Prince Harry, William Relationship 'Preservable' If Former Married 'Somebody Like Kate,' Author Claims

A biographer of Princess Diana believes that Prince Harry and Prince William's rivalry was inevitable but that their falling-out could have likely been avoided if the younger royal had married someone like his sister-in-law Kate Middleton rather than Meghan Markle.

While discussing her new book "The Palace Papers" with Marie Claire, royal author Tina Brown weighed in on the two brothers' "heir and spare dynamic."

In her book, Brown wrote that Prince William and Prince Harry were "indivisible" and loved by the public growing up, but their "identical treatment had set up unrealistic expectations" for two brothers who "were not, and could never be, equal."

The author told the outlet that she believes Prince William and Prince Harry's relationship "was always going to become tricky" due to the differences in their roles in the monarchy. She noted that the two "had already become somewhat rivalrous in their outlooks to each other" before their relationship became strained.

According to Brown, Prince Harry had similar interests as his older brother, including environmentalism, conservation and Africa, but he had to "wait and take his second dibs" because his older brother, who is second in line to the British throne, will one day become king.

"William was always going to be able to choose what he wants to do. So that was always going to be a bit tricky," Brown explained.

However, the author said she believes there would have been a lower chance that the Duke of Cambridge and his younger sibling would fall apart as brothers had Prince Harry married someone like his sister-in-law Duchess Kate.

"It all depended on who Harry married. If Harry married somebody like Kate, I’m quite sure their relationship would have been preservable," Brown told the outlet.

She continued, "But he’s pursued such a different course now from William, going off to live an essentially Hollywood life...Meghan showed him another world that he found much more exciting. I understand it, but it’s been very disruptive to their relationship."

Prince Harry and Markle stepped back from their roles as senior working royals and moved to California in 2020.

Last year, the duke addressed his strained relationship with his father Prince Charles and brother Prince William during his and Markle's sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.

"There is a lot to work through there," he said of his relationship with his father. "I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like. I will always love him, but there is a lot of hurt that's happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try to heal that relationship. But they only know what they know."

Of his older brother, Prince Harry said, "I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together. But we are on different paths."

Royal biographer Katie Nicholl claimed that Prince Harry and Prince William had a falling-out after the older royal advised his younger brother to slow down in his relationship with Markle as they do not know her. The Duke of Sussex didn't take his brother's comments well, she claimed.

"It was largely down to Harry resenting his brother," the author of "Harry: Life, Loss, and Love" said on Channel 5’s "William & Harry: Princes at War." "Harry supported his brother from the outset with Kate and he felt very let down that he wasn’t getting his brother’s full, 100% support with his relationship with Meghan and things changed."