Prince Harry has recounted a tense encounter with his brother, Prince William, in which the Prince of Wales allegedly used a secret childhood gesture that left him “stopped cold.” The Duke of Sussex described the moment in his memoir, Spare, released in 2023.
The two brothers are believed to be estranged, barely exchanging words during their rare joint appearances. Their last known meeting in the same room was at the funeral of their uncle, Lord Fellowes, in 2024, where their icy relationship was said to be on full display.
Encounter at Prince Philip’s funeral
Years earlier, in April 2021, the brothers reunited for the funeral of Prince Philip. The encounter took place weeks after Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, which contained a number of allegations against the royals.
Harry claimed that William forced him to meet his gaze to deliver an important message. According to Harry, William said: “He forced me to look into his eyes and said, 'Listen to me. I love you. I want you to hear the words out of my mouth. I love you, but your stubbornness is extraordinary.'”
Harry added that William grabbed him again, saying: “However, you must listen to me. I just want you to be happy. ‘I swear, I swear on mummy's life.'”
The secret code that failed
Harry explained that the phrase “on mummy's life” was a secret code between the brothers, used only in times of extreme crisis. He said: “We stopped. 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. For nearly 25 years, we've reserved the times when one of us needed to be heard.”
The duke concluded: “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.”
