The British royal family has experienced one of the most challenging moments in decades this year. At the beginning of 2024, news broke that King Charles III was battling cancer, and it was later revealed that Kate Middleton was also undergoing treatment for the illness. On top of this, there is the distant relationship between Prince Harry and the other members of the royal family. Recently, the heir to the throne, his older brother Prince William, has spoken out about the Duke of Sussex.
Kate Middleton's husband remembered a moment he shared with his brother during their childhood in his documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness. In a preview released this Saturday, William explained that his interest in the charity project began after his late mother, Princess Diana, took him and his brother to The Passage, a UK charity that supports those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The princes William and Harry in an archival image
“My mother took me to The Passage, and she took Harry and me there. At that time I must have been 11 years old, maybe 10,” expressed the Prince of Wales. “I had never been to something like that before and I was a little anxious about what to expect,” he revealed. “My mother did what she always did: she made everyone feel at ease, she laughed and joked with everyone. I remember thinking at that moment, 'Well, if not everyone has a home, everyone will be very sad.' But it was amazing the happy atmosphere that there was,” he recalled.
“I remember having some good conversations, playing chess, chatting, and that's when I realized that there were other people out there who didn't have the same life as you,” he admitted. “You know, when you're very young, you think that life is what you see in front of you and you really don't have the idea of looking elsewhere. It's when you meet people, as it happened to me back then, who give you a different perspective and say, 'Well, last night I was living on the streets,' and you think, 'Wow.' I remember that happening,” he confessed.
Diana, Princess of Wales, and the then Prince Charles, along with their two sons, Prince Harry and Prince William
This is the first time the heir to the throne publicly speaks about his brother after their estrangement. It is worth remembering that it was less than two years ago when In the Shadow was published, a memoir by Meghan Markle's husband that did not paint his family in a good light, especially his older brother. This book caused a great uproar in the UK, leading to a major scandal and further deepening the rift in the family relationship that had already begun in 2020 with the Sussexes' move to California and their renunciation of their royal ties.
In his memoirs, the Duke of Sussex speaks candidly about his family and various secrets about his life. Among them, it emerged the alleged aggression that Harry received from his brother, Prince William, due to his opinion about Meghan. However, in recent months, there has been speculation about a supposed attempt by the Duke of Sussex to reconcile with his family after all the tensions of these years.
According to British media outlets, the rift between the Duke of Sussex and his brother was “very serious” but not “irreparable.” We will have to wait to see if the family can set aside their differences.