William v Harry: why the royal rivals really fell out (maybe)
Name: William v Harry. Age: Couple of years, maybe more. Family feud? Kinda. Windsor family? That’s the one. Battle of the Dukes: Cambridge v Sussex. They haven’t been getting on.
Have they not become distant because of … well, distance? Since Harry and Meghan went to live in California to get away from the racists and the press, and the racist press? There’s even more to it than that.
The old heir-v-spare friction, then? Not uncommon in these situations … Don’t go there! Pass Notes will not descend to snide comments about physical appearance, including baldness.
Heir! With an e! OK, OK. Keep yours on. Anyway, this is the most serious royal conflict for generations.
Says who? Says Robert Lacey.
Who’s he? Historical consultant on the hit Netflix show The Crown, for starters. Also the author of a number of books about the royals, including a new one, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – the Friendship and Feuds.
I reckon Wills is jealous because Harry is hanging with movie stars in the sunshine, while he’s stuck in a draughty old castle, uncle Andy is coming to lunch, which is probably roast ferret again, and there’s an army of paps on stepladders, snapping away over the hedge. But you don’t actually know that, do you? You could as easily speculate that while the heir has everything mapped out for him, the spare now has an uncertain income, an unclear role in the world and feels a bit … well … spare.
Also, their missuses don’t get on, I’ve heard. It’s true, things did seem to cool down at around about the time of Harry’s and Meghan’s wedding in 2018. That’s when the Sussexes moved out of Kensington Palace where they had been neighbours to the Cambridges. But, even if Kate and Meghan don’t see eye to eye, Lacey reckons the antagonism runs deeper and goes back further.
How deep? How far? Well, according to the book’s press release, reported by People magazine, the brothers “have been acting out the contradictions that go back into their childhoods, and even before that: into the parents’ ill-fated marriage”.
Blimey. So what does Lacey do in his book? Explores the “untold reality” of the brothers’ difficult relationship. He’s been “moved to tears” by it, apparently.
Of course he has. Now buy the book. Yes, published by William Collins, due out in October.
Do say: “Hello, Family Therapy Solutions? Guaranteed discretion? Yes, I’d like to make an appointment … the name? William, er, Smith.”
Don’t say: “Hello Mr Bashir? Martin? Harry here. Wonder if you’d be interested in doing another interview? It’s been a while.”