Prince William and Prince Harry were never as close as many believed, according to royal commentator Ingrid Seward, who made surprising claims about the brothers’ relationship. Speaking with The Sun, Seward revealed that while the brothers grew closer after the tragic death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997, their bond had never been particularly tight.
Seward recalled a moment when Harry acknowledged a change in his brother’s demeanor after William’s gap year, saying, “I remember after William went on his gap year, way back on operation Raleigh, Harry said, ‘he’s much nicer now.’ So this myth that Harry and William were very close is just that—a myth.”
The royal expert explained that the brothers only became truly close in the aftermath of their mother’s death. “Of course, they unified, and they were the only two people that knew what it felt like. But they weren’t very close as youngsters,” Seward noted, dispelling the long-held belief of an inseparable bond during their early years.
In addition to commenting on the brothers’ relationship, Seward touched on the concerns Princess Diana had for her younger son. Diana worried about Harry’s future, particularly after witnessing a key royal figure, the Queen Mother, show favoritism towards William.
“When they used to go and see the Queen Mother, she would pat the chair and say, ‘Come and sit here William,’ and completely ignore Harry,” Seward revealed, adding that this behavior deeply upset Diana.
These revelations paint a different picture of the dynamics between the brothers, suggesting that their closeness was more circumstantial than deeply rooted and that Princess Diana’s concerns for Harry extended beyond their public personas.