Princes William, Harry’s First ‘Serious Rift’ Revisited: What Caused Royal Brothers’ Argument?

Prince William and Prince Harry had their first serious rift over a decade ago.

In Katie Nicholl’s 2010 book “William and Harry,” the biographer revealed how the royal brothers had a falling-out in 2002. According to Nicholl, the Duke of Sussex was still underage at the time and had been drinking in the village pub and smoking marijuana.

Prince Harry reportedly managed to dodge an official police warning, but the incident sent shockwaves through the royal family. Things worsened because Prince Harry resented his brother for some reasons.

“It was the catalyst for the first serious rift between William and Harry, who resented the fact that he had been blamed for everything while William got away scot-free,” Nicholl wrote.

Nicholl noted that Prince William had “hardly been a model of decorum” at Highgrove in the party basement they dubbed Club H and during lock-ins at Rattlebone Inn. Due to the incident, Prince Harry and Prince William were barely on speaking terms. As the older brother, the Duke of Cambridge visited Prince Harry at Eton to end their rift.

“William felt guilty that his brother had taken all the blame while he had come out as Mr Goody Two Shoes. For the first time, their relationship really suffered and they barely spoke,” Nicholl continued.

It took time but Prince Harry eventually forgave his brother because he realized that it was not Prince William’s fault. However, he was reeling for a while.

At present, there are rumors that the fab four are quarreling. Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have made headlines in the past weeks due to their alleged ghastly row. To make matters worse, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly snubbed the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday bash in Norfolk.

Keir Simmons, senior international correspondent for "Today" gave a different take on the issue. According to him, the two duchesses don’t have problems, it’s their husbands who have issues. So, if Middleton and Markle are going through difficult times due to their rumored rift, then Prince William and Prince Harry are to blame.

Last Christmas, the fab four reunited for the royals’ traditional morning service. Middleton and Markle were photographed smiling and chatting. However, Prince William and Prince Harry were very distant to each other and appeared ill at ease.