You would think the monarchy has bigger fish to fry than family drama – but apparently not.
Though the royals are leaps and bounds away from the common man when it comes to galas and crowns and caviar, or whatever fancy food is served at those banquets, the familial fighting proves that some human experiences are universal.
Currently, the four royals who are seemingly the most at odds with each other are Prince William & Kate Middleton and Prince Harry & Meghan Markle.
WATCH: Prince Harry storms off mid interview
Once known as the fab four, for a while it looked like William, Kate, Harry and Meghan were unstoppable.
The royals were all smiles as they showed up for event after event, getting snapped together at Princess Eugenie and Jack Broosbank’s wedding, Commonwealth Day services, Christmas at Sandringham, you name it.
But, over time, pictures of the fab four became increasingly rare as rumours of a divide between the two families starting simmering.
Now, New Idea has taken a look back at every time the Sussexes and Cambridges clashed. And hopefully the list ends here.
Begrudging some brotherly advice
In 2016, after four months of dating Meghan, Prince Harry decided it was time for his new girlfriend to meet his family.
While Harry was besotted with Meghan, apparently William had his reservations about how quickly things were moving between the couple – and he told his little brother as much once Meghan had returned to her home country of Canada.
According to The Sun, a well-placed source revealed: “William told his brother that they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like.”
“He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the Royal family is a massive undertaking and the pressure and scrutiny is unrelenting. Was Meghan the right one?”
Suffice to say, William’s reservations didn’t go down too well with Harry who allegedly went “mental” in his defence of Meghan. The same source claimed: “He accused his brother of trying to finish his romance before it had begun. The brothers’ relationship has not really recovered.”
Tears are shed… but it’s ‘She Said, She Said’
Despite William’s alleged reservations, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed on May 19th, 2018.
Not long after, it was reported that Kate made Meghan cry over an incident involving flower girl dresses.
However, earlier this year Meghan claimed that this narrative was completely false and, in fact, it was the other way around.
In the Sussexes’ history-making interview with Oprah, the TV icon asked Meghan if there was any truth to the rumour that she made Kate cry in the lead up to her big day.
“No,” the former duchess answered Oprah’s query with a sigh. “The reverse happened…. A few days before the wedding she was upset about something… and it made me cry and it really hurt my feelings.”
The heir and the spare no longer share
In March 2019, Kensington and Buckingham palaces announced that Her Majesty was allowing a new royal household to be established for newlyweds Harry and Meghan.
Until that point, the brothers operated out of the same household.
With their royal residences split, Wills and Harry had completely different staff and, needless to say, distance didn’t make the heart grow fonder.
From different households to different paths
Later that year, Prince Harry confirmed what the world had been fearing the most… that he and William’s relationship was beyond strained.
Speaking in the documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, Harry confessed that he and the future King were “on different paths”.
“Look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment but I’ll always be there for him and as I know he’ll always be there for me.”
‘Megxit’ becomes a new royal buzz word
In March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their duties as senior royals in what was a highly unprecedented move that would further drive a wedge between the Sussexes and the Cambridges.
In an official statement from Buckingham Palace, it was revealed exactly what Harry and Meghan’s decision meant for the couple.
“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family,” the statement read.
“As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties.
“Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly-funded security.”
The extremely unconventional move, colloquially coined as Megxit, saw Harry and Meghan pack their bags and jet off to Canada for a few weeks, before deciding to reside in LA where they currently live.
No protection from the palace
Buckingham Palace may have refused to comment on Harry and Meghan’s security arrangements, but the Sussexes certainly didn’t hold back.
In the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah, Meghan claimed that, in addition to not receiving a royal title, their first son Archie was also refused security.
“They said [he’s not going to get security], because he’s not going to be a prince,” Meghan told Oprah. “Okay, well, he needs to be safe so we’re not saying don’t make him a prince or princess, but if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect that protection.”
The Duchess explained that the idea that “the first member of colour in this family isn’t being titled in the same way as other grandchildren would be” was distressing.
The biggest bombshell
Despite all of the allegations to come out of Meghan and Harry’s sit down with Oprah, the world was taken with one claim in particular.
When Meghan told Oprah that there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark (her son Archie’s) skin might be when he was born”, you could just imagine the sounds of the royal PR team scrambling to perform some damage control.
The Sussexes remained tight-lipped as to the culprit behind the comments, but it didn’t take long for people to start pointing the finger at suspects.
WATCH: Prince William responds to Meghan and Harry’s explosive Oprah interview (Story continues after video)
A quick denial
Following Meghan and Harry’s allegation with regards to royal concerns over Archie’s skin colour, Prince William didn’t take long to respond.
During a trip a school in London, Wills and Kate couldn’t escape one particular paparazzo, who took their opportunity to ask the questions that were on everyone’s lips.
“Can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir?” they asked.
“We are very much not a racist family,” William stated simply before heading off to perform his royal duties.
Buckingham Palace also released a statement in the wake of the allegations claiming that “some recollections may vary”.
From the fab four to the freed two
During the same interview with Oprah, Harry told the TV icon that he felt “trapped” inside the institution, while also attesting that his father and brother are equally trapped, even if they are unaware of it.
“I felt trapped and so are my family,” Harry said. “My father and brother are trapped in the system like the rest of my family are. They don’t get to leave. I have huge compassion for that.”
The Duke went on to credit his wife for allowing him to escape the monarchy. “If it were not for Meghan, I wouldn’t not have been able to leave,” he said.
William is not trapped, thank you very much
Never to let a younger brother have the last word, a source close to the royal family told The Sunday Times that Prince William does not feel trapped in the royal family.
“He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service,” the well-placed source said.
If we can take anything from this back-and-forth, it’s that not even the monarchy is exempt from family drama. Hopefully the fab four can soon put their past behind them and join forces once more.
