For the first time ever, Prince Harry has addressed rumours of a “rift” between him and his only sibling, Prince William.
In ITV’s recently released documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey (airing on U.S. network ABC in North America on Wednesday), the new dad opens up about the two brothers’ “different paths.”
“Inevitably stuff happens, but we’re brothers. We’ll always be brothers,” the 35-year-old told ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby.
“We’re certainly on different paths at the moment. I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but I love him dearly.”
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Speaking directly about the swirling rumours, Harry added that “the majority of stuff is created out of nothing.”
“As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days.”
Fuel was added to the rumour fire when the princes’ households split in October 2018.
Harry had always shared an office with his brother and sister-in-law Kate Middleton, but decided to go his own way after tying the knot with Meghan Markle.
The Cambridges maintained their household in Kensington Palace, while Harry and Markle created a new team with Sara Latham, who previously worked with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Town and Country reported earlier this year.
Royal insiders and sources have spoken to various publications about alleged tension between the brothers.
In the documentary, which was filmed during the Sussex’s royal tour of Africa, Markle also touched on warnings she received from her British friends about marrying into royalty.
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“It’s hard,” she said. “I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand here.
“When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friend said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great, but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.'”
Tabloid media have felt the wrath of the royal family recently after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lodged two lawsuits — one against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, and two additional suits against News Group Newspapers Limited and Mirror Group Newspapers Limited.
In general, the court cases centre on the experience of the Duchess of Sussex, who has been the subject of vicious media attacks since she was first linked to Harry in 2016.
Markle, 37, touched on how hard it’s been for her to deal with the press while going through huge milestones, like marriage and becoming a first-time mom.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging,” she said.
Bradby also asked the duchess how she was doing after experiencing these life-changing events.
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“Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes,” Markle said.
“And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK?” Bradby asks at the end of the clip.
Markle responds: “Yes.”
While the two couples continue to lead their own philanthropic ventures, they still often come together as a united front under their joint organization The Royal Foundation, which spearheads many of their collaborative efforts.
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