It paints a shocking picture of the depressing level to which their relationship has broken down: that the same brothers who walked together behind their mother’s coffin, smiled together on the ski slope and cheered together in the rugby stand have now resorted to cold public exchanges and explosive tell-alls about a moment in 2019 when Prince William allegedly “grabbed [Harry] by the collar, ripping off [his] necklace and knock[ing him] down.”
This was the allegation made by Harry in today in a leaked extract of his new memoir, Spare, expected to delve even deeper into their brotherly rift as new extracts are released in the coming days.
Some say the alleged assault is being overblown and that brotherly rows are common; others say the fact Harry claims he sustained physical injuries is the most shocking example of their bitter feud yet. Either way, the fact that Harry has gone public with the details in the first place speaks to a souring of relations between two households that used to be so close.
In a teaser clip for the upcoming book, Harry reportedly calls William both his “arch nemesis” and his “beloved brother” and admits there has always been competition between them in their heir/spare roles.
The pair have indeed had a friendly rivalry for years, poking fun at each other in public while joining forcing to work together on common charity goals – like their Heads Together mental health campaign. Harry also reveals in the book that they refer to each other as ‘Willy’ and ‘Harold.’
They were brought close at a young age following the loss of their mother Diana in a car crash when William was 15 and Harry just 12. “We have been brought closer because of the circumstances as well, that’s the thing,” William said on the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death. “You are uniquely bonded because of what we’ve been through.”
Photos from their childhood show them getting on well as children and teenagers – posing cheekily in policeman outfits, receiving prizes after a polo match, laughing with their father at the Invictus Games – but Harry has since publicly revealed how their relationship weakened after he met Meghan. “We are brothers. We will always be brothers,” he said in 2019. “We are certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him as I know he will always be there for me.
“We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we are so busy but I love him dearly. The majority of the stuff is created out of nothing but, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”
Royal fans had hoped the death of their grandmother, The Queen, might have helped the brothers to begin a reconciliation, but if the first extracts of Spare are anything to go by, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
