Robert Lacey – a distinguished royal historian and adviser to TV’s The Crown – claims, Harry introduced his girlfriend to his father and his grandmother, who thoroughly approved. The problem was William.
Meghan Markle, star of drama series Suits, came into Harry’s life in early July 2016. The Duke of Sussex reportedly sensed in Meghan the quirks and originalities that made her such a similar character to Diana.
For his part, William was worried that his brother was going too fast in his courtship and he didn’t shrink from saying so when Harry started talking about getting hitched.
‘This all seems to be moving rather quickly,’ William was said to have remarked to Harry doubtfully, on the testimony of more than one friend. ‘Are you sure?’
It added that Harry could not help but wonder whether Wills was really concerned about his personal happiness – or whether he was, once again and as per usual, thinking about the make-up and fortunes of ‘the Firm’ whose boss he would become one day?
The response from Harry was a brusque and offended pushback – and after several more peppery reactions, William turned to his uncle Charles Spencer for help.
From time to time Diana’s younger brother had played something of an honorary godfather to both boys in the years since the death of their mother, and their uncle agreed with William to see what he could do.
According to the author, the result of the Spencer intervention was an even more bitter explosion. Once again Harry refused to slow down.
He didn’t blame his uncle. He understood why Diana’s brother should want to help. Yet he was furious with his elder brother for dragging other family members into the row.
There would be patch-ups and reconciliations, especially when a public show of unity was required. But that anger and mistrust – that distance – has lasted to the present day.
Even in the fierceness of their disharmony, William and Harry could clearly see and agree on some of the things that they needed to do next – extracting themselves from each other’s pockets for a start, and setting up their homes more separately.
The saddest separation in many ways came from the two brothers’ decision to split up the Royal Foundation, the thriving charitable enterprise that they had created ten years earlier to promote their various good causes.