Prince William and Prince Harry‘s feud is still as tense as ever with the divisions in the royal family feeling more palpable than ever these days.
Six years after the earliest signs of tension between the brothers began, the two are seemingly still not on speaking terms.
The feud appears to have originated in 2018, with reports from the time speculating that William thought Harry was moving too fast in his relationship with Meghan Markle.
Markle has been vocal about her struggle to fit into the family and the treatment she experience in the British media, even telling ITV News in 2019 that she “tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip,'” continuing, “I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
In the years since, we’ve received plenty of information and speculation about the many stages of the feud.
To help sort out any and all confusion on what the heck the royals are even rifting about, we’ve put together a complete timeline following all transgressions on every side of the feud that reportedly began in 2018.
March 2024
Prince William and Prince Harry both spoke at the Diana Legacy Awards. However, reports before the event speculated that William agreed to attend in person if Harry’s Zoom appearance only began after he had departed the building.
February 2024
After King Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis, Prince Harry flew to the UK for a brief meeting with his father.
The meeting was reported to have gone well and the pair were allegedly on good terms. Prince William, meanwhile, did not link up with his brother.
May 2023
Prince Harry attended King Charles coronation but was not photographed with his brother at any point.
Reports from Daily Mail stated that Charles had attempted to host “peace talks” to heal fraught relations in the family but William reportedly wanted nothing to do with it.
March 2023
On March 1, news broke that Charles had requested the eviction of Harry and Markle from their former home of Frogmore Cottage. And, as it turns out, William was working with the monarch the entire time. “Charles is not making these decisions in isolation,” a source told the Daily Beast. “He has the support of his son and heir and is working in partnership with him. They are a unit and are closer than ever.”
Another source, who’s a close friend of William, shared that the Prince of Wales has no regrets either. “William won’t shed a tear if Harry doesn’t make it [to the coronation]. He feels utterly betrayed by Harry. Relations have never been this bad, and he hates him for what he has done to the family in the books and interviews,” the source said. “He will support whatever decision his dad makes but it’s no secret he would prefer it if he wasn’t there, or, indeed, never stepped foot in England again.” Talk about a cold shoulder!
December 2022
Unsuprisingly, Meghan and Harry’s new docuseries, named Harry & Meghan, dropped a few bombshells about the fab four’s long-standing feud. Though Harry reiterated that his family was “incredibly impressed” when they first met her, Meghan shared an interesting tidbit from the first time she met her in-laws.
“They came for dinner,” the Archetypes podcast host recalled, per Entertainment Tonight. “I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger.” At that moment, Meghan felt an unexpected culture shock. “I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she said.
Though Meghan has since understood more of the couple’s formality even in close doors, a culture shock between them shows a glimpse of why the four weren’t the closest of friends.
September 2022
In the aftermath of the Queen’s passing, William and Kate extended an invite to Harry and Meghan to accompany them in greeting mourners at Winsdor Castle in a show of unity. The Fab Four was also rumored to have gathered for a family dinner following Queen Elizabeth’s casket procession to Westminster Hall.
The public is hoping the brothers and family at-large will finally feel urged to mend their relationship in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, but Harry’s upcoming memoir release still seems to be a point of contention among the royals.
August 2022
In a rare cover story with The Cut, Meghan spilled more tea about her life with the royals, and they were reportedly not pleased about it — at all. Among the Duchess’s grievances was the inability to share family photos without giving them to the Royal Rota, the UK press pool that oversees royal coverage, first. Meghan asked, “Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child? You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game.”
In response, a source told ET the royal family “is disappointed by [the] latest comments in The Cut magazine and on [Meghan’s] podcast. They are distressed that after stepping back from the royal family — claiming a need for privacy — she continues to publicize family matters,” adding there’s been “a loss of trust” with her.
June 2022
Contrary to May reports of efforts to rebond, the Cambridges and Sussexes did not interact, at least publicly, during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
A source told The Daily Mail that William “alternates between grieving for what he has lost and feeling really, really angry about what his brother has done,” continuing, “He truly loves Harry and feels he has lost the only person, aside from his wife, who understood this strange life of theirs. But he believes there are things you just don’t do. And Harry has 100% crossed that line.”
May 2022
Harry and Meghan confirmed they would be in attendance for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, but a Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated “After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance… will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” meaning Harry and Meghan wouldn’t be standing on the balcony alongside the rest of the family.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Us Weekly the “rift [between Harry and William] very definitely hasn’t been healed” and that Harry’s memoir in the works continues to “be a source of very, very substantial discord… Whatever he writes, if it’s published this year, it’s going to cause problems.”
April 2022
In another interview with ET, Katie Nicholl shared, “Harry, I’m told, suggested perhaps that they might get some sort of a mediator in on sort of these talks, to make some progress. It was something that he had suggested to his father. He’s made it very clear that he wants to sort things out. He wants things to be improved.”
Whether his father or brother was keen on the idea isn’t clear. The three men all seem to be extending their own olive branches while refusing to accept the others,’ and around in circles they go.
January 2022
The royals’ relationship took another nose dive at the beginning of 2022 when Prince Harry announced he would be releasing a memoir on his life, which reportedly had (and still has) the royal family very fearful in terms of what all might be included in Harry’s book.
A source shared with The Sun, “Charles has shared his concerns with William, and is keen he somehow goes on the record and sticks up for Camilla, should the book attack her.” The source continued, “But as much as William loves his father, he’s unlikely to want to get involved. In all likelihood he will try and stay neutral.”
September 2021
In a September interview with ET, royal reporter and Finding Freedom co-author Omid Scobie said “The relationship between Harry and William is still very much one of distance. I don’t just mean physical, across the Atlantic, but they are not talking that much, and that is exactly how sources close to William have put it.”
The royal reporter also said there wasn’t likely to be any major change in the brothers’ relationship: “They are very different men. And I think that William has certainly become someone who is really living his life for the crown, for the institution. Harry has really sort of gone completely in the opposite direction.”
July 2021
The unveiling of Diana’s statue appeared to go better than anyone could have expected, with the princes not only talking to one another but also sharing a few laughs.
A source told Us Weekly, “William and Harry spent the morning before the statue unveiling looking through old keepsakes, notes from Diana and bonding. They have absolutely turned a new page in their relationship and have started the healing. Everyone around them was thrilled to see how close they were on the day of the statue unveiling.”
The world at large was hoping this would be the beginning of a rekindled relationship, but alas…
June 2021
With the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue set for the following month, an insider told In Touch: “William has zero interest in hanging out with Harry on a social level while he’s back. He can’t just forgive Harry for throwing the royals under the bus at the flick of a switch. Maybe he’ll feel differently when they come face-to-face and see each other in person, but it’s looking highly unlikely.”
April 2021
Prince Harry reunited with the royal family in April 2021, but the occasion was not a happy one.
Putting the feud on hold for Prince Philip’s funeral, the atmosphere appeared frosty at best. A source told The Mirror, “There had been a kind of unspoken agreement between everyone to park whatever has been on each person’s mind, and solely concentrate on supporting the Queen ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral. The feeling inside the camp was that it wasn’t the time nor the place to go over things, especially at such an emotional time for everybody involved.”
March 2021
March 2021 marked an unprecedented explosion within the royal family: Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah. A CBS News special that a staggering 17 million people tuned into, the interview involved the Sussexes explaining the lead-up to their US move, and it was a wild ride.
Meghan set the record straight about the wedding incident with Kate, sharing Kate was the one who was upset about the flower girl dresses, which made Meghan cry rather than the reversal spun in the media.
The couple revealed Archie was treated differently than other royal grandchildren, as he was not granted a title at birth or security protection. They also shared that there were discussions within the palace about how dark Archie’s skin tone would be, though they refused to reveal exactly who made the racist comments because it “would be damaging to them.”
November 2020
The Sunday Times reported that Prince Harry requested to have a wreath of poppies laid on his behalf on Remembrance Day, but he was denied by courtiers because he no longer officially represented the royal family. A source told the publication Harry “understands that he doesn’t have the same formal role in the family as he used to, but he was saddened and disappointed by the decision.”
The Prince, who served 10 years in the British army, instead visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery with Meghan to lay flowers at the graves of two Commonwealth soldiers to show his respect.
September 2020
Things got considerably worse in September 2020 when news dropped of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. As the platform responsible for The Crown, which the royal family isn’t particularly fond of, the partnership majorly ruffled feathers.
An insider told The Sun “William and other senior royals are incredibly uncomfortable about this drama and livid Harry is now in partnership with the company that’s airing it.”
March 2020
The Cambridges and Sussexes both attended the Commonwealth Day Service in March 2020, which was the first time they saw one another in person since Meghan and Harry’s departure announcement.
The couples didn’t interact at all, and body-language expert Blanca Cobb told Cosmopolitan “the greeting [seemed] lackluster among the four of them, particularly Kate’s lack of acknowledgment.”
January 2020
Right after news of Meghan and Harry stepping down from their roles hit the stands, rumors began speculating that William “bullied” them into leaving. In the second volume of Harry and Meghan’s docuseries, Harry talked about the joint statement he published with William at the time to deny the rumors which, in fact, was not “joint” at all.
“Once I got in the car after the meeting, I was told about a joint statement that had been put out, in my name and my brother’s name, squashing the story about him bullying us out of the family,” Harry recalled. “No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that.”
“I rang M[Markle] and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours, they were happy to lie to protect my brother. And yet, for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” he added.
The moment then became a mjor turning point for the royal. “To see my brother’s office copy — the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never, ever do — that was heartbreaking.”
January 2020
Following Markle and Harry’s announcement to step back from their roles, William, Charles and Queen Elizabeth all agreed to meet with Harry to discuss his future as a royal. In the volume II of his docuseries, Harry described what went down in the now-called “Sandringham Summit.”
Though Harry was initially presented with a few options in how to proceed, he recalled, “It became very clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate.”
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me,” Harry recalled, “and my father say things that simply weren’t true and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.” We’re sorry you had to go through this, Harry!
January 2020
January 2020 marked a major fissure in the royal family’s relationship, with Prince Harry and Meghan announcing they would be stepping away from their senior royal duties.
A source told Us Weekly “William was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement” and “there’s still a rift between the two brothers. It’s sad because when they were younger, William would be the first person Harry would go to with big news like this.”
November 2019
The brothers came face to face with each other for the first time since Harry confirmed the rift rumors on Remembrance Day the following month. The two didn’t appear to speak to one another at the event, nor did Meghan or Kate.
Us Weekly reported in November 2019 that a source shared the situation between the brothers was “not great.” The palace also confirmed that Harry and Meghan would spend Christmas with Meghan’s mother, Doria, that year rather than at Sandringham with the royal family.
October 2019
Putting the speculation to bed by (finally) Prince Harry addressed the rumors head-on and diplomatically confirmed there had been a growing distance between himself and Prince William in the ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
He shared, “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. 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.”
July 2019
Things continued to look up for the royals’ relationship in July 2019, during which Meghan and Kate attended a charity polo match and the Wimbledon women’s singles final together, looking happy to be in each other’s company on both occasions.
Both Kate and William also attended Archie’s private christening, but a source told Us Weekly “William thinks his brother is going overboard keeping Archie out of the spotlight,” blaming Meghan for the move.
May 2019
Following the arrival of baby Archie, many were quick to extend their congratulations to the new parents, including Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Meghan’s former Suits co-star, Patrick J. Adams. The royal family announced the new prince’s arrival a few hours after his birth, but the public took notice of the delay in the Cambridges’ congratulations — eight hours passed before they acknowledged Archie’s arrival.
However, Prince William and Kate gave a charming interview in which William says they were “absolutely thrilled” and playfully welcomes Harry to “the sleep deprivation club that is parenting” with Kate beaming at his side.
April 2019
During an Easter church service in Windsor, Harry and William appeared to speak to everyone but each other — in fact, they didn’t so much as stand near one another.
People observed “Harry was seen talking to Zara and exchanging pleasantries with Kate but did not say anything to his elder brother,” and a video even surfaced in which the brothers are seen greeting pretty much everyone while purposefully ignoring each other.
March 2019
Following the release of TLC’s dramatic documentary, Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War?, in which the rumors of the brothers not seeing eye-to-eye on Harry and Meghan’s relationship are revisited, royal filmmaker Nick Bullen told Fox News, “The fairy tale is that they are closer than ever, and need each other, and I think that’s probably true, but equally they are two grown men in their 30s, starting their own families, different wives, they are moving to different parts of the country, different duties.”
The same month, Buckingham Palace announced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would form their own office separate from their previously shared office with the Cambridges.
Sometime in 2019
Also in Spare, Harry detailed a physical fight between him and William in his London home sometime in 2019. After accusing his older brother of not helping them out with the media, things quickly escalated.
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me,” Harry recalled, per The Guardian. “It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.” The physical fight goes to show how high the tensions were at the time, and how angry they all must’ve felt.
December 2018
The following month, video footage surfaced of what appeared to be Prince William ignoring Meghan during a Christmas Day outing at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham. Meghan seemed to turn to him to say something, and William seemed to ignore her, opting to fiddle with his scarf rather than speak to her.
November 2018
Six months after Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May 2018, rumors began to circulate about alleged drama between Meghan and Kate. Veteran royal reporter Katie Nicholl wrote for Vanity Fair, “The truth is, there hasn’t been a feud between Kate and Meghan. There’s not a huge amount of closeness between them, but there’s also not been an active fallout, either.”
In the very same month, the infamous reports of Meghan making Kate cry surfaced. The Telegraph reported Kate “left in tears following a bridesmaids dress fitting for Princess Charlotte” for Meghan and Harry’s wedding. Spokespeople for Kate denied the claims, saying the article was wholly inaccurate.
May 2018
In Prince Harry’s upcoming tell-all memoir Spare, the royal talked about the May 2018 disagreement between Markle and the Princess of Wales ahead of the Sussex’s wedding, Page Six reported.
According to the royal, Middleton was dissatisfied with Princess Charlotte’s dress for the occasion adding that the little one “burst into tears when she tried it on.” When Markle then suggested for her to bring to her tailer, Middleton said it wouldn’t be “sufficient” and that it needed to be completely remade instead.
Though Middleton eventually caved and had the dress altered, Harry later found Markle in tears “on the floor” following the altercation. The following day, he recalled, Middleton apologized and brought over flowers and a card. Let’s just say this royal marriage started on the wrong foot.
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