Prince Harry has claimed that a heated confrontation with the Prince of Wales at Prince Philip's funeral came to an abrupt end when William used a childhood secret code. Writing in his memoir Spare, Harry said he was "stopped cold" during the exchange, which took place in April 2021, weeks after his and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Many had hoped the sombre occasion would give the brothers a chance to reconcile, but Harry claimed William forced him to meet his gaze so he could tell him that he loved him and wanted him to be happy. Harry recounted telling his brother that he loved him too, but that his "stubbornness is extraordinary" before pulling away. He alleges William pulled him back and said: "Harold you must listen to me, I just want you to be happy, Harold, I swear, I swear on mummy's life."
Secret code from childhood
Harry revealed this brought them both to a standstill, as William had "used the secret code, the universal password, ever since we were boys those three words were to be used only in times of extreme crisis, 'on mummy's life'." He explained the pair had reserved that solemn vow for moments when they felt one of them truly needed to be heard.
Harry added: "It stopped me cold, as it was meant to. Not because he'd used it, but because it didn't work. I simply didn't believe him." Elsewhere in Spare, Harry claims he had a physical altercation with his older brother during a separate confrontation at Kensington Palace, and in his Netflix series, he alleges William screamed and shouted at him during a meeting.
Biographer doubts reconciliation
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward, appearing on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, said the brothers have never truly been close, and any reconciliation could be "many years" away. She commented: "They painted this lovely picture that they were great friends, but they weren't. There was always huge rivalry between them. They were never really great friends and I can't see [them coming back together] until maybe many, many years in the future. If disaster struck one or other of them, that would bring them together. But I cannot see it happening [otherwise]."
