Things between Prince William and Prince Harry haven't been good for some time. The Duke of Sussex even admitted as much when he spoke to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. "Time heals all things hopefully," Harry said, sounding doubtful. But while the brothers' relationship has seemingly never been worse, there have been signs of tension between the two for years. We really should have seen this coming.
One of the biggest factors in the breakdown of their bond seems to be Harry's relationship with Meghan Markle. When the two started dating, the Duke of Cambridge was reportedly not super onboard with the pairing, allegedly warning Harry that he was being blinded by lust. Ouch! That's never something you want to hear about your future wife.
Harry went through with things with Meghan anyway, and his relationship with William deteriorated further and further. Read on to see all the times they looked less than thrilled with each other.
Awkward Moment
Uh, guys? Why is Kate Middleton the only one laughing here? Prince Harry looks so serious and Prince William is laser-focused on something. What part of the joke are these two not in on? We have to wonder what was going on when this photo was taken. The tension between the two seems high, especially contrasted with Kate's pure joy.
When Your Brother's Nearby …
… But you're not in the mood to talk to him. Perhaps William thought that staring at his feet was a good way to avoid conversation with Harry, who seems off in his own world. And once again, they're both letting the Duchess of Cambridge take the center stage. Then again, she is pretty good at commanding all the attention. Let the lady do her thing!
Body Language
You don't have to be a body language expert to read into this photo. The brothers may be sitting next to each other, but could they be any more distant? There's always that chance they're both very focused on the game that's happening, but they just don't look like they're having much fun together. We miss young Harry and Will's close relationship.
Evil Eye
Is Harry giving William the evil eye here? Or is he just annoyed by the person taking his photo? Perhaps a combination of both? Either way, this doesn't exactly look like a photo of two brothers who have spent most of their lives as close friends. Also, a trend we've noticed is that Harry is always trailing a bit behind his brother. Protocol, perhaps? William is going to be king. Maybe always being a step behind started making Harry salty.
Defensive Much?
We could cut the tension with a knife here! Good thing they're wearing those hard hats — you know, just in case. Then again, the setting could be what's making them both look so awkward. After all, a construction site isn't exactly "their element." But would it kill the two of them to smile when they're photographed together?
Middle Man
Do you think even Prince Philip was over William and Harry's beef here? We wonder if that's why they put him in the middle? They seem to jump at the chance to not be standing next to one another. Normally, we'd say these guys are sharing a sweet moment with their grandfather, but at this point, we don't know what we should believe.
Glaring Eye
Look at that stare coming from Harry in the background. Again, he's always taking a backseat to his big bro. This was supposed to be a happy, celebratory day at Trooping the Colour for Queen Elizabeth's birthday, but Harry doesn't look too happy about it. And whatever was bothering him, William looked less than concerned. He had his own family to worry about. These two may have been in the same place, but they were miles apart.
Scowling
Harry and William definitely don't seem like they're on good terms here. At least with those sunglasses on, we can't see them roll their eyes — so maybe that particular accessory choice was strategic? These definitely seem like two brothers who have had about enough of each other. Take us back to simpler times, please!
Why Is Harry So Far Off?
Was Harry over hanging out with William and Kate? They used to be such a close group! Maybe he was tired of the third wheel thing, after years of having to attend the same events as the Cambridges. But because the three of them have been doing events together for so long, we definitely expect less awkwardness in the photos of them.
Harry Doesn't Look Too Happy Here
What's the matter, dude? Did Will say something to get on your nerves? Or are you just over the royal duties thing? Both? At this point in their relationship, it started to look like any event Harry and William had to go to together had become more like a chore. Since when was spending time with his brother such a bad thing for Harry?
Christmas Vibes
Meghan and Kate seemed to enjoy their Christmas walkabout (or they're just better at pretending), but did Harry and William? Perhaps an eggnog would have loosened things up, but until then, it wasn't looking good. Forget those Meghan and Kate feud rumors — William and Harry were the ones we needed to be worried about the whole time.
Spending the Holidays Apart
When news broke that Meghan and Harry planned to spend their 2019 Christmas without the rest of the royal family, we couldn't help but worry for William and Harry's relationship. Meghan and Harry were certainly entitled to spend time by themselves, but if Harry and William were closer, wouldn't they have wanted to celebrate the big day together?
Uncomfortable Group Photo
Baby Archie's christening was a joyous occasion for the Sussexes, but William looks like he was forced to go or something. Why does he look so uncomfortable in the picture? Perhaps he was not used to being the one who is in the back, outside of the center of attention. Either way, it was clearly a super awkward moment for him.
Waiting Around
At least Megs and Kate put on some forced smiles for these pictures. Harry and William look like they're being tortured just by being there. These two wear every emotion on their faces, huh? You always know exactly when they're mad or upset or uncomfortable — or a combination of all three.
The Final Royal Event
The 2020 Commonwealth Day service marked William and Harry's final official royal event together, and they looked like they couldn't get through it fast enough. The tension was so high here, not only between William and Harry but also between Kate and Meghan. So much for the Fab Four, huh?
Not Talking
Despite being seated right in front of each other, the Cambridges and the Sussexes made no attempts at small talk as people filed into the Commonwealth service. The one row between them might as well have been an ocean, and no one from either side was interested in bridging that gap.
Post-Oprah
William is a private person, so he probably hated when Harry put him — and the whole royal family — on blast in Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview. When a reporter asked William if he'd spoken to Harry since, William literally laughed out loud. "No, I haven't spoken to him yet but I will be," he said, with the all-telling tone of ooh, Harry's in trouble.
Philip's Funeral
The first time Harry and William saw each other after that fateful Oprah interview was at Prince Philip's funeral. The two walked in the procession — conveniently with their cousin Peter Phillips between them to cut some of the tension. Perhaps it was just the somber nature of the day, but the brothers looked so angry.
An Important Occasion
The brothers actually did a good job masking any tension overall at the unveiling of their mother Princess Diana's statue in July 2021. But in the small moments, you could still see it — like in this photo, where Harry and William would rather have been doing anything else but talking to each other. And with his hands on his hips, Harry's body language reads very closed off.
Kate in the Middle
Sometimes, even Kate looked over the brothers' drama. And she had been putting up with it for years! That couldn't have been easy. But this lady can do just about everything, so if anyone can whip these guys into shape, it's her. Maybe she can bring them back together again? We'd love to see the bros return to their loving, playful selves.
Moment of Silence for Harry & William's Relationship?
Let's hope not! We would really hate to see these two never repair their relationship. They've been through too much together, like the tragic loss of their mother and a life in the spotlight. And they have too much to look forward to together. After all, we need to see photos of all their kids playing. Let's hope they can mend things eventually.
