Prince Harry and Prince William Just Called Out an "Offensive" and "Potentially Harmful" Untrue Story About Their Relationship

The royals released a joint statement Monday.

By Emily Dixon

Jan 13, 2020

The Duke Of Cambridge And The Duke Of Sussex Take Part In The King Power Royal Charity Polo Day

Max Mumby/IndigoGetty Images

As the royals gather at Sandringham today to discuss the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to "step back" as senior royals, Prince Harry and Prince William have released a joint statement denying a "false story" about their relationship, calling it "offensive and potentially harmful." Though the statement didn't identify the story in question, as the Guardian reports, the brothers are believed to be referring to an article in the Times of London, headlined, "Princes "fell out because William wasn’t friendly towards Meghan'."

The article alleges that William's "bullying attitude" forced Meghan and Harry out of the royal family, adding that the Duke of Cambridge was "insufficiently welcoming towards Meghan when they first started dating." The Princes' full statement reads, "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful."

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

According to the Guardian, today's royal crisis meeting will be hosted by the Queen, with Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry in attendance. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who recently returned to Canada, is expected to dial in to the meeting.

Last Wednesday, Meghan and Harry announced in a public statement that they planned to "step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen." The royal couple added, "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages."

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Why Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Are Stepping Back

Emily Dixon Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives.

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