Royal expert Daniela Elser compared Harry and his brother Prince William’s alleged rift to the very public breakdown of Prince Charles and Diana’s relationship – with both giving their side of the story to the press. Her comments follow claims by the Duke of Sussex’s friend, ITV journalist Tom Bradby, that he has been left “heartbroken” after quitting royal duties and moving to America with Meghan Markle.
Writing for news.com.au, Ms Elser said: “What is so interesting here is the fact that this current situation is starting to bear a resemblance to the early ’90s and the internecine, bloodless conflict known as the War of the Wales.
“As Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles’ deeply unhappy, fractured union spilled over into public view, each would get their side of things out into the open via sympathetic publications or journalists.
“Charles was an adulterous cold fish was the princess’s narrative; Diana, the other side countered, was unbalanced and (that old 19th-century chestnut) ‘hysterical’.”
Ms Elser added that “there have been signs that a similar sort of battle is heating up” between William and Harry, but warned it risks making things more “toxic”.
She continued: “The hope has to be that William and Harry both don’t go so far down this same path.
“While their relationship has clearly struggled, surely the universal hope here is that at some point in the not-too-distant future they find a way to move on from the hurts of recent years, that they can patch things up and enjoy a renewed bond and camaraderie.
“If there is one thing that both Charles and Diana taught us, it’s that when it comes to conflicts waged in the press there is only ever one winner – the press.
“Let’s hope it is a lesson that William and Harry will come to fully understand too.”
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The bombshell documentary laid bare tensions between the Sussexes and the Royal Family.
The interview saw Harry admit he and William were on “different paths” and have good and bad days in their relationship.
Pressed on whether he was referring to the brothers, Mr Bradby said: “Well, just the situation with the family clearly isn’t ideal and it has been a very difficult year for them all.
“To some extent I felt a little bit caught in the middle of them with that documentary which is a deeply uncomfortable place to be and that is, in a way, why I am always reluctant to say anything more because I don’t want to make anything worse or get in between anything or anything like that.”
Meghan and Harry shared plans to step back as senior royals just over a year ago.
They officially ended royal duties on March 31 and are now living in an £11 million mansion in California with their young son Archie.
They have made the most of their new-found personal and financial freedom by striking lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify.
