Harry Breaks Silence on Claims He Is Trying to ‘Upstage’ His Brother William
In a well-timed move, Prince Harry announced his visit to Toronto on the same day Prince William arrived in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize.
Prince Harry's once-strong bond with Prince William collapsed after he stepped down as a senior royal in 2020 and relocated to California. Now living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, the brothers lead separate lives, each pursuing public work in their own way. In that pursuit, on November 3, the Duke of Sussex landed in hot water when he confirmed his trip to Toronto on the same day the Prince of Wales arrived in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize. After Harry was accused of trying to 'upstage' his brother, he flat-out denied the claims, citing security reasons for the delay in his announcement.
According to the Daily Mail, in a statement, Harry's spokesperson blamed the odd timing on the fact that the Duke is "not afforded the same level of security and protection" as other members of the royal family. The statement from Harry's spokesperson read, "It means, therefore, that the period of time in which we can release details of events is much more truncated than it is for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales."
The Duke of Sussex is set to visit Toronto to meet with veterans, armed forces members, and military charities for his Invictus Games. His trip directly clashes with William's trip to South America for the COP 30.
The spokesperson further reiterated that Harry's events were nearly planned a year ago, making it impossible for him to overshadow William. They stressed, "We are always guided, as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event's security team. This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke's heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017." The period of Remembrance traditionally runs from November 1-11 and has done so since 1918, which meant that Harry could not choose to move the dates, even if he wanted to.
Weighing in on the sketchy timing, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Daily Express, "It has just been announced that Harry will be in Toronto carrying out engagements linked to Remembrance Sunday and the Halo Trust, which will clash with the 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, William's top charitable event of the year." He revealed that while the Duke's team cited security reasons as the reason for the delayed announcement, that was far from the case, arguing that Harry "deliberately arranged a clash with his brother, whatever the truth of it."
To argue his case, Fitzwilliams pointed out the irony of Harry's actions, especially given reports that the Duke had agreed to share his work schedule with the Firm in July as part of his reconciliation efforts with King Charles. The expert stressed, "If his team claims it was planned for a year, this might still have happened. The result will be a further chill in the already tense relations between the brothers."
