Prince Harry’s Ups and Downs With the Royal Family Over the Years

Prince Harry‘s relationship with his relatives is complex and complicated.

Harry is the youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. As children, he and his older brother, Prince William, seemed inseparable, but as they got older, cracks began to form in their relationship. “There’s always been a part of Harry that felt like he was living in his brother’s shadow,” an insider told Us Weekly in November 2019.

“He doesn’t envy the responsibility that comes with being the future king of England, but William’s the ‘golden boy’ and Harry feels like he has a lot to live up to.” The rift between the brothers grew wider in March 2021 when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, opened about their decision to step back from their royal duties in a tell-all interview with CBS. During the TV special, the Sussexes accused unnamed members of the royal family of racist behavior.

William, for his part, responded to the accusations by saying, “We’re very much not a racist family.”
While Charles praised Harry and Meghan in his inaugural speech as king in September 2022, his relationship with Harry only grew more strained after the Duke of Sussex released his tell-all memoir, Spare, in January 2023 — in which Harry lobbed multiple accusations against his father and brother. Keep scrolling for a look back at Harry’s ups and downs with the royal family over the years: