Prince William and Prince Harry are now estranged, but the brothers grew up together, sharing many of the same struggles in their childhoods. According to one royal expert, Prince William "recognises [Prince] Harry had a harder upbringing" than him. The expert says Prince William is aware that some privileges "weren't available" to his younger brother.
Harry's pain recognised
In 2020, Prince Harry made the decision to step back from royal duties, along with his wife Meghan Markle. The couple have now returned to the UK for an "extended" period, but there is no sign they will resume their royal roles.
Royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop has spoken out about how William likely feels over his brother's actions, but does "recognise" the pain that Harry was in. Speaking to OK!, Dr Dunlop said: "Obviously William feels really hurt, and it'll take him a while to come back into the room, as it were, but if Harry can make it to the Coronation..."
A different loss
Dr Dunlop added: "In the end, they are trained as well to put on a brave face, and I think that's what William needs to do. He recognises that his brother was in a place of pain."
Speaking of the extra years that William had their mother present in his life, Dr Dunlop added: "Harry didn't benefit from those extra three years with Princess Diana being alive. There have been privileges in William's life that weren't available for Harry, which made his journey harder to navigate - that's the truth. To leave your parents at 11 rather than 14 or 15 years, it's a very different loss."
Kate's steadying influence
Princess Diana died following injuries she sustained from a car crash in 1997. Dr Dunlop also credited William's wife's role in his life, adding: "Harry's not in the number one gig. William was lucky to meet Kate early on; she can be a really steadying influence and really believes in the institution that William was going to head up."
She added: "If he can see that he is in an advantageous position, that will help enable him to be generous. And I'm not saying Harry hasn't overstepped the line - I'm sure if Harry was my little brother I'd feel pretty upset. But it's about the bigger picture, and I hope Catherine would help with that."
