As future monarch, Prince William appears to have inherited from Queen Elizabeth II the sense of duty and sacrifice for the Crown. And, according to royal expert Robert Lacey, he is showing a similar ruthlessness to his grandmother in the aftermath of Megxit – Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals.
Mr Lacey told Vanity Fair: “At the end of the day we saw a ruthlessness from the Queen over her absolute refusal to allow the Sussexes to use the word royal for their new branding, and we’re seeing the same ruthlessness in William.”
During the summit which took place at Sandringham in January, Prince William, Prince Charles and the Queen discussed with Prince Harry the terms of his and Meghan’s exit from the family as full-time working royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to cave in on their requests to continue to carry out royal duties and give up their first brand, Sussex Royal.
While retaining their full royal titles, they also had to relinquish the use of their HRH style.
William’s utmost respect to the Crown and duty is believed to have played a part in the tensions between the brothers.
According to Mr Lacey, Prince William showed concern for the speed at which the relationship between his brother and Meghan was going.
The Duke of Sussex didn’t perceive this worry as a mere concern from an older brother for a blossoming relationship, the expert wrote in his book Battle of Brothers.
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It read: “For his part, William was worried that his brother was going too fast in his courtship and he didn’t shrink from saying so when Harry started talking about getting hitched.
“‘This all seems to be moving rather quickly,’ William was said to have remarked to Harry doubtfully, on the testimony of more than one friend.
‘Are you sure?'”
“William couldn’t understand how Harry could contemplate marrying this still unknown and untested quantity less than two years after their first meeting.
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“It went against his every instinct – and his own track record.
“If ‘Waity William’ had taken nearly a decade to test out and approve his life partner, surely his younger brother could ponder his options for just a year or so more?
“But ‘Waity William’, of course, took so long to commit to Kate for the sake of the monarchy.
“He had been auditioning her for a job all those years.
“So Harry could not help but wonder whether Wills was really concerned about his personal happiness – or whether he was, once again and as per usual, thinking about the make-up and fortunes of ‘the Firm’ whose boss he would become one day?”
Mr Lacey doesn’t believe the relationship between the brothers will return to be as close as it was before Meghan entered Harry’s life.
Both Harry and William now have children, two separate families as well as different interests and futures.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also don’t appear to have any intention to leave their US home over the foreseeable future.
However, the author believes the brothers must find a way to reconcile – as this fallout could have a long-term damage to the monarchy’s image.
He told Vanity Fair: “The challenge for William is whether while being true to his principles he can also modernise the institution by making his brother part of it.
“That’s what everyone wants, some kind of reconciliation.”
