Was Prince William Really Wary Of Prince Harry Doing This Early In His Relationship With Meghan Markle?

Even as royals, the concepts of brotherly love and sibling rivalry are not lost. The relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry has long remained a subject of discussion, especially since the "Sussexit" fiasco. But even then, the sons of the late Princess Diana have strongly differed in their public perception — and Prince Harry makes no qualms about it.

While the Duke of Cambridge has, by and large, been represented as the levelheaded future of the monarchy, Prince Harry has often been looked down upon as the wayward younger brother despite his major accomplishments. In fact, despite fighting the paparazzi in 2004 and breaking royal protocol with his PDA, the Duke of Sussex has had a successful decade-long military career alongside William and is an established philanthropist, co-founding Sentebale in 2006.

However, Harry's reputation has been sullied since becoming romantically intertwined with Meghan Markle, currently holding a 36% popularity rating amongst the British public (per YouGov). And as the younger duke traded in his royal life for sunny California, his relationship with William has inevitably suffered. Royal author Robert Lacey even described their relationship as "poor," adding that William "remains unhappy about what his brother has done," and that "[t]here is no immediate possibility of any reconciliation" (per Page Six). But, before "Sussexit" was even a thing, one specific act of Harry's doing reportedly left Prince William feeling cautious about his younger brother's public perception.

Royal expert and author Christopher Andersen is opening up about Prince William and Prince Harry's relationship and revealed the former's hesitation in light of his younger brother's actions in 2016. That year, Harry released a statement in defense of then-girlfriend Meghan Markle, criticizing the press for "the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls."

Speaking to Fox News, Andersen revealed that William "reluctantly" supported Harry regarding the statement, as "there has long been resistance" for royals to speak out on situations of that ilk. "It's interesting to see the differences between the way William and Harry handle the press," Andersen said. "Harry was the one who went to William during his six-week breakup with Kate Middleton [before they married] and said, 'What are you doing? Are you crazy? Go back,'" he continued, adding that, "[William] did. It took 10 years, but Kate landed her prince and they are a great match."

On the other hand, "Harry's relationship with Meghan was a whirlwind romance." Anderson further noted that, "William, who has always been cautious, was the one who said, 'Wait a minute, take it easy. Don't rush things.'" In his book, "Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan," Andersen highlight that "[t]here's a scene... where Harry says, 'Who the hell do you think you are?' He was furious."