5 Times Prince Harry Seemingly Stole the Spotlight From William Amid Their Rift

Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship has been strained for years, with the brothers taking very different paths since Harry stepped back from royal duties and moved to the US. Although they are royals, Harry and William's sibling rivalry is a story every household knows: one brother, purposely or coincidentally, overshadowing the other. While there is no proof that Harry deliberately tried to take attention away from William, some moments have nevertheless raised eyebrows and sparked debate. Here are a few occasions when Harry appeared to overshadow his older brother.

In the lead-up to Harry and his wife Meghan Markle’s exit from royal life, tensions between the brothers were already becoming increasingly visible. One of the clearest examples came in October 2019, just a few months before their exit, when tensions were running high between the Sussexes and the wider royal family behind closed doors. Clips from Harry’s ITV documentary interview with Tom Bradby were released while William and Kate were on their five-day Pakistan tour. In the clip, Harry spoke about his grief over his mother, Princess Diana's passing, and his difficult relationship with the media, sparking widespread headlines. The Evening Standard reported that senior royal and diplomatic advisers were concerned the timing had “overshadowed” William and Kate’s tour.

Harry and Markle's Netflix docuseries was controversial from the start; the trailer dropped in December 2022, just as William and Kate were on their high-profile Boston tour. The Prince and Princess of Wales were in the US for the Earthshot Prize, and while their visit attracted significant international attention, it did not last long. The Harry & Meghan trailer immediately became one of the biggest royal stories. Royal commentator Joshua Rom stressed, ”It’s very suspicious timing; let’s just say Harry has a little bit of a history with this." In a conversation with Sky News Digital, he continued, “Harry has a bit of a history when it comes to trying to maybe overshadow his brother.”

A similar situation emerged in November 2025, when Harry travelled to Canada for engagements connected to veterans and Remembrance Week while William was in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize. Both brothers were undertaking important public-facing activities close to their hearts, but critics quickly labeled Harry's outing as an attempt to upstage William. Harry's representative later clarified that his Canadian schedule had been arranged well in advance, meaning there is no evidence that the timing was designed to compete with William’s Earthshot appearance.

While the other times Harry competed with his brother and sister-in-law, this major episode collided with their son Prince George's major life event. The Prince started at Eton around the same time as Harry and Markle returned to the UK with their kids after staying in the US for six years. Royal broadcaster Neil Sean told Fox News Digital that "the Sussexes have assured the King that they will not hijack or derail major royal events; by that, no pictures or comment from either one on that day in September," but the attention was inevitably on them.

In September 2024, Harry released a video promoting the 2025 Invictus Games on the same day William returned to public duties after his summer break. As per The Royal Observer and GB News, the timing was described as Harry “trying to steal” William’s thunder, shared royal expert Charles Rae. Reflecting on the timing of the video, Rae continued, "Now, fortunately, he surprised us all, and Harry will be back on the plane again, I'm assuming, heading straight back to the States."