Prince William "absolutely hates" Harry right now, friend claims

That can't be good

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021 in London, England. Today would have been the 60th birthday of Princess Diana, who died in 1997. At a ceremony here today, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex respectively, will unveil a statue in her memory.
(Image credit: Photo by WPA Pool / Getty)

Things between Prince Harry and Prince William already weren't rosy over the past few months, but a friend of the Prince of Wales' now claims that it's all got even worse.

Just this week, Harry implicated his older brother in his legal case against the publishers of The Sun, News Group Newspapers, claiming that William had been paid a "very large sum" by the company in 2020 to settle a phone hacking claim similar to the one Harry is currently making.

And for a friend of William's who spoke to The Daily Beast, this latest move on Harry's part has driven an even further wedge between the estranged brothers — one which frankly wasn't needed as their coronation reunion draws closer.

"Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does," the source said.

"This is scorched earth stuff from Harry. By revealing these secrets, he is burning everything to the ground. He is making it very clear that he considers his relationship with William is over."

While this may sound dramatic, royal experts were already claiming that William had no intention of speaking to Harry in the near future before this settlement story came out, so it now seems even more difficult for the two brothers to repair their relationship.

What's more — Harry reportedly didn't warn William that he would be naming him as part of his court case.

"William will never trust Harry again. How could he?" the friend continued.

"The truth is William absolutely hates Harry now and will never forgive him for the damage he has done to the family. The brothers were so close when they were younger that it is just incredible to those of us who knew them back then that they have reached a stage where Harry is revealing his brother’s confidential legal settlements."

Unfortunately when it comes to the Royal Family, it can be difficult to know whose perspective to trust — because while William's friend claims that the two were close growing up, Prince Harry claimed that they were always in quite fierce competition with each other in his memoir Spare.

Whatever happened in the past, we hope they can find common ground in the future. It's not looking good, though.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.