William & Harry Finally on 'Old Buddy Terms' despite Rift Worsening after Sussex's Quit Royal Duties, Mirror Claims

Royal brothers Prince William and Prince Harry were raised normally by their late mother, Princess Diana, who has been praised for a job well done as opposed to their disgraced uncle Prince Andrews.

Prince William and Prince Harry were close when growing up, and even after they lost their mother, Princess Diana, they continued to share a bond. Author Jemma Forte previously sang Princess Diana's praises for bringing up her sons "as normal as possible."

Forte spoke about Prince Andrew's backlash following his infamous interview on BBC's Newsnight about his relations to the convicted Jeffrey Epstein and the sexual allegations against him.

As a result, the Duke stepped away from royal duties for the "foreseeable future." When discussing his possible return to public life in the future, Forte stated that the royal was "so out of touch."

She explained that according to him, the Duke of York reportedly believed that the interview would positively impact his image afterward.

Forte

that "by contrast," Princess Diana had done a stellar job for her children because she was clear on how she wanted to give them a normal upbringing:

"I immediately think back to when Diana was raising Harry and William and what a huge favor she did for them. She was explicit about wanting them to be as normal as possible."

Forte added that it was for that exact reason that her sons turned out to be individuals that people could relate to, stating that, unlike their uncle, "he's always been completely unrelatable in my book."

For years, the Princess of Wales' sons seemed to get along well as best friends. They became a strong unit over her death as she passed away when they were young.

The siblings also endured a complicated relationship with their father, Prince Charles, but still appeared to be in each other's good books even when their mother was still alive.

However, things changed since then, as the princes grew apart over the years, especially after Prince Harry met Meghan Markle. Their relationship deteriorated when he stepped away as a senior royal member and relocated to the US with her.

Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, shared during an interview with OK! about how the princes' mother would have felt about their broken bond, saying:

"She’d be heart broken. It wouldn’t have got as bad as this if she was still here. She'd have banged their heads together."

Burrell said the royal duo would have listened to their mother because she was the only person who could have ensured that they squashed the rift. "If Diana had been here, the rift would have never happened," he said.

WILLIAM & HARRY'S ONCE STRONG BOND

Initially, Prince Harry knew that his older brother would be king one day. Reporter Robert Lacey explored their rift in his book, "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," and according to him, the tension between them ignited because of Prince Harry's romance with Markle.

Lacey claimed that even though people would like to see the brothers reconcile, it was not likely to happen because the resentment between them was "crystallized by Meghan.'

However, the pair will be permanently bonded by the loss of their beloved mother. In a speech given in honor of the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, the Duke of Sussex said he and Prince William have a similar history:

“William and I can separate life into two parts. There are the years that we were blessed beside us with the physical presence of both of our mother and father. And then there are the 10 years since our mother’s death.”

The prince also credited his older sibling for helping him seek mental health counseling after struggling with their mother's death in his adult life.

Moreover, when both brothers met their father's new companion, Camilla, whom Princess Diana did not like because of what occurred in their marriage, they had similar thoughts, saying:

“Whatever makes you happy, Papa.”

HARRY & WILLIAM'S RELATIONSHIP OVER THE YEARS

In an ITV documentary titled "Harry and Meghan: An African Journey," Prince Harry revealed that he and Prince William had grown apart. He stated that they had some good and bad days as siblings, and those inevitable situations happened.

However, they managed to work together over the years and even set up a foundation in 2009 under The Royal Foundation umbrella, to work on causes they were both passionate about.

Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, joined the initiative in 2011 after their wedding, and later Markle joined after marrying Prince Harry.

In the foursome's first annual forum, they discussed their intentions about the foundation to modernize the monarchy and make an impact in the world. The royals also touched on their experience working together as siblings and their in-laws, with Prince Harry joking:

"We're stuck together for the rest of our lives."

But that did not last long. Five months later, The Sunday Times reported that the princes wanted to create separate courts "as their future roles with Kate and Meghan diverge." Their grandmother, Her Majesty, later granted them their wish, and the Sussexes were created a new household.

Nick Bullen, who worked closely with Prince Charles developing programming for the family, later revealed that the royal brothers had a fallout that started to become public.

Still, Prince Harry stood by his brother when the Cambridges wed back in 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. He paid a heartfelt tribute to the newly-wedded couple at their reception at Buckingham Palace.

The prince reportedly told partygoers he loved his sister-in-law "like a sister" and called the groom "the perfect brother" between jokes.

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge have long been close. The Duke has known Middleton ever since she started dating his brother in 2003.

When the princes lost their mother, it created a massive gap in their lives, but the Duchess managed to fill it by bonding with Prince Harry and becoming emotionally available to him. When she and Prince William got engaged, the Duke of Sussex called her the big sister he never had.

THINGS CHANGED AFTER PRINCE HARRY MET MARKLE

The relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William quickly turned sour when he began dating Markle in 2016. The Duke of Cambridge disapproved of their relationship.

Lacey claimed that the older prince was concerned that his sibling was moving too fast with the Duchess of Sussex. Prince William became even more worried when Prince Harry mentioned an engagement, but he did not want to hear it.

Things escalated when the future king of England involved their uncle, Charles Spencer, in an intervention that formed an even more hostile environment between the brothers.

The resolution did not work because Prince Harry refused to slow down. Since that encounter, things have never been the same again between the duo. In a royal documentary called "William & Harry: Princes at War," royal reporters candidly talked about the feud between the princes.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed Prince Harry did not feel like his brother and wife warmly welcomed Markle into the family after they married in May 2018 at St. George's Chapel.

Prince Harry reportedly went "ballistic" when his brother confronted him. But Seward explained that the pace the Sussexes went with was so quick that the Cambridges did not get enough time to get to know her, and neither did her husband.

Meanwhile, Sky News Broadcaster Carole Malone said Prince William attempted to caution his sibling about wanting to marry Markle when he had only known her for less than a year when they got engaged. The Sun's royal correspondent Emily Andrews revealed Prince Harry was infuriated and said:

"You're trying to wreck this relationship before it's even started."

Royal reporter Katie Nicholl Prince Harry was angry because he supported Prince William and Middleton's relationship from the very beginning and felt disappointed that he was not returning the favor by fully supporting his with Markle.

Surprisingly, the Cambridges later revealed that they were elated for the Sussexes after their engagement news and that it had been incredible getting to know the new addition to the family:

"We're very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together."

In December 2017, a source disclosed to Us magazine that Prince William was planning a stag party for his younger brother, similar to a bachelor party. "Don't expect anything wild," said the insider.

Prince Harry had asked Prince William to be his best man at his wedding. A source at the time revealed that even though the groom had several close friends, his brother was the obvious choice.

Be that as it may, that never made their relationship better because things went downhill even further. In April 2019, Nicholl told Cosmopolitan that it was apparent that there was tension between the two, even though things were better at the time:

"I don't know that things will ever be the way they were between William and Harry."

She added that two reliable sources had informed her that the princes' relationship had reached a dead-end for the very first time in their lives. There were rumors that sisters-in-law Middleton and Markle were feuding for months, but that was far from true.

Bullen set the record straight in an interview with Fox News in March 2019, wherein he divulged that it was, in fact, the royal brothers who were at loggerheads, adding it was normal for them to fight because all families do. However, the only difference was that it was happening publicly with them.

In June that year, the Sussexes split from the joint charity they shared with the Cambridges, and The Royal Foundation went on without them.

In addition, when Prince Harry was asked about his rift with Prince William on ITV news, he noted that they would always be brothers but were on "different paths," adding they did not see each other as often because they were busy.

Meanwhile, his wife revealed to the news program that friends forewarned her about marrying into the Royal Family, fearing the tabloids would ruin her life. However, she admitted how naïve she was, thinking that such would never happen.

HARRY & MEGHAN SHOCKINGLY ANNOUNCED THEIR ROYAL EXIT

It came to pass because the Duchess and her spouse later relocated to the US after announcing they would be stepping down from their royal duties in January 2020. A source told Us magazine that the move allegedly blindsided the Cambridges.

The insider added that when the royal brothers were younger, Prince William was the first-person Prince Harry went to with such big news while stating the decision scarred him:

"William is incredibly hurt, but at the same time, he has his own family to focus on and is trying to move forward with his life."

But that was not the last time he would be bothered by the couple's choices. Prince William was reportedly "livid" when Prince Harry and Markle decided to sign a multi-million contract with Netflix, where they would dish on all things royal.

Per The Sun, he and the rest of The Firm were not happy about the Sussexes working with the same company that produces "The Crown," a source revealed:

"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."

The tension heightened when the Royal Family sent a clear message to the Sussexes in January 2020. Buckingham Palace released a portrait of the Queen with Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George on Instagram.

The image represented a calculated portrayal of the slimmed-down and less expensive monarchy envisioned by the Prince of Wales.

The Times reported that the Duke and Duchess were offended by the release of the "line of succession" photo and concluded that it was a sign that they were being excluded from royal life.

Another sign was that there were no images of them among framed photos on the Queen's desk when she delivered her Christmas Day message.

In the tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Prince Harry reiterated his stance on his relationship with Prince William. He said although he loves him dearly and that they have been through difficulties together, "we're on different paths," adding:

"The relationship is 'space' at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully."

Following the bombshell interview, royal expert Nicholl told Entertainment Online that Prince William was devastated by the comments the Sussexes made about the Royal Family.

Prince Harry said his brother and father were "trapped" in the royal institution, while Markle also claimed that Middleton made her cry just before her wedding to the prince, though she later apologized and gave her flowers.

Nicholl hinted it was unclear what type of relationship the foursome would have in the future following the interview. A source later revealed that the Cambridges were shocked by what the couple said.

According to the insider, what shocked Middleton and Prince William the most was Markle's suicidal thoughts and their quotes on a royal family member mentioning Archie's skin color, adding:

"William and Kate knew about some of their troubles with palace aides, but nothing to this extent."

Despite Prince William and Prince Harry being seen at their grandfather's funeral in conversation, their brotherly relationship is said to be "extremely frosty."

PRINCE HARRY IS ATTEMPTING TO MEND THINGS

In April 2022, Nicholl revealed to ET that Prince Harry was taking the first step in trying to mend his relationship with Prince William by seeking a mediator to intervene. To see progress, the Duke of Sussex suggested a mediator moving forward.

The prince extended the suggestion to his father and made it clear that he wanted to fix things with his family and would like to see an improvement.

In beginning their journey to find healing, the royal siblings now reportedly have regular FaceTime calls and text back and forth weekly ahead of their grandmother's Jubilee celebrations.

They are said to be on some form of normality after Prince William made the first move to heal the rift before the historical event. A source revealed to The Mirror that the Duke of Cambridge wanted to embrace his younger brother and that they have re-bonded with their kids on virtual calls.

He also realizes that Markle is a "good mother and loyal wife, and he is genuinely pleased for his brother." Meanwhile, their wives have missed out on their weekly bonding "to give their husbands space" to heal from the long-running rift.