William’s Mention of Harry in Interview Was More Telling Than You’d Think: ‘He’s Part of the Past’
Royal experts say the Prince of Wales’ brief comment wasn’t accidental but a signal that the past is acknowledged, but no longer shared.
Prince William rarely gets candid and emotional, so when he mentioned his estranged brother on camera recently, it caught all the attention, especially given the restraint with which he spoke. In his appearance on The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy, the Prince of Wales discussed his childhood with Prince Harry, albeit briefly, while recalling the media pressures during their childhood.
“I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past that Harry and I had to grow up in,” William said. He added, "I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.” Even though it was a fleeting mention, experts say that it spoke volumes about where the royal brothers stand today.
Historian Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, told PEOPLE!, “He talked about his brother in the past, as part of his life — not in the future.” This distinction, Lacey believes, reveals a very important and decisive boundary. “They are clearly part of the past,” he said. William’s decision, not to linger, not to elaborate, is seen by many royal commentators as deliberate. Andrew Morton, who has chronicled the family for decades, noted that interviews with William tend to avoid the topic of his brother altogether. “If you want the Prince to talk openly, you avoid asking about his brother,” he said. “He’s learned to handle it with careful omission.”
Levy himself confirmed that there were no restrictions placed on what he could ask. A reporter allegedly asked, "Were you ever told you couldn't ask questions, for example, about Harry and Meghan? Did you find that was just something you didn't want to go near?" Levy replied, "I was not told I couldn't ask anything, but it wasn't really up to me to get into that. I had no interest in asking him about that, because it was a very delicate issue and certainly not up to me to get into it."
Similarly, Harry, during his earlier visit to the UK, had hinted at the sibling tension, but didn't linger. Meeting award recipient Declan Bitmead, Harry joked about the trials of brotherhood. When Bitmead mentioned having a younger brother, Harry grinned and said, “Does he drive you mad? You know what, siblings.” When he learned the boys attended the same school, Harry laughed, “That sometimes makes it more challenging.”
It was a lighthearted exchange, but those who’ve read his memoir Spare knew the line carried weight. In his book, Harry recalled how William once asked him to stay away during his early days at Eton. “For the last two years, he explained, Eton had been his sanctuary,” Harry wrote. “No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.” The Duke went on, “Willy always hated it when anyone made the mistake of thinking of us as a package deal… And now, to attend the same school was pure murder.” In a 2023 interview with Anderson Cooper, Harry had admitted, “At the time, it hurt… I was like, ‘What do you mean? We’re now at the same school.’”
