Prince William and Harry fell out years before Megxit and 'no longer speaking', says royal expert

Prince Harry and Prince William have been distanced for years even before the Duke of Sussex's decision to step down from the royal family in 2020.

Harry and William have held a tense and distanced relationship since Harry and wife Meghan Markle stepped down from the royal family four years ago before later moving to the US. Following their exit the couple opened up in interviews and the media detailing their experience of the royal family, with some controversial comments that appeared to have caused a rift in the family and angered senior royals including the Prince of Wales.

Yet the two brothers were already in a fall out according to royal biographer Robert Lacey, who claims the pair have had arguments as far back as 2002.

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READ MORE: Prince William will 'carefully choreograph' reunion with Harry to avoid 'awkward' talks

In his best-selling Battle of Brothers Lacey wrote: "Meghan was not the original factor in Prince Harry’s decision to get shot of his family. In January 2005 following the “Colonials and Natives” costume fiasco, we now know that Prince Harry was drawn to re-evaluate his elder brother’s involvement and the unfairness of William’s emergence smelling of roses. It made Harry feel alienated. Friends recall “no speaks” and quite a serious rift between the brothers at the time – as there had been after the “Drugs Shame” of 2002, when Harry had first started to realise the price of playing the functional scapegoat."

In the wake of the Princess of Wales revealing to the world that she had been diagnosed with cancer, it had been thought that Prince Harry and Prince William could be reunited even in brief conversations with distancing in place.

Royal expert and author Tom Quinn exclusively told the Mirror: "Given Kate's cancer diagnosis, Harry will certainly make efforts to see his brother and Kate when he returns to the UK in May – if it happens at all it's to be a very brief carefully choreographed meeting and organised to last a short time so that the brothers can avoid any difficult conversations."

In response to the Princess of Wales' health news being made public on Friday, with the young mother-of-three announcing the news to the world at 6pm GMT on Friday (March 22) in a moving video, Harry and Meghan shared a short statement. They said: "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace." However they are reported to have reached out privately, with ITV's royal editor Chris Ship revealing that Prince Harry "reached out to his brother" after learning of Kate's cancer. Mr Ship also added: "Harry and Meghan have both been in touch with their brother/sister-in-law but did so privately. It not clear if that was a phone/video call or some messages of support."

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