After months of speculation, Prince Harry seemed to confirm ongoing rumours of a royal rift with his older brother Prince William with a strongly-worded public remark

In the months following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, rumours started to swirl about a growing rift between Harry and his older brother, Prince William.

And while no official statement was made, Harry did seem to confirm that the siblings were no longer close with a very telling five-word remark that raised eyebrows amongst royal fans. His comments came in October 2019, 17 months after the Sussexes’ wedding. Harry and Meghan appeared in the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which saw Tom Bradby following them on their first official tour with young son Archie.

As he spoke to Bradby, Harry addressed rumours of a fall-out with William and made the telling remark: “We are on different paths.” The Duke stated: “Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.” He continued, “We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”

It was during the same documentary that Meghan said she had struggled to cope through pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood amid the pressures of press interest in her life as a member of the Royal Family. Asked by Bradby how she was coping, the Duchess said: “Thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” Bradby then added: “And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really ok? That it’s really been a struggle?” Meghan replied: “Yes.”

Just three months later, Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior royals. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” they said in a statement. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.

“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” Shortly after the statement was shared, Buckingham Palace posted its own initial response. “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” it read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”