Princess Kate thought Harry and William rift 'could be fixed' until 'huge row' - expert

Prince William and Prince Harry have long been at loggerheads and the prospect of a thawing in relations appears remote, but Princess Kate thought the pair would bury the hatchet, a royal expert has claimed.

The rift seemingly became public knowledge when the Duke of Sussex said he and his brother were on "different paths" in a 2019 ITV documentary, after speculation the pair were rowing following Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle.

Harry and Meghan also made a series of claims against the Royal Family in their March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and the couple's Netflix documentary series in December 2022.

The Duke of Sussex also made further bombshell claims in his January 2023 tell-all memoir, Spare.

Now former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has said the warring between the households hurt Princess Kate.

She told OK! Magazine in September 2023: "When you come from a happy, united family – as Catherine does – it's incredibly hard to understand how people can become estranged.

"I think she believed the rift could be fixed and, after Prince Philip’s funeral, we saw her talking with Harry and obviously encouraging William to do the same. But we now know that it didn’t work.

"In fact, William and Harry had a blazing row right after the funeral.

"There comes a point when you just have to accept that happy families are not a game that everyone can play.

The royal expert continued: "Catherine has been hurt and insulted by things that Harry and Meghan have said.

"But she and William are a very strong team, and I suspect that, together, they’ve come to the conclusion that the rift with Harry cannot be fixed in the foreseeable future.

"They’ve closed their minds to that possibility and decided to get on with their lives."