Why Prince Harry and Prince William Grew Apart After Meghan Markle Warning
According to a new book, Prince William "wanted to make sure Harry wasn’t blindsided by lust."
The Times and The Sunday Times is sharing excerpts from the new royal biography, Finding Freedom, which is co-authored by BAZAAR's Royal Editor at Large, Omid Scobie, and royal correspondent, Carolyn Durand.
In the latest extract, Prince Harry and Prince William's falling out is detailed at length, with the authors speaking to several sources about when the sibling relationship between the two princes started to disintegrate.
According to Scobie and Durand, "Back when Meghan and Harry were dating, William, having met Meghan only a handful of times, wanted to make sure the American actress had the right intentions. 'After all, these are two brothers that have spent their whole lives with people trying to take advantage of them,' the source said." As a result, William was seemingly much more cautious than his brother: "as William didn’t know a whole lot about Meghan, he wanted to make sure Harry wasn’t blindsided by lust."
The publication also alleged, "Some members of staff were whispering words of alarm into the Duke of Cambridge’s ear," which is why the future king decided to speak seriously to his brother. "'Don’t feel you need to rush this,' William told Harry, according to sources. 'Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.'" Unfortunately, William's unfortunate phrasing, in calling Meghan "this girl," didn't sit well with Harry.
Per Finding Freedom, "Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world. During his 10-year career in the military, outside the royal bubble, he had learnt not to make snap judgments about people based on their accent, education, ethnicity, class or profession." This was coupled with Harry's desire to break free from being the younger brother. "There was a thin line between caring and condescending," Scobie and Durand stated. "Just because he went about his life differently from his brother didn’t make it wrong."
A source also revealed to the authors, "Harry was pissed off... Pissed off that his brother would ask such a thing. Some felt it was an overreaction. But then, this sums them up as people—William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can’t help but take things far too personally." Another source elaborated, "Harry could see through William’s words. He was being a snob."
Sadly, it seems that William's brotherly concern led to the breakdown of their relationship. As the authors wrote, "In the months after William talked to Harry about the relationship, the two hardly spoke." In fact, even Harry's relationship with his niece and nephews appeared to be damaged. "Harry had always loved popping across the grounds of the palace to see George and Charlotte, bringing them gifts that included an electric SUV for his nephew and a tricycle for his niece. But those visits had come to a virtual halt by the summer of 2017," Finding Freedom revealed.
Sadly, "Harry had spent less time with Prince Louis than the others because of the growing tension between him and his brother after Louis’s birth on April 23, 2018," Scobie and Durand revealed. "The distance came from both directions. Harry spent less time going over to see the children, but the invitations from William and Kate were the first to dry up."
Tensions between Harry and William were a large part of the reason the Sussexes decided to move to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. A source told the authors, "He wanted to get away from the goldfish bowl that was Kensington Palace... Everywhere you turn, you’re surrounded by staff and family. He was at a point in his life where he was working with his brother, doing the foundation with his brother and living by his brother. It was too much." Unfortunately, Harry and Meghan's move to Frogmore only seemed to increase the negative press speculation placed upon them.
