Prince Harry’s upcoming 40th birthday would have been the perfect opportunity to make amends with his brother William. But insiders say the long-running rift between the warring siblings shows little sign of abating, particularly after Harry’s huge inheritance gift was recently revealed.
The Duke of Sussex, who celebrates the milestone on 15 September, is set to receive £7 million from a trust fund arranged by his late great-grandmother. The money is his share of the Queen Mother’s estimated £70 million fortune, which she had established to pass on to her great-grandchildren.
Sources tell Closer that Wills, 42, is enraged by his younger brother’s generous payday, especially since Harry has been so scathing of the Royal Family since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, dramatically stepped away from royal duties in 2020.
“William’s pretty disgusted that once again Harry’s going to be cashing out and taking millions back to his Montecito home without lifting a finger for it. There’s nothing he can do about it, aside from shaking his head, but if it were up to him, Harry would not be getting this payday,” the insider reveals.
“William doesn’t think his brother is in any position to be getting this handout and he’s letting it be known that he thinks it’s a pretty rotten situation. William and Kate don’t trust Harry or Meghan one bit, so the idea that Harry’s now cashing in on his great-Granny’s inheritance leaves a very bitter taste in their mouths.”
The source claims that William feels that the Sussexes aren’t worthy of receiving such an extravagant gift, particularly as they have taken personal parting shots at the royals over recent years. Harry’s birthday present is also sure to reignite the intense sibling rivalry between them – the Duke of Sussex has called “Willy” his “beloved brother” and “arch nemesis”.
A source says, “As far as William’s concerned, the fact that Harry is essentially being rewarded after the terrible treatment he’s shown them all, not to mention the stress he caused towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s life, is just wrong on so many levels. He can’t block Harry’s inheritance, nor is he going to try to, but that doesn’t mean he can’t sound off and make his feelings known.”
The insider adds, “Of course, that point of view is going to be so insulting for Harry, who has always bristled at his brother trying to control him.”
Harry’s birthday present comes as a marked contrast to William, who was honoured with a ceremonial bell concert at Westminster Abbey for his 40th birthday in 2022. It’s thought that Harry’s share would be more than what his big brother received, because as heir to the throne, William will get funds from the private estate Duchy of Cornwall, which is tax-exempt – and this is sure to get his brother het up further.
“William will benefit from the vast wealth of the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate that funds the public, charitable and private activities of the King’s heir. As a result, Harry is likely to receive slightly more than half of the £14 million allocated for the brothers,” the source says.
Harry – who now lives in Montecito, California, with Meghan and their five-year-old son Archie and three-year-old daughter Lilibet – opened up about their sibling rivalry in his memoir, Spare. He claimed that William’s jealousy reared its ugly head when the Duke of Sussex went to work in Africa, which William resented as that was where he also wanted to go. “It was all so obvious. He cared less about finding his purpose or passion than about winning his lifelong competition with me,” Harry wrote.
He also spoke of the fight he had with his brother, which was said to have left him with “scrapes and bruises” on his back. The alleged physical attack came after William reportedly called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”, where William “grabbed [Harry] by the collar, ripping my necklace and he knocked me to the floor”. Harry also claimed that it was Kate Middleton who made Meghan cry in a row over bridesmaids’ dresses in the run-up to their wedding day in 2018.
Despite their strained relationship, the source says that William is resigned to letting his brother do what he wants.
“For all his anger towards Harry, he’s still his brother, which is probably why William is so bent out of shape and why it pushes so many buttons,” the insider reveals. “Never in a million years would he have predicted that his brother would abandon his duties and swan off to America to try to build himself up as a Hollywood celebrity. He’s seen the lavish life they live.”
They add, “The idea of Harry squandering his inheritance after turning up his nose at the family and his commitment to the Crown is beyond the pale for William, but sadly there’s not a lot he can do about it.”