‘they were a delight – or a nightmare!’
William and Harry are worlds apart now, But their childhood was Full of Fun times spent together
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who had welcomed their second child on 4 June. Asked how she felt about becoming an aunt again she said, “I wish her all the very best. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Kate admitted she hadn’t Facetimed her new niece yet but added, “We haven’t met her yet. But hopefully that will be soon.”
Harry and Meghan revealed last week that they’d named their new bundle of joy Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-windsor, a tribute to the Queen who was called the name by her father King George VI and later by her late husband Prince Philip. They also chose the middle name Diana in memory of Harry and William’s late mother Princess Diana.
After details of the newborn’s name were revealed, a row ensued between Prince Harry and the BBC, who he says falsely claimed that he did not ask his grandmother’s permission to name Lilibet after her.
Yet the Queen was one of the first to send her congratulations via a statement from a Buckingham Palace spokesperson that read, “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
Prince Charles spoke of his delight at the new arrival, describing it as “such happy news”. It was also reported that Kate and William had sent a gift to Harry and Meghan.
The G7 summit came just a day after the Queen and her family had marked what
would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday.
Her Majesty paid a touching tribute to her husband by planting a rose named Duke of Edinburgh at the East Terrace Garden, which she’ll be able to look out onto from her private rooms at the castle.
The monarch was gifted the shrub last week from the president of the Royal Horticultural Society, Keith Weed, who told the Queen, “It’s a rose named the Duke of Edinburgh Rose to mark his centenary and it’s a commemorative rose for all the marvellous things that he did over his lifetime and for everyone to remember so much that he did.”
William and Kate shared the sweet moment on social media, telling their followers, “Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, on what would have been his 100th birthday.”
And Prince Charles also paid his respects to his father by posting a black and white throwback photograph with him welcoming the Duke home from a trip to Malta in 1951.
After losing his grandfather, it will no doubt be a difficult few weeks ahead for Prince William as we mark Father’s Day and William’s birthday. But royal expert Katie Nicholl says Prince William’s wife will likely pull out all the stops to ensure he feels appreciated.
The Duke of Cambridge is set to turn 39 on the 21 June, a day after Father’s Day, and Katie predicts it will be a family affair at Kensington Palace with their children Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three.
“Kate always makes birthdays and celebrations special for William and the children,” Katie says. “She’s very much
like her mother Carole in that respect. She’ll be aware that this year has been tough for William and will want both his birthday and Father’s Day to be special for him.”
Prince William was left saddened by the passing of his grandfather Prince Philip in April. The loss came after a turbulent year for the family, which has seen his relationship with brother Prince Harry suffer. The brothers famously fell out in March 2020 when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down from life as senior royals. Tensions escalated further when they sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey and claimed that William and his father Prince Charles were “trapped”.
Katie adds, “Kate keeps William very grounded and she likes to show how important he is to her and the children. Especially after everything they’ve been through this year. It’s only brought them closer. The emphasis is always on homemade in their family so Kate will bake a cake and the children will make homemade cards and gifts. For William, the best present will be time with his children.”
Meanwhile, last week also saw Princess Beatrice looking radiant as she cradled her baby bump while out for a stroll in London with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
And a source told OK! that the news of a new baby in the autumn has spread joy among the whole family – especially 32-year-old Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson.
“Fergie is so delighted. She’s over the moon. She can’t wait. This baby is going to give a new light to the family,” said our source.
With the Duke of Cambridge’s 39th birthday on 21 June, no doubt he’ll be celebrating the day with members of the royal family, but it’s likely his younger brother Prince Harry will be absent. In the past year we’ve seen them drift apart, yet their bond hasn’t always been so strained.
As young children, the princes – who were often dressed in matching outfits – were the perfect playmates, says Ken Wharfe, who was Princess Diana’s protection officer between 1988 and 1993. He witnessed their happy moments and their many silly scraps from the age of five and three respectively. “Despite all their fighting, the princes were such good friends,” recalls Ken, author of Guarding Diana. “I never saw any strain in their relationship. They were fun and respectful, sometimes a delight and sometimes a ruddy nightmare!”
Here, he shares his memories of the brothers in simpler times.
Chalk and Cheese
“There were at least 80 photographers waiting for us on five-year-old William’s first day at Wetherby pre-preparatory school. Diana warned him, ‘No mucking about, you’re going to get this for the rest of your life.’ William didn’t understand, but he did his usual wave – a complete contrast to Harry’s response some two years later, caught sticking his tongue out at the media.”
lost in london
“Harry was always on the lookout for adventure and was never out of his khaki army uniform – everyone knew he was destined to be a soldier, but William wasn’t as keen as his brother.
“Harry would often knock on my door and ask for an assignment. I’d give him a radio and send him off on missions around Kensington Palace until he got bored.
“One day he went to see Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, who lived 200 yards outside the front gate. An hour later she rang to say he’d left, but he didn’t show up. I contacted him on his radio and he said he was outside Tower Records on Kensington High Street. I don’t think I’ve ever run as fast, but we got away with it!”
Making Mischief
“I first met Diana, William and Harry at Sandringham. I was nervous, but meeting the princess was incredibly easy because of the children’s antics. William was attempting to play a piano very badly, while Harry stood on a table, de-stemming a vase of royal lilies.
I was introduced by the butler and Diana said, ‘I don’t envy you looking after my two children – they can be a ruddy nuisance.’
“In his ‘just William’ way – a language just about decipherable – the prince said, ‘We’re not a ruddy nuisance, are we Harry?’
“Harry lost his balance and fell off the table, followed by the vase of lilies. Diana chased the boys out of the room, apologising, and said, ‘You see what I mean?’”
killer competition
“William was better than Harry at certain things, but Harry was a natural listener and a fun person. He wasn’t embarrassed or shy and if someone told him to jump off the barn roof he probably would have. William was more reserved. Not because he was a king-in-waiting, but because he had a different character.
“Whenever the boys played, they both wanted to win. Most games involved ‘killing’ each other and they’d take opposite sides with friends. Every now and then one of them would trudge back crying to the nanny saying, ‘My brother’s hit me!’”
Different paths
“On most Fridays, Diana would drive the princes to Highgrove in Gloucestershire [the family’s rural home]. One afternoon, she scolded them for making a fuss on the backseat of the car. Harry said to William, ‘One day you’ll be king and I won’t, so I can do what I want.’
“It was an extraordinary line for a little boy to come out with. I think of it often because actually, he’s done exactly that.”
sibling Jealousy
“Harry was always the joker of the two.
He was the guy who people ran to, simply because he was an entertainer. William found Harry’s popularity a bit irksome. It was Harry’s personality and his sense of fun – he was very comedic and personable with a great sense of humour.
“William was helpful to his little brother to an extent, but if he saw him getting more attention, he didn’t like it. I think William often played second fiddle to his brother, simply because Harry was very popular and that was very difficult for him.”
Driving ambition
“At weekends the princes went to Highgrove and jumped around in their massive ball pool. That was a convenient place for William to beat up Harry in the hope that he wouldn’t come out!
“One day Diana took the boys go-kart racing at the old Clapham bus garage and William asked to have some go-karts at Highgrove. He named himself the course manager and, with a couple of friends, organised a track which ran through the grounds.
“Harry, meanwhile, invented his own course and went off-piste through the vegetable garden and across his father’s wildlife section