Prince Harry, Prince William's Complicated Relationship Over The Past 4 Years Revisited

Prince William and Prince Harry were very close growing up, but their relationship turned sour over the past four years, according to multiple accounts.

Royal correspondents Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their recently released book, "Finding Freedom," that the brothers' relationship became strained after the Duke of Cambridge advised his younger brother to slow things down with Meghan Markle when they started dating in 2016. This didn't sit well with Prince Harry, according to the authors.

Historian Robert Lacey claimed in his new book "Battle of Brothers" that the brothers' relationship was shattered after Prince William included their uncle, Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer, in their argument over the speed of the Duke of Sussex's relationship with Markle.

When Spencer intervened, it only resulted in Prince Harry having a "more bitter explosion" at Prince William, per the author. Lacey wrote that while Prince Harry understood his uncle's concern, he was furious that his older brother dragged other family members into the row.

In a 2017 interview on the podcast "Mad World," Prince Harry credited Prince William for helping him seek mental health counseling, saying his older brother was a "huge support to me." The younger royal admitted that he struggled after their mom died and shut down all of his emotions for two decades, which affected both his personal life and work.

In the same year, Prince William had kind words for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “We’re very excited, delighted for them both,” he said following the announcement of Prince Harry and Markle's engagement. “We’re wishing them all the happiness in this very exciting time.”

Prince William served as Prince Harry's best man when he married Markle in 2018.

According to Us Weekly, reports of a rift between Prince William and Prince Harry first began surfacing in the media in 2018 when the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, moved to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England. Prior to the move, they had been staying at Nottingham Cottage in London, which was closer to Prince William and Kate Middleton's home in Kensington Palace.

Fueling speculation that the brothers were distancing themselves from each other was Prince Harry and Markle splitting from the charity they shared with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last year to set up their own foundation.

"All brothers fall out. All families fall out. Their fallout at the moment is becoming public," longtime royal filmmaker Nick Bullen told Fox News in March 2019 of their rumored rift.

"I think people don’t want to think about that with these two boys," he continued. "These are two boys who lost their mother at a really early age, and the fairytale is that they are closer than ever and need each other, and I think that’s probably true. But equally they are two grown men in their 30s, starting their own families, different wives. They are moving to different parts of the country, different duties.”

Last year, Prince Harry seemingly confirmed that there is a rift between him and Prince William during ITV’s documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey."

“Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens,” he said. “But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”

Prince Harry added that while he and his older brother didn't see each other as often they used to due to their busy schedules, he "[loves] him dearly." He also said they had "bad days" as well as good days as brothers.

Earlier this year, the Sussexes stepped down from their royal duties and moved to the U.S. with their son, Archie Harrison.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl said Prince William and Prince Harry were already on speaking terms again. However, the release of the Sussex biography "Finding Freedom" made the rift worse.

For now, recent reports said Prince Harry may be considering flying back to the U.K. for the holidays so it is possible the brothers may soon see each other again.