It should’ve been a perfect week for Prince William, as he celebrated his 38th birthday and Father’s Day at home in Norfolk with his family. But while the future king was sharing sweet new pictures of him playing with his three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, and cuddling dad Prince Charles, elsewhere in the world, headlines were screaming about his feud with brother Harry. And there are fears that things between them will only get worse, as two tell-all books look set to expose their rocky relationship.
Royals fans were left shocked last week after news leaked that a forthcoming book about Harry, 35, and his wife of two years, Meghan Markle, 38, could paint William as a “bad guy”.
Finding Freedom: Harry And Meghan And The Making Of A Modern Royal Family is written by two journalists, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, and includes intimate interviews and cooperation from the ex-royals, as well as around 100 royal insiders. The biography focuses on how the pair came to quit the royal family, and aides are said to be very concerned William, 38, will be blamed.
A source claimed the heir is portrayed in the book as “unsympathetic, unfeeling and unsupportive”, while another royal insider added, “This sort of family spat shouldn’t be out there in public. This shouldn’t happen to future monarchs.” They also compared the dramatic allegations to the infamous TV interview their late mother Princess Diana gave, where she admitted on Panorama that her husband Prince Charles’ infidelity with Camilla Parker Bowles meant, “There were three of us in this marriage.”
Making matters ten times worse is another book coming out in October, called Battle Of Brothers: William And Harry – The Friendship And The Feuds. It’s written by royal expert Robert Lacey, who’s consulted on Netflix’s The Crown and also wrote Majesty, a 1977 study of Queen Elizabeth. He admitted last week he’d been “astonished” and “moved to tears” as he investigated the ongoing feud between Wills and Harry.
He went on, “These two brothers – once inseparable, now separated by much more than mere distance – have been acting out the contradictions that go back into their childhoods and even before that: into their parents’ ill-fated marriage.” He added that he’d never before seen royal conflict “so profound as this”, and added, “It has been both enthralling and painful to trace this drama through the memories of close witnesses and some of the people most intimately involved.”
Check out: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship timeline
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Relationship Timeline
1 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met in London in July 2016.
2 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
They were introduced by mutual friend Markus Anderson, who is the director of Soho House.
3 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In October 2016, the Express became the first newspaper to publish news that Prince Harry had a new girlfriend.
4 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
On November 8th 2016, Kensington Palace released an unprecedented statement which referring to Markle as Harry's girlfriend for the first time.
5 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In the statement, Prince Harry condemned the 'wave of abuse and harrassment' faced by Markle, saying that he was 'worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.'
6 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Marklec
'It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,' the statement continued.
7 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple were papped together for the first time in December 2016, shopping for a Christmas tree in London at the Pines and Needles store.
8 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Later that week, they were seen on London's West End, catching a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
9 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In February, Prince Harry wore a his 'n' hers bracelet on the cover of Town & Country magazine, just weeks after Markle was pictured wearing the same one on Instagram.
10 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In March 2017, Meghan joined Prince Harry in the Caribbean for the wedding of his friend's Tom 'Skippy' Inskip and Lara Hughes-Young.
11 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
It was the first time that Markle accompanied Harry to a wedding, marking another milestone occasion for the couple.
12 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The first public event attended by the couple was the polo at Coworth Park in May 2017.
13 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Later in May, Markle attended the party portion of Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Middelton.
14 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry was seen driving her to the event after the church ceremony.
15 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple were photographed together the following day at the wheelchair tennis.
16 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple 'broke with royal protocol' by holding hands and appearing affectionate while at the Invictus Games.
17 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Meghan referred to Harry as her boyfriend numerous times, saying: 'We're a couple. We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people understand is that this is our time.'
18 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In early November 2017, it was reported that Meghan Markle was leaving Suits after seven series.
19 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Much was made of Markle's choice of outfit: ripped jeans and a white blouse called 'The Husband'.
20 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Although Prince Harry was sat next to First Lady Melania Trump at the event, rather than his girlfriend, she was only seated a few rows behind him.
21 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple made their first official public appearance in September, when Markle attended the opening of Prince Harry's Invictus Games.
22 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In mid-November 2017, bookies suspending betting on an impending royal engagement, as speculation grew that an announcement was about to be made.
23 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
On November 27th 2017, Prince Charles announced the engagement of his younger son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after 15 months of dating.
24 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple later appeared at a photocall, with Markle wearing a white dress coat by Canadian brand Line The Label. The website has subsequently crashed.
25 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The engagement ring, by Cleave and Company, was reportedly designed by Prince Harry himself, using two stones that belonged to Princess Diana.
26 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
When asked by waiting photographers if the proposal was romantic, Harry joked 'of course!'
27 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple indulged in some PDA at the closing ceremony.
28 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Meghan wore a maroon midi dress with a pleated chiffon skirt by one of her favourite Canadian brands Aritzia.
29 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
She teamed it with a matching burgundy biker jacket by Mackage.
30 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry reportedly spent time with Meghan's mother Doria while at the Games too.
31 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry was photographed kissing Meghan.
32 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
In late September 2017, it was reported that Meghan had met the Queen, prompting speculation that the relationship was getting serious.
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As heat has detailed, the once-close brothers have been estranged since Harry met former Suits actress Meghan.
William and his wife, Kate, 38, reportedly warned his brother to slow down the relationship, leading to a falling-out – and the rift between the two couples only widened from there. Harry later admitted that they were on “different paths”, saying last year, “Inevitably stuff happens, but look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment… We don’t see each other as much as we used to, because we’re so busy… as brothers you have good days and you have bad days.”
Things clearly hadn’t improved by March, when they were filmed seemingly avoiding one another at a church service. Then, in April, Harry officially quit his royal title and moved his wife and one-year-old son Archie to LA.
Despite reports that the brothers have attempted to patch things up – it was rumoured they held their own “secret talks” before Harry’s family-wide discussions over his royal exit – it seems these books may tell a different story.
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