Prince Harry’s Resentment Over Being Prince William’s ‘Decoy’ Reportedly Started Their Rift

Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship is known to have been strong and close. When rumors of their falling out came out earlier this year, it became a topic of controversy and discussion, piling on theories as to why the two had decided to split with regard to their charities. A recently released documentary may provide a unique insight as to why the brothers’ relationship is not quite as perfect as one would think.

On Aug. 17, Channel 5 released a documentary titled “William & Harry: Princes At War.” The documentary focused on the relationship of the brothers and how being heirs to the throne affected it. It has long been known that Prince William would be the heir, unfortunately dubbing the younger Harry as the “spare.”

The concept of “heir and spare” is not new, but the stigma surrounding it causes quite a bit of a comparison and pressure on both parties. For William, this meant having to be better than the “spare,” while for Harry, it meant having to be ready in case his older brother might meet an accident.

According to Channel 5’s documentary, however, this meant something worse. The Duke of Sussex had to take the flak and appropriate the heir’s mistakes as his own.

“Harry has obviously got into some scrapes which have landed him on the front pages of the newspapers,” explained royal correspondent Simon Vigar in the documentary. “But at plenty of those parties, particularly the teenage parties, William was there, Harry served as a really useful decoy.”

According to royal author Katie Nichol, this inevitably led to a bit of a rift, with Harry’s frustration at being something akin to a fall-guy. “That was the first time the brothers really fell out because Harry resented the fact that he had taken all the blame but of course William was the heir,” she explained.

“Harry took the flack and Harry was very cross about that. He refused to speak to his brother or forgive him for some time,” she continued.

Despite all the rumors behind their so-called feud, sources claim that the “rift” is in fact no more than William and Harry “moving-on” and “spreading their wings” to focus more on their own lives. The Palace denies all the rumors as well, clearly pointing out that the decision to split the charities was out of practicality and made with rationality rather than animosity.