Prince Harry and William's rift would 'never have gone this far' if Princess Diana were alive
"I believe Diana would have quite a lot to say to her sons"Princess Diana wouldn’t have allowed sons Prince Harry and Prince William‘s ‘rift’ to get as far as it has, a royal commentator claimed.
The brothers’ relationship has been strained for years and became worse after Prince Harry’s tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021 and his bombshell memoir Spare from 2023.
The Duke of Sussex stepped back from royal life alongside wife Meghan Markle, and has since hit out at his family on several occasions. He also previously said that he and William were on “different paths”.
However, royal commentator Charles Rae believes Princess Diana would have ‘banged their heads together’ if she were alive to see Prince Harry and William’s rift play out.
Princess Diana ‘wouldn’t have allowed Prince Harry and William’s rift to get this far’
Mr Rae previously told Royal Insider: “I believe Diana would have quite a lot to say to her sons, including banging their heads together.
“I firmly believe she would have never allowed it to get this far.”
In addition, he said he believes Diana’s influence may have kept Harry and Meghan in the “family firm”.
He added: “I do believe Diana’s influence would have borne some fruit.
“Who knows perhaps Harry and Meghan would have stayed to continue working for the family firm.”
Read more: Conspiracy theories about Princess Diana’s death that people still believe
Speaking about what Diana would have thought about Harry’s wife Meghan, Mr Rae said he thinks the late Princess of Wales would have shown the duchess the “good path ahead”.
He said: “I suspect that [Diana’s] influence would have had a stabilising effect on Meghan.
“She would have shown her American daughter-in-law the good path ahead.”
Diana left ‘warnings’ for her sons and the royal family
According to her private secretary Patrick Jephson, the Princess of Wales’ influence on her children is still strong following her death in 1997.
He says she left behind lots of ‘good examples’ to learn lessons from her, after she passed away when William was 15 and Harry 12.
Speaking to People, he said: “If they study Princess Diana’s life carefully — and I hope they often do — William, Harry, and their advisors will know that she left them many good examples to follow and also a few important warnings to heed.
“Public affection and the rich rewards of royalty must be earned with self-sacrifice and service.
“I’m sure they are grateful that every day she can still guide, comfort, and inspire them along the difficult path they were born to follow.”
Royal ‘peacemaker’
Whereas, Andrew Morton, Princess Diana’s biographer, previously said he was saddened by the state of Prince William and Harry’s rift.
He believes the royal, who was only 36 years old when she died, would have acted as a peacemaker for the feuding brothers.
He explained: “Diana always used to say she had two boys for a reason — the younger would be there to support the older in the lonely task as future king.
“There is no doubt Diana would have tried to act as a peacemaker between them. If she had been around, they would have worked things out in a different way.”
Andrew added that the two were close growing up, but their relationship becoming strained has affected The Firm.
He added: “We all remember the days when Harry and William were joshing with one another, and it all seemed set for their relationship and the future — that Harry, as Diana always used to say, would be William’s wingman.
“It’s a great loss for the monarchy.”
Prince William and Harry’s rift
While the royal brothers used to be close, Prince William and Harry’s rift played out after Princess Diana’s death, so she never saw it unfold.
In 2018, reports of their relationship seeming strained appeared, over concerns the duke was unhappy with how William welcomed his future wife into the family.
The next year, the older brother reportedly warned Harry he was worried they were moving too fast. But the ‘well-intended’ advice rubbed Harry up the wrong way, and he allegedly went ‘ballistic’.
Read more: Prince William and Harry’s brotherly moments caught on camera before royal feud erupted
In October 2019, Harry hinted there was a rift between him and William as he spoke about the princes’ walking different paths, more than 20 years after Princess Diana’s passing.
After Harry and Meghan left The Firm, a series of interviews and bombshell revelations widened the distance between the siblings.
In 2025, the duke revealed his father was no longer speaking to him and begged for reconciliation in a TV interview.
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