Prince William and Prince Harry were very close growing up. When their mom, Princess Diana, was still alive, she would take them to McDonald's, and they would enjoy watching shows at night. The royal siblings were also seen grieving together when their mother passed away. However, despite their mom's effort for them to be treated equally, one was favored over the other.
Prince William's Reputation Was Reportedly More Important Than Prince Harry
The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex were brought up in the institution with their grandmother, the reigning queen, and their father, the heir to the throne, when they were children. At present, King Charles ascended the throne, and Prince William is the next in line to the throne.
Even if it still takes years before Prince Harry's brother will be the next monarch, the favor has always been on his side, according to a royal expert. Kinsey Schofield, royal expert and host of the "To Di For" podcast, spoke about the palace's strategy that allegedly used Prince Harry to cover up negative headlines about the heir to the throne.
"I've been told that ever since Harry was a teenager, the palace prioritized Prince William's reputation over Prince Harry's," Schofield told Fox News Digital. "For instance, there's a story about a paper calling the palace communications team for comment on a negative William story. The palace's strategy was to offer up a negative Harry story to kill the William story from running."
Schofield clarified that she wasn't sure "how often this strategy was utilized." However, she has heard from a former employee that "this happened." She understood the necessity to protect Prince William, saying, "the palace is going to do everything it can to protect the heir."
"The Prince and Princess of Wales are the future and the priority," the royal expert continued while referring to Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton. "While it seems harsh, it's also common sense."
Prince Harry And Prince William Have A Tricky Relationship?
Royal biographer Tina Brown felt that King Charles' two sons had a "tricky" relationship. In her observation, Kate Middleton's husband and Meghan Markle's spouse "had already become somewhat rivalrous in their outlooks to each other."
The Palace Papers author noted that things began to go wrong with Prince Harry after he left the Army. Apparently, he shares the same interest with his brother, Prince William. However, the latter was given priority because he is the future king.
"It began to feel like, 'Why is William getting all of these great portfolios and I have to sort of wait and take his second dibs?'" Brown claimed. "Well, the answer is because you’re the second in line. William was always going to be able to choose what he wants to do. So that was always going to be a bit tricky."
It could be among the reasons why Prince Harry decided to leave the palace because he was always in the shadow of his brother. However, his departure was reportedly the reason Prince William couldn't completely forgive him because the Prince of Wales thought his younger brother would always be there to support him.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.