Rumors of a rift between the royal brothers began after Prince William reportedly told Prince Harry he was moving too quickly with Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry, 35, is finally opening about about tension with his older brother Prince William, 37. “Inevitably stuff happens,” the Duke of Sussex admitted in his new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. “But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment.” Rumors of a rift between the pair — who have had a close bond throughout their lives — began shortly after Harry began dating his now-wife Meghan Markle, 38. William reportedly felt Harry was moving too quickly with the relationship, particularly after he expressed interest in marrying the Suits star less than a year into the relationship. Harry and Meghan eventually tied the knot in on May 19, 2018 and welcomed first son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor on May 6 of this year — while William waited eight years to marry Kate Middleton, 37 (the pair tied the knot in April 2011, earning her the nickname ‘Waity Katie’).
“I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me,” Harry added. “We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy but I love him dearly.” Of note, the brothers were both residents of Kensington Palace for years — also the previous home of their late mother, Princess Diana — but Harry and Meghan moved shortly after rumors of tension started. The couple relocated to the newly-renovated Frogmore Cottage in April — the setting of their engagement photos — and is about an hour out of central London in Windsor. The surprising move came on the heels of the couple splitting their household office from William and Kate’s in an effort to form their own, only weeks before Meghan gave birth to Archie. Shortly after, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched their very own Instagram page — likely the brainchild of Meghan, who had her own lifestyle site The Tig — and also saw her launch a series of modern collaborations: she guest-edited the September issue of British Vogue and launched a six-piece capsule collection benefitting the charity Smart Works. The Instagram account hasn’t been without controversy, however, as some fans felt Harry’s ‘Happy Birthday’ post to William was a little cold.
“The majority of stuff is created out of nothing,” Harry continued. “As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days.” Though there hasn’t been any official confirmation, tension between the pair is also reportedly due to their changing roles in the royal family: William is set to one day be King of England alongside wife Kate — which is an enormous pressure that Harry, now sixth in line to the throne, doesn’t face. Harry has seemingly had a lot more freedom as a royal, particularly when it came to choosing his future wife. Though Harry and Meghan are obviously the perfect couple, her bi-racial background, American citizenship and career as an actor all made her an unconventional choice for the traditional royals.
The highly anticipated documentary documents Harry and Meghan’s official visit to Africa, but also shows a more personal side of the pair — in one released clip, Meghan admits that being a mother in the public eye has been difficult. Harry & Meghan: An African Journey is scheduled to air on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.