A video clip of Prince William and Prince Harry reviewing archive footage from their royal childhoods has gone viral after recent revelations laid bare the strained nature of the brothers’ true relationship.
In January, Harry published his record-breaking memoir Save after stepping down from his role as a working royal with Meghan Markle in 2020, citing tensions with royal family members and household staff, as well as the problematic British tabloid press.
In an interview promoting the book with Anderson Cooper for 60 minutesHarry said part of his motivation for writing it was to squash the “idea that somehow my wife was the one that destroyed the relationship between these two brothers,” claiming instead that they were never as close as the public was led to believe.
The revelations led to a surge in royal fans sharing analytical clips of the two princes from throughout their lives.
The latest clip to reach viral numbers on social media shows William and Harry reacting to footage from the latter’s 1984 christening at Windsor Castle which included shots of their late mother, Princess Diana.
The reaction footage was recorded as part of the 2016 documentary film Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute broadcast to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. A number of royal family members were interviewed for the project and shown home movies and archive clips from throughout the queen’s life.
Shared on TikTok by user Merlin7328, the video of William and Harry has been viewed over 1 million times on the social media platform, receiving more than 70,000 likes and 100 comments.
“Do you remember your little brother being born,” Harry asks William in the clip, to which the prince responded: “No, not really, I must have only been two.”
Of his younger brother being dressed in the historic royal christening gown first worn by the children of Queen Victoria and passed down through generations of the family, William joked: “Hard to tell if you’re a boy or a girl in that sort of dress .”
The brothers are then shown reacting to a clip of Diana, with Harry complimenting her choice of outfit. “Mummy looks great in blue,” he said, before commenting on the antique royal christening gown: “I’m still not convinced about the dress that I’m in!”
A number of commenters praised the princes while others expressed concern at the reported rift that has developed between them in recent years.
“The boys need to talk,” posted one TikTok user.
“Love that they still call Diana ‘mummy,'” posted another person, with a further comment reading: “*sigh* look so much has happened but at the end of the day they need to talk to each other. [Their] kids shouldn’t end up suffering[ing] like they did.”
The last time William and Harry were photographed together publicly was in September 2022, during the state funeral commemorations for Queen Elizabeth II.
In SaveHarry made a number of damning allegations against William, including giving an account of an alleged physical attack which was said to have taken place in 2019 after William raised concerns about Meghan Markle’s treatment of Kensington Palace staff.
So far, neither William nor the royals at large have publicly commented on the book or Harry’s claims.
In his January interview with Cooper, Harry said that the brothers were not currently speaking but that he looked forward to them “being able to find peace.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
A video clip of Prince William and Prince Harry reviewing archive footage from their royal childhoods has gone viral after recent revelations laid bare the strained nature of the brothers’ true relationship.
