince Charles, he quickly changed the subject, before talking about missing his children Archie and Lilibet back home in California.
Jubilee frostiness and party 'snub'
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations brought renewed hope that William and Harry could reconcile after the Sussexes announced they would travel to the UK for the festivities.
They were both at Trooping the Colour although William and Kate were not spotted with Harry and Meghan.
And the next day at St Paul's Cathedral, the couples were not sat anywhere near each other for a special service dedicated to the Queen. Harry and Meghan were sat in the second row of the cathedral, across the aisle from William and Kate, with the couples not acknowledging each other or exchanging eye contact.
Meanwhile, on the Saturday of the Jubilee weekend, Harry and Meghan held a first birthday party for their daughter Lilibet - the same time as when William and Kate along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte were on a visit to Cardiff - meaning they did not attend.
And according to royal biographer and expert Duncan Larcombe, not seeing a moment or any photos of the brothers together over the course of the weekend was "significant".
He told True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat: "Without that symbol of William and Harry, side by side at the Queen’s Jubilee, I am telling you the war is still on between those princes and it is very sad.”
Dramatic reunion?
Just yesterday Harry and Meghan announced their return to the UK just weeks after a frosty reception at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
They revealed they would attend events in support of “several charities close to their hearts”, across the country as well as a trip to Germany.
The California based couple are understood to be planning to stay at their UK base, Frogmore Cottage on the Queen’s Windsor estate - just days after future king and queen William and Kate and their children move to their new permanent home of Adelaide Cottage which is less than a mile away.
No meetings between William and Harry or any other family members have been confirmed.
But speaking of the potential meetings, a senior palace source said: “There are obviously a lot of moving parts with everyone’s schedules but nothing is being ruled out.”
