It’s long been established that Prince Harry’s rift with the royals was prompted by his marriage to Meghan Markle, both in the way the public responded to the pair—especially in the British tabloids—and the way his family reacted in private. A new book sheds more light on what happened behind closed doors as Harry introduced Meghan to the family.
Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan (opens in new tab) by Christopher Andersen was published on Nov. 30. In it, Andersen reveals new palace sources that share additional information on the family rift.
“Prince Harry was so incensed when his older brother, Prince William, questioned his fast-moving romance with Meghan Markle that he blurted out, ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’” according to Page Six.
“The alleged outburst in September 2017 happened when Harry indicated that he was about to propose to his American girlfriend,” the story continued, “prompting William to ask, ‘Why rush things?’”
According to Andersen, people close to Harry were concerned about the match shortly after he went on a blind date with Markle in July 2016.
“One of the skeptics was his uncle, Earl Spencer—the brother of the late Princess Diana—whom William drafted to underscore his opinion that the lovebirds should slow down,” Page Six reported. According to Andersen, William enlisting their uncle made “matters far worse” between the brothers. Harry was “furious that his brother was actively seeking to have others interfere in his personal affairs,” Andersen said.
The book also claims that the famously reserved elder son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles was increasingly concerned about the reports in the press about Meghan’s father and estranged half-siblings. Andersen described the drawn-out drama as a nightmare that would “mortify” Harry and Meghan and “horrify” William.
At one point, the book said, William told someone close to him: “I don’t know what to believe.” Andersen wrote that Prince William also shared his concerns with Prince Charles, saying that Harry’s relationship was “like something I’d never seen.”
“William went on to say that ‘it feels like I have lost my best friend,’” Page Six wrote.
In Harry and Meghan’s March interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry described his current relationship with his brother as “space at the moment,” but expressed hope that their rift would close. “Time heals all things, hopefully,” the Prince said.
Despite their distance, royal sources say, Prince William and Kate Middleton intend to send Christmas gifts to Harry and Meghan’s kids Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 6 months.
"Yes, of course,” royal expert Katie Nicholl told OK! Magazine when asked if the Cambridges would be sending gifts to their family across the pond. "They give gifts to the whole family and that includes all of their nieces and nephews."
Despite a reported invitation to spend the holidays with the royal family at Sandringham, Harry and Meghan will likely celebrate at their home in California.
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