Prince William reportedly ‘can’t forgive’ younger brother Prince Harry for making money ‘from trashing his family’, with the rift between the pair understood to be far from healed

Prince William and Prince Harry recently reunited for the funeral of their late uncle Lord Robert Fellowes, but it’s unlikely their broken fences will be mended anytime soon.

Ahead of Harry’s landmark 40th birthday, a friend has claimed William ‘can’t forgive’ his younger brother for ‘trashing his family’. Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, shocked the world in January 2020 when they announced they were stepping back from royal life, jetting off for a fresh start in California.

In the years since, Harry and Meghan, 43, have carved out new identities for themselves away from the Palace, even embarking on quasi-royal tours to Nigeria and Colombia. They’ve also given their account of life in the firm, including allegations of family feuds, backstabbing, physical rows, and even racism.

The Sussexes have spoken out about their experiences of Royal life on multiple occasions ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
These claims have allegedly widened the rift between the Sussexes and their family back in England, with mutual friends viewing the couple as ‘outrageously disloyal’.

A close friend of Harry’s told The Times: “I can’t believe he’d stoop so low. It’s outrageously disloyal. Oprah, Netflix and then the book? Three strikes and you’re out.” Another source, who is friends with both William and Harry, said: “Harry and Meghan could have left with dignity and decency and not trashed the institution. The conclusion is they’ve made money from trashing his family.”

Harry and Meghan first spoke out in March 2021, during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that attracted more than 17 million viewers. During this chat, Meghan opened up about the mental health difficulties she’d experienced during her time living in the UK and revealed she’d suffered suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Prince Archie.

Then in December 2022, the couple delved into their experiences further, in a six-part Netflix docuseries entitled Harry & Meghan. This doc, which followed their love story from first date to parenthood, saw Harry boldly claim that other royals had become ‘upset’ by their popularity following a trip to Australia, drawing comparisons with his late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry alleged: “The issue is when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this —that upsets people.”

Then, in January 2023, Harry’s no-holds-barred memoir Spare was published, breaking the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever written. In the book, Harry painted a picture of a much more contentious brotherly relationship than had previously been assumed, detailing tensions dating back to their shared childhood.

Among other allegations, Harry claimed that William once became physically aggressive during an altercation at Nottingham Cottage over Meghan, knocking him to the floor and breaking his necklace.

Despite both having recently attended Lord Fellowes’ funeral in Norfolk, it’s understood that William and Harry’s partial reunion wasn’t exactly the warm reconciliation fans have been hoping for. One source told The Sun that although the brothers ‘were only five yards from each other’, they were seated on opposite sides of St Mary’s Church, and didn’t appear to speak after the service.

The source shared: “They were sat two or three rows back from the front, not at the back, but they were on opposite sides of the aisle. And then there were family members on the rest of the seats between them, so maybe that is something that was arranged.”

They added: “A lot of people were taking the chance to speak to them. They were only about five yards from each other, it was virtually back to back. When we left the reception they were both still there, but as we were on a walk we saw Harry driven off in a black Range Rover.”