The Princess of Wales apparently felt it was her "duty" to help keep Prince William and Prince Harry "on the same team" - at least in the early days. Her approach towards the "competitive" brothers is said to have been inspired by her own tight-knit family upbringing, according to royal author and expert Russell Myers.
He claims in his biography, William & Catherine, that although the "true disintegration" of William and Harry’s bond "would not occur until many years later", Kate took a key role and "often acted as a peacemaker". She’s said to have "witnessed their competitive nature" and tried to help.
"Her upbringing in a close-knit, loving family environment, where supporting each other was almost an unofficial family motto, spurred her actions," the author alleges. "Whether counselling William or having a quiet word in Harry's ear, she saw it as her duty to keep the two brothers on the same team, as did their senior aides."
By the time Prince Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back as senior royals in early 2020, things had changed significantly. Despite all her peace-making efforts, sources alleged to Myers that Kate got to a point where she "had less interest" than her husband in persuading Harry to remain in his role.
Even so, the biography suggests that Kate was "left so personally affected" by the death of Prince Philip a year later that it encouraged her "to encourage William to talk to his brother" after the funeral.
In Spare, Harry recalled the meeting at Windsor Castle and his and William’s "flushed faces" as they argued. The once-close Princes ended up taking very different paths and they haven’t seen each other in person since 2024.
This rift might have initially been difficult for Kate to understand, as her own family has always stayed incredibly close. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond previously declared, "When you come from a happy, united family - as Catherine does - it’s incredibly hard to understand how people can become estranged. I think she believed the rift could be fixed and, after Prince Philip’s funeral, we saw her talking with Harry and obviously encouraging William to do the same."
"But we now know that it didn’t work. In fact, William and Harry had a blazing row right after the funeral. There comes a point when you just have to accept that happy families are not a game that everyone can play," she said.
Instead of brooding over what could have been, the Prince and Princess of Wales have been focusing on their own roles and family. Myers thinks that "shutting Harry and Meghan out" has been a key decision the couple has made with their well-being and the "protection and prosperity" of the Royal Family in mind.
Prince William and Kate have gone through unimaginably difficult times in recent years and there’s been a notable shift since the Princess resumed royal duties following her cancer diagnosis. Family comes first more than ever and they seem determined to give their children a strong foundation in life, reminiscent of the one Kate had.
