Prince Harry and Prince William sharing an embrace back in 2014.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship has been fraught in recent years.
The brothers haven’t been photographed in the same room since King Charles’ coronation in 2023.
Photos of the pair show the evolution of their relationship over the years.
It’s no secret that Prince William and Prince Harry have a complicated relationship.
Harry, 42, first confirmed a rift in his relationship with William, 44, in 2019, and their bond only grew more strained in the years that followed as Harry stepped back as a senior royal and began speaking publicly about his and Meghan Markle’s issues with the royal family.
Still, the brothers didn’t always have such a complex relationship, sticking close to each other during their childhoods.
Take a look at some photos that show the evolution of William and Harry’s relationship.
Prince William was publicly photographed with his younger brother for the first time in October 1984.
Princess Diana holds a newborn Prince Harry in her arms while Prince William looks on in October 1984.
AP
Harry was born on September 15, 1984, and though he was photographed for the first time just a day later, he wasn’t pictured with his brother, then 2 years old, until the following month.
William sat on the floor in front of Princess Diana, who held an infant Harry in her arms.
The brothers were photographed with their extended family at Harry’s christening in December 1984.
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William posed for a few photos at Harry’s christening, including a shot with his parents, Queen Elizabeth, and the Queen Mother.
In the photo, baby Harry reaches out to touch his big brother.
A 1985 photo of the brothers hinted at their bond.
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The brothers seemed to have a close relationship from a young age, as the pair were often side by side in pictures.
In this shot, they play the piano together with Diana at Kensington Palace.
As the boys got older, they were photographed playing together, as in this 1986 shot.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William at Highgrove House in July 1986.
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Cameras captured the brothers playing at Highgrove House , where they lived with Diana and Charles when they were young.
William waited at the bottom of a slide as Harry made his way down.
The family appeared close-knit in shots shared before Charles and Diana split, such as this 1989 photo.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with their children during a family holiday in Tresco on the Isles of Scilly in 1989
AP
Harry and William were typically photographed with one or both of their parents when they were children. For instance, the palace shared a photo of the pair on bicycles with their parents in 1989 on the Isles of Scilly.
The duo continued to smile during public appearances after their parents split, including a 1993 trip to Thorpe Park.
Diana, Princess Of Wales, Prince William, and Prince Harry at the ‘Thorpe Park’ Amusement Park in April 1993.
Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images
Charles and Diana officially separated in December 1992 after years of turmoil.
Harry and William continued to appear separately with their parents, and they seemed cheerful despite the change in their home life. In April 1993, they grinned widely during a visit to Thorpe Park with Diana, not caring that a ride got them wet.
The brothers supported each other at various milestones, such as William’s first day at Eton College in 1995.
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The brothers attended the same boarding school, Eton College . Prince George attends the prestigious school as of 2026.
When William enrolled in 1995, Harry accompanied their parents to drop him off, giving him a familial send-off.
Harry later joined William at Eton in 1998, though he said in his memoir “Spare” that William asked him “to pretend [he] didn’t know him” at the school.
The brothers were photographed on the grounds of Balmoral Castle together weeks before their mother died in 1997.
Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and Prince William at Balmoral Castle in August 1997.
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The brothers were vacationing at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with their father when their mother died on August 31, 1997.
Harry said in his memoir “Spare” that Charles personally told him his mother had died, though he didn’t hug him when delivering the news.
On August 16, two weeks before Diana’s death, photographers captured William and Harry exploring the grounds of the royal retreat with their father.
They famously walked behind Diana’s casket at her funeral a few weeks later, with their father, uncle, and grandfather.
Prince William and Prince Harry processed behind Princess Diana’s coffin at her funeral in September 1997.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
During Diana’s funeral, William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 at the time, walked behind her coffin as it processed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.
Charles and Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, accompanied the boys, as did their grandfather, Prince Philip.
The brothers were often photographed side by side in the years after their mother died, like in this shot from March 2001.
Sion Touhig / Getty
Harry and William spent much of their teens in school, but when they appeared with the royal family, they were typically together, such as at the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration in August 2001.
Prince William later said that they were “uniquely bonded because of what we’ve been through” when speaking of Diana’s death in a 2015 video shared by Time .
While William and Harry pursued different paths after graduating from high school, they reunited in 2009 to undertake military helicopter training.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/ AP Images.
William attended the University of St Andrews, where he met Kate Middleton , while Harry took a gap year after graduating from Eton.
However, in 2009, they were both in training to fly helicopters as part of their service in the Royal Air Force, and they shared a cottage during the experience.
They jokingly told the BBC it would be their “first and last time living together,” with William saying Harry snored and that he often tidied up after him.
Harry wrote in “Spare” that he didn’t snore and cleaned up after himself, so he found his brother’s comments puzzling.
Harry served as best man at William and Kate’s wedding on April 29, 2011.
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William and Kate tied the knot at Westminster Abbey.
Harry was by William’s side for the occasion, serving as his best man. They were photographed chatting before Kate walked down the aisle.
Harry later wrote in “Spare” that although he was excited that Kate was joining their family, he felt, to some extent, like he was losing his brother as he got married.
Kate Middleton started attending events with William and Harry after the wedding.
Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince Harry at the London Olympic Games at Velodrome in August 2012.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
The trio often looked gleeful when attending events together, including formal events like Trooping the Colour and more casual engagements.
In August 2012, they were photographed celebrating at the London 2012 Olympic Games after watching an event together.
The trio often worked together on projects, like their Heads Together initiative.
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images
Harry was far from a third wheel in this trio, with the three often taking on charitable endeavors.
For instance, William and Kate partnered with the younger royal to launch Heads Together, a mental health initiative, in 2016.
Meghan Markle made her first appearance with Harry, William, and Kate on Christmas Day 2017, earning the group the nickname of “Fab Four.”
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Harry and Meghan got engaged in November 2017, and Meghan joined the royal family the next month for their annual Christmas walk at Sandringham.
The newly engaged couple walked with Kate and William, and British media outlets were quick to label the two couples “the Fab Four” after the joint appearance.
Harry and William still made appearances as a pair in the initial months after Harry got engaged, as they did in December 2017.
Star Max/AP Images
In December 2017, the two attended a “Star Wars” premiere without their significant others, grinning in black tuxedos.
William served as Harry’s best man at his wedding on May 19, 2018.
WPA Pool/Getty
Just as Harry did for him, William served as his brother’s best man for his May 2018 wedding.
However, behind the scenes, there was tension between Meghan and Kate ahead of the wedding. Meghan shared in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that Kate made her cry during a disagreement about a flower girl dress, which she later apologized for.
British media outlets had reported in 2018 that Meghan had made Kate cry, and the Duchess of Sussex told Winfrey she found it “shocking” that the opposite story would be made public.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have never publicly commented on Meghan’s account of the incident.
The brothers appeared with their wives at royal engagements throughout 2018.
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton at Buckingham Palace to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in July 2018.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
As Harry and Meghan established themselves as a royal couple, they often appeared alongside William and Kate, promoting charitable causes as a unit.
However, after Harry and Meghan announced they were resigning from their joint charity with William and Kate, The Royal Foundation, in June 2019 to start their own charity , the couples weren’t pictured together for months.
The brothers stood somberly together side by side in November 2019 after Harry said in a documentary that they were “on different paths.”
Prince Harry and Prince William attend an annual Remembrance Sunday memorial in November 2019.
Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
Harry publicly confirmed a rift between him and William during an interview for an ITV documentary in October 2019.
“We’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, and as I know he’ll always be there for me,” Harry said.
“We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but I love him dearly,” Harry added. “The majority of this stuff is created out of nothing, but as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.”
A month later, the brothers and their wives attended a Remembrance event, but they weren’t photographed speaking to each other, fueling further speculation about the rift. A day later, William and Harry processed together in a memorial ceremony, both looking serious.
Harry and William stepped out for their final royal engagement together in March 2020.
Phil Harris/Pool via AP Images
Two months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back as working royals , Harry and Meghan attended their final royal engagement, a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
The brothers didn’t appear to speak, and Harry has since said it “felt cold” with his family at the event.
Harry and Meghan left for North America shortly after the event, first moving to Canada before ending up in California . The brothers wouldn’t see each other for over a year.
The brothers reunited for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, though they didn’t walk side by side.
William, Harry, Charles, and other members of the royal family during the Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17, 2021.
Mark Cuthbert-Pool/UK Press via Getty Images
Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021. The couple opened up about some of their conflicts with the royal family, including the flower-girl dress debacle involving Kate and Meghan. They also said that unnamed members of the family had speculated about Archie’s skin tone ahead of his birth.
The same month, William said he hadn’t spoken to Harry since his tell-all interview with Winfrey, and, in response to some of Harry’s claims, said the royals are “very much not a racist family.”
A month later, Prince Philip died at 99, and Harry returned to the UK for his funeral. Both brothers walked behind their grandfather’s coffin at the ceremony, but their cousin, Peter Phillips, walked between them.
They appeared together again to unveil a statue of Princess Diana in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021.
Prince Harry and Prince William at the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021.
Getty Images
The brothers made a joint statement to mark the statue’s unveiling , which took place on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday.
They were spotted speaking to each other after the unveiling.
William and Harry walked side by side during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022.
Prince Harry and Prince William follow the hearse with the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II moving towards St. George’s Chapel on September 19, 2022 in Windsor, England.
Jon Super – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Unlike at Prince Philip’s funeral, Harry and William walked side by side at Queen Elizabeth’s service, an experience that William said reminded him of his mother’s funeral .
The procession would mark the last time the brothers performed a royal duty together to date.
A few months later, in December 2022, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series, “Harry & Meghan,” premiered, in which Harry spoke candidly about his relationship with William . He went into further detail about their conflicts in his January 2023 memoir, “Spare,” calling him his “beloved brother” and “arch nemesis” in the text and saying William physically attacked him in 2019. William has not publicly commented on Harry’s memoir as of October 2026.
Harry also wrote in his book that he and William barely spoke at their grandmother’s funeral.
The brothers were distant at King Charles’ coronation in May 2023.
The royal family at King Charles’ coronation in May 2023.
Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Harry traveled to London for his father’s coronation, though he didn’t appear to interact with his brother at all during the ceremony.
They entered separately, and Harry was seated a few rows behind William and his family. Harry was spotted looking at his elder brother during the event, though William didn’t return the favor.
They have not been seen together since Harry moved back to the UK.
Karwai Tang/WireImage/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
William and Harry’s relationship has remained distant since 2023, though Harry visited his father a handful of times following the king’s cancer diagnosis. Harry has also said he wishes to reconcile with his family on multiple occasions.
In a January 2023 interview with ITV, he said, “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.” In May 2025, he said in an interview with BBC News that he “would love a reconciliation” with his family, but added that his legal struggles to secure protection for his wife and children in the UK were a barrier to their relationship.
Likewise, he told The Guardian in September 2025 that he saw his memoir as a step toward a better relationship with his family: “You cannot have reconciliation before you have truth.”
Harry and Meghan moved back to the United Kingdom in September with their children, creating greater potential for a reunion between the brothers. The couple set up a home near London and enrolled Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in school.
William and Harry have not been photographed in public together since Harry’s move, and no reports of private visits with each other have surfaced as of October.
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