Happy birthday? Prince William is not happy that his brother, Prince Harry, and Duchess Meghan announced their decision to “step back” from senior royal family responsibilities one day before his wife, Duchess Kate, turned 38.
“Harry and Meghan rubbed salt into the wounds by making the huge announcement a day before Kate’s birthday,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “It hasn’t gone down well with William.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed on Wednesday, January 8, that they are going to alter their royal duties in 2020. William, 37, and Kate, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday, January 9, did not anticipate the statement, a source told Us.
“William was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement,” the insider revealed on Wednesday, following the news that Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, would be moving in a different direction within the royal family.
“We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the joint statement read. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
The statement continued, “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
The news came after speculation of a rift between William, 37, and Harry was confirmed by Harry’s friend and documentary journalist Tom Bradby earlier that day.
“There are lots of people, who would love there to be, including I think the brothers themselves, love them to be closer again. And with any luck that will happen,” Bradby said on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday. “But with families, we all know stuff happens, things are said.”
After host Piers Morgan pointed out that having disputes in public “can’t be easy,” Bradby replied, “And also a family dispute within a family firm. You are working in a big family firm, everyone has their wishes and desires and ambitions and if they have to be balanced up and it’s very hard.”
Hours after Bradby’s appearance, Harry and Meghan announced their new plans for their roles within the greater royal family. A source told Us at the time that William is deeply hurt by his little brother’s decision.
“There’s still a rift between the two brothers,” an insider said on Wednesday. “It’s sad because when they were younger, William would be the first person Harry would go to with big news like this.”
The source added: “William is incredibly hurt, but at the same time he has his own family to focus on and is trying to move forward with his life.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Us that “the other royals didn’t know of the statement. This really is extraordinary. It’s totally irresponsible.”
Buckingham Palace, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, weighed in on the release of Harry and Meghan’s statement, saying they were still in “early stage” discussions with the couple.
“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” the palace statement read.
